Jesus Christ Superstar

The Little Theatre in Torquay, having previously been a church,  was the perfect setting for this rock opera depicting the last week of Christ's life on earth.  The seating is raked giving an excellent view of the stage.  Unfortunately,  there were a number of latecomers who rather interrupted the stunning first number. How to deal with late arrivals without disrupting the performance for others is always a difficult call.

The music was powerful and loud but perhaps not as loud as expected, possibly because this was a matinee performance.  There was some fabulous solo singing and also some glorious harmonies.  Words were clear which is always important, even with a story as well known as this.  We do not usually consider the story of Christ from the political viewpoint but this is how it is depicted in Jesus Christ Superstar.  The concerns and doubts of the Apostles are shown as they watch the rapid rise of Jesus' popularity and profile and fear for how this will be perceived by the governing bodies of Israel.

It was interesting to see that modern dress had been chosen for this production.  This may have been in order to give the audience a feeling of greater involvement with the story as it unfolded.  

The two actors playing Jesus and Judas had played these characters in a recent production elsewhere and brought a great depth of feeling and truth to their performances.  So interesting to see the changing relationship between the two men as  Judas' concerns and Jesus' impatience with the doubts being expressed become apparent. The stillness and composure of Mary, who was always there watching and supporting her beloved Jesus, but quietly so, was a very sympathetic portrayal of Mary Magdelene and  "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was very moving.  The close friendship between the Apostles and Jesus was so well demonstrated with Peter and Simon clearly showing their devotion to Jesus.   The flamboyant and powerful King Herod was an excellent contrast to the more secretive and underhand behaviour of the Priests.  This was a comparatively small cast so a certain amount of doubling of parts was necessary.  Apostles became Priests, Guards or indeed Pontious Pilate.  Some excellent performances blending to become a super production.  No doubt demonstrating the commitment and teamwork of the company.

A particularly impressive scene was when the body of Christ was removed from the cross.  This had clearly been thoroughly practised and was very neatly carried out so that the body did indeed appear to be lifeless.  

It is necessary that in a modern rock opera personal mics must be employed but the audience should be as unaware of their presence as possible. During the highly charged scene when Jesus is brought before Pilate and subsequently receives the thirty-nine lashes the many strips of white tape were distracting.  A flesh coloured or neutral tape would have perhaps been a better choice.  Strangely I had somehow expected Jesus to be facing upstage at this point, showing his vulnerability, so was somewhat surprised to see him facing the audience.  This is the joy of the theatre, every director must see the script afresh and bring his own stamp to it.  

The lighting added so much to the atmosphere with a fabulous use of greens and purples.  A follow spot was employed and this can be very tricky to operate.  Actors can sometimes not be where you expect them to be and there is so little time to rehearse this in the theatre before opening night. 

The sound was good but for a rock opera a little more in the way of volume would have been good and I was surprised not to hear a saxophone but it was a good sound and certainly clear.

The auditorium was almost full for the matinee and in fact most of the week the houses had been full or almost full.  This was good to see and well deserved.  This production of Jesus Christ Superstar was thoroughly entertaining but also left the audience with so much to think about.  Congratulations to you all.

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