I'm a HUGE fan of this musical and have seen it countless times in various settings and casts. This being said I'll tell you why the mixed feelings:
I did appreciate the modern setting as it is close to the previously recorded (2000) dvd version which I've also seen live on stage and which gives the story a modern twist that makes it somewhat relatable in the 2000somethings so that was OK.
The main cast was not really mine though and I'm saying this with the most respect and appreciation for each of them as individual performers. John Legend is an amazing musician and that is a fact. Still he doesn't habe the vocal range to portray jesus nor the energy as an actor to do the part justice. Compare him to glenn carter of the 2000 recording. No match there.
Judas is a lot better cast then the 2000 version with much better vocal skills than jerome pradon...BUT that's not hard since a hoarse cat's meow sounds better than him (to be fair, he sort of hinted at that himself in an interview). So I'm neither in favor nor against brandon victor Dixon even though I might have liked to see Tony Vincent instead. He was amazing on Broadway.
Sara bareilles was OK as well, though I did love Rene Castle. Do neither pro nor con here.
Alice cooper was no match for 2000's rick mayal and was probably mainly cast for his VIP status.
If you've ever seen Fred Johanson (preferably live on stage) you will know why I won't even begin to explain how was no match for his Pilate...
The 2000 version of caiaphas and annas were also much better (voice wise) in my opinion, though Norm Lewis wasn't necessarily bad, just a bit off on some notes so OK I guess.
The cast for Simon with Eric Grönwall was ok, the Cast for Peter wasn't really if you compare Jason Tam to Cavin Cornwall. Especially Could we start again please was so much better with him and Rene Castle really giving you the chills.
I know I'm mainly comparing two recorded shows here but I thought that would be just fair since it's almost the same conditions whereas nothing lives up to a live performance and the 1973 version is more like a movie than a recording. Also I do not comment on the Commercial complaints since I saw the whole thing recorded and could skip them.
Basically this is why I habe mixed feelings and would probably stick to the 2000 version even though they featured an insufferable Judas. Although I did like the setting and I enjoyed watching a new version as I think it gives an old show some credit.
