Jesus Christ Superstar

As every fan of the glitzy world of the musical knows, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ began life as a form of concept album before making its way onto the stage in the 1970s. Of all of Lloyd Webber’s early works, it is one of his more meaningful and interesting pieces, given an extra spark by Sir Tim Rice’s witty and intelligent lyrics. It’s a show I know very well, having directed it myself and it provides the opportunity of a solid base for a production team to add their own very individual stamp. A story rich in narrative incident, weighty symbolism and a solid thematic edge, the sung-through nature of the enterprise lends it an extra layer of respectability and the pulsing ‘rock opera’ score makes heavy demands on musicians and performers alike.

The first thing of note to mention was the triumph of the set design: the audience were presented with a very visual representation of the show’s themes of religion and sacrifice with an excellent use of projection within. The rostra at the rear and sides of the stage and the two ladders allowed for different levels, adding depth to the proceedings on stage. Costumes for the show were cleverly chosen to give a contemporary feel to the show but at the same time, managed to give the feeling of also being timeless, which worked very well indeed. I was less convinced by the opening flurry of choreography as the cast assembled for ‘Heaven on their Minds’. It appeared rather fussy and frantic to me. 

The rock orchestra was tightly and masterfully controlled by Victoria Hall and the music moved at a steady and insistent pace throughout. This show is a ‘tough sing’ for the performers - and the sung-through nature of the rock opera takes no prisoners - and the whole company is to be applauded for a strong showing here. The set looked great and provided a practical arena to explore the show’s themes clearly and effectively and the technical support from lighting and sound provided that often overlooked extra dimension.

Given the nature of the story, the male voice predominates in this musical (Jesus, Judas, Apostles, Pilate, Priests... the New Testament isn’t renowned for its gender equality) leaving Mary as the sole female voice in the principal line-up. Fortunately, Aislin Seward had a great stage presence and brought a depth of understanding and sympathy to her characterisation. Stunning vocal work too, bringing power to ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ which was earnest and honest. Ewan Stanley as Simon and Oliver Jones as Peter led the way very forcefully as the chief disciples, Oliver in particular giving a very heartfelt rendition of “Could We Start Again Please” with Aislin. This was one of the highlights of the show for me.

The Priests were very convincing, nattily attired in matching jackets and ties, giving the air of being members of an exclusive club. Both Mark Edwards as Caiaphas and Craig Durrant as Annas were powerful in the vocal department showing a gloomy authority and understood the purpose of their characters involvement in the story. Matt Rees as Pontius Pilate was a suitably anguished and sympathetic figure who also brought an impressive air of authority to the character. He showed and immense range of skill giving the character real depth.

Now you can’t review this show without a nod to the two main protagonists. Nathan Drake as Jesus brought a deft and gentle physical presence to the role, however at times the vocal demands of the score proved to be tricky causing some timing and pitching issues. This being said you could tell he threw everything he had into his performance and should be commended for his portrayal. Brendan Roberts was a gloweringly effective Judas, giving great strength of character to the role and a magnificent earthy power to the vocals.  In Jesus and Judas we had the contrasting forces of soaring, airy idealism and a more heavyweight and worldly pragmatism: a perfect mix as expressed in the characterisation and vocals of both performers.

The company had obviously been well drilled and gave a number of very impressive displays throughout the show, always staying in character and helping to push the show along at a good pace. At times I felt that there was a bit of ‘choreography for choreography’s sake’ but there were a number of set pieces and impressive moments peppered throughout the show which came across very well under the choreography hat of Olivia Durrant.

This was a very impressive production which scored on many levels, providing a packed house with a solid and worthwhile evening of musical entertainment of a high standard. There was an obvious passion on display on stage from the entire company and the talents of the cast and solid musical support made for a great evening at the theatre.

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