Jesus Christ Superstar

To say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching  a show about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ seems a very strange sentence to write. However, the Lamproom Musical Theatre Company’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar was both entertaining and moving  in equal measure. 

Director, Nicholas Gillott, chose to set the piece in a dystopian world, and this worked well. Gillott had obviously put time in to this production as every I was dotted and T crossed. One piece of direction I particularly enjoyed was the representation of the angel and devil each trying to convince Judas which avenue to take. The live rock band under the expert direction of Pete Lane, was fabulous and added so much to the overall experience. Lane managed to get a great sound from an engaging and enthusiastic ensemble and principal line up. As one has come to expect when visiting the LMTC, the choreography was incredible. Dani Sampson isn’t just a choreographer, she’s a storyteller, with every move well thought out which drives the story forward. 

In his first principal role with the company, Jack Flewitt made a sparkling Herod, and held is own amongst this experienced cast. As Simon, Lee Caddick, proved yet again what a versatile performer he is as he led the cast in the high energy number, Simon Zealotes. Joe Boswell gave an emotional portrayal of Peter, the Apostle who denied Jesus, and displayed impressive vocals. David Hales-Beck in his first show with the LMTC, shared with us his rich baritone voice and was a very imposing presence. The always impressive Edie Butterfied as Annas was a delight to watch, as she acted every word she sang. Butterfield and Hales-Beck made  a great onstage pairing. One of the most difficult roles to portray in the production is Pontius Pilate, due to the range of emotions required. Here the character was portrayed by Bob Flewitt. You could really feel Pilate’s plight as he struggled with is own moral compass and that of peer pressure. 

Shelley Henry was a brilliant Mary. Her vocals were on point and you generally felt the love she had for Jesus come flooding into the audience. Henry’s rendition of ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ was a personal highlight. As Judas, Jordan Wright was perfection. Wright’s incredible voice is just right for this role and handled the top notes as well, if not better than  any professional to tackle this vocally demanding role. The angst in his performance was palpable. 

However, the night belonged to Jacob Whitehead as Jesus. As I sit here writing this report, I’m emotional thinking about this first class performance from this talented young man. There’s so much I could write about Whitehead and his performance, but the last five minutes, when he was placed on the cross, was an acting master class.  You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium as the entire audience were gripped by Whitehead and his portrayal of the son of the God. An exceptional individual performance. 

The ensemble consisted of  Craig Anderson, Becca Booth, Lauren de Boer, Leon Firth, Jason Fox, Ellen Holliday, Frank Hoyland, Amira Kamami, Tamsin Kendall, Lisa Kendall, Faiyaz Kiddi, Lesley Lees, Janet Lomas, Cheryl Morgan, Stuart Ogden, Mark Perry, Wendy Prew, Jo Smith, Sarah Taylor, Jordan Webber and Isabelle Sahara Yates, collectively and individually added much to this production. A great set, props, costumes and lighting all added to make this a wonderful and thought provoking piece of theatre. 

Well done to at the LMTC. You’re all Superstars. 

 

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