Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar tells the story of the last few days of Jesus Christ, loosely based on the Gospels- retelling the story of the last few days of Jesus`s life, up to and including the crucifixion. The story is told in the form of a Rock Opera, with the only spoken words being given by Jesus whilst on the cross. The story focuses mainly on the relationships between Jesus, Mary and Judas but includes exploration of the power dynamics between Jesus and the disciples, Rome, Religious Leaders and the people of Israel. My experiences with this show number the same as the Disciples at twelve, whether performing in, or a viewer, so you could say it`s a bit of a favourite.

The leading role of Jesus was played by Josh Utting- this is the first time I`ve seen Josh perform, and I`m pretty sure it won`t be the last. I did initially feel that Josh was too young for the role- looking like he`d stepped straight out of a boy band…. And then he sang. Josh`s vocals throughout were excellent, and considering this was the Saturday matinee performance, where tired voices are more noticeable, this was pitch perfect-never forcing a note and switching between “voices” with ease.  The relationship between Jesus and Mary was palpable, and at certain points, even with a full chorus onstage, you might have thought there were only those two onstage. Jess Turton played Mary Magdalene with absolute conviction- tactile and tender when with Jesus, always watching over him, strong yet composed when dealing with others and bringing composure and calm to the camp. Jess`s ‘I Don`t Know How to Love Him’ left the audience in no doubt at all as to where Mary`s heart lay.

The story, in general is narrated by Judas, played by James Shields. James was totally consistent throughout the show, note perfect, absolutely nailing the vocally challenging score. There was a real sense of pathos and regret in Judas`s Death, which itself was cleverly executed and lit. As with most performances I`ve seen, Jesus wore white, Mary, red and Judas black-which always works for me, though I did wonder why Judas was dressed as Buttons for the Superstar number.

Simon Rothwell undertook the role of Ciaphas. Simon`s booming bass voice resounded around the theatre, deep and ominous. Simon was ably supported by Peter Thompson as Annas, both perfect foils for each other. Whilst Pilate himself proclaims Jesus to be an “innocent puppet”, the authority Simon gave to Ciaphas made you feel that it was actually Pilate who was ultimately the puppet at the Sanhedrin trial of Christ.

Robbie Love`s measured performance of Pontius Pilate transfixed the audience. Every emotion, every feeling etched into his face- had the sound failed, you`d still follow the story just by looking at him. The moment Pilate realised he was backed into a corner and had but one choice was finely nuanced- you could actually feel his torment, see his pain.

Andrew Thompson gave a stirling, maniacal performance as Herod, so different from anything I`d seen him do before. But to be honest, I found his performance hard to watch- not because of anything he was doing, but simply as I was so distracted by the dancers at this point. Whilst I absolutely understood why and how they were set and dressed the way they were, they were so prominent that I would think anyone new to the show probably didn`t hear or see anything Herod did, sadly.

The roles of Simon Zealotes and Peter, were played by David Eddowes and Steven Bryant respectively. David`s vocals shone throughout his song, and Steven`s strong presence throughout the production made him easily recognizable as Jesus`s rock- his warm, rich vocals in “Could we start again please” had feeling and depth.

The Disciples and chorus, costumed in grey (with the addition of red for the temple scene) were well drilled throughout, both vocally and in movement.

Whilst every single person in the production sang and performed to such a high standard individually, I do have to say that personally I felt that there wasn`t really a connection between Jesus and the crowds nor the disciples-whether this was through design or not, I’m not sure. If the intent was to have Jesus and Mary detached from everyone else it worked, but in doing so, you never felt the euphoria, energy or outpouring of sheer joy at being in their Lord`s presence, conversely you never really felt their grief at his dying either. As I`ve said in previous reviews this show works on the premise that the audience know the story and the characters involved. Personally, I like the idea of using the overture to give us an insight into who these people are and their status within the groups. With having an empty stage and light show for the overture, and the first introduction to the main protagonists being Judas telling Jesus he may just have miscalculated things, I just felt that there was no build up to Judas being at the point we see him starting from, and anyone not knowing fully who they were, would be wondering what was going on.

All in all this was a good production of this classic show.

Staging was set over three levels, with each being used effectively throughout, the centre-piece being a lit crucifix. Lighting and sound were, as ever at this venue, exemplary.

With Musical Director, Angela Potter at the helm the orchestra sounded great, and it was obvious she`d worked hard with every member of the company. Testament to this was the fact that I was watching the matinee, and there was no sign of fatigue with any of the company.

Holly Brown, as choreographer had obviously put a lot of work into the numbers, which were well crafted and executed.

Directors Suzanne and Kevin Ward should be pleased with this production, and rightly so.

Thank you LADOS, for your invite and your hospitality.

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