Christianity has always been a seductive topic, and when new twists of Biblical stories are portrayed in film and theatre, they never cease to attract attendance and create a bit of controversy.

That in mind, when Michelle Paul, the associate director of Braden Auditorium, heard that the famous Broadway musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” was coming to Normal, she knew it was a big deal.

“We’re just really excited. It’s a professional Broadway touring company so it’s the real thing,” Paul said. “It’s an opportunity for the students to see a Broadway production right here on our own college campus. They don’t have to drive to Chicago or St. Louis to see it.”

The performance will conclude the 2009-2010 Broadway at Braden season tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Broadway production of “Annie” and tap show “Tap Dogs” were performed at the auditorium earlier in the year. With “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the season is ending with a bang.

“It’s a big name type of thing, if you want to come and hear a different style of music then come along for that,” Carrington Konow, a junior theatre major, said.

“Superstar” is the retelling of the last days of Jesus with an entertaining modern twist; it’s a rock opera. The play was Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first collaboration and invented the theatre genre of telling a story through various rock songs.

There has been some controversy since the play’s inception in the early 70’s, with religious groups both condemning it and supporting the play.

“It comes down to knowing that it’s a play, it’s a musical. It’s not there to really down any religion or anything like that. It’s just different perspectives,” Konow said.

“As a Christian person myself, I wasn’t bothered by it. Some of them won’t like it…or they’re like ‘oh it’s a play, it’s something new, I never thought about it this way.’ It opens the mind up for different experiences,” he added.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” was a monster hit in the 1970’s, going on to win multiple Tony Awards and was made into a film in 1973 starring Ted Neeley, who reportedly is on a “farewell tour” and will be reprising his role as Jesus in the performance tonight.

“This was the first rock opera. So it was really a one-of-a-kind thing back in the day,” Paul added.

With the original star performing, head-bobbing rock music, a timeless story and a touch of controversy, there seems to be several reasons to view the production on an otherwise boring Monday night.

For ticket information call 309-438-5444, go online to bsc.ilstu.edu or stop by the Braden Box Office at the Bone Student Center.