Review: Jesus Christ Superstar

Inspired by Theatre are aiming high with a new take on the classic Jesus Christ Superstar at Joseph Rowntree Theatre this week.

Featuring iconic songs like ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’, ‘Gethsemane’ and the titular ‘Superstar,’ Jesus Christ Superstar charts the final days of Jesus, through loss, rebellion and betrayal.

The sung-through rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice had its first premiere on Broadway in 1971, and since then it has had countless revivals and performances across the world – and the latest by Inspired by Theatre promises a bold new take.

But does it deliver?

It’s certainly a strong start, with the electric guitar pulsing through the theatre and the cast moving across the stage with balletic intensity. It sets the tone perfectly as to what to expect of what we’re about to witness.

Iain Harvey’s interpretation of Jesus is one I found interesting – he almost becomes lost in amongst his disciples and followers, and when he accepts his fate from God his curling in on himself is like he’s reverting back to a child. But he comes into his own for ‘Gethsemane’, showing a capacious range of emotion and vocal ability.

Though Jesus is in the title of the musical, this is really Judas’ story and needs a strong performer in the role. There’s no doubt that this production succeeds exceptionally at this, as Kelly Ann Bolland is a force of nature as Judas. Her powerful, raw vocals are matched equally by the passion of her performance, and we as an audience truly feel the anguish that Judas is experiencing – all coming to a tragic climax in ‘Judas’ Death’.

Contrasting perfectly to Judas’ fervent portrayal is Rianna Pearce as Mary. Her sweet vocals soar beautifully, and her performance of ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ gave a tender moment of stillness amongst the chaos.

Another performance to highlight is Josh Woodgate as Pilate. A difficult role to nail, but Woodgate displays perhaps the strongest level of acting on stage. The voice of consciousness in the show, as everyone else turns against Jesus, is delivered with remarkable believability. Joseph Hayes as Caiaphas and Gi Vasey as Annas also deliver compelling turns, though it’s a shame that some mic issues on opening night meant we missed some of Vasey’s sublime singing.

When Herod (Mickey Moran) struts onto stage, it brings a much-needed light relief to the emotional tension that had been building. ‘King Herod’s Song’, in his long sparkly jacket, Charleston dancers, and disco ball, brought a bit of colour and light to the show – though I wish the glitz and campness was pushed even further.

It was a delight to discover that Mickey Moran has a dual role in this show, not only as Herod but in the pit as Guitar 1 when he’s not on stage – multi-talented indeed. The rest of the band are uniformly excellent, and led with confidence by musical director Michael Peter Clare.

It’s clear that Dan Crawfurd-Porter has a strong directorial vision. He directs with purpose and intent – a lot of thought has been put into each placement, every costume and prop, and movement. However, I’m not sure his vision perfectly translates to the audience at all times, and there is a perhaps too much a focus on creating a work of art rather than a piece of entertainment.

I think this interpretation of the show – and the cast – needs more space to breathe. The relentless intensity is commendable from a performance point of view, however the moments where we do get that pause give everyone a chance to catch their breath.

Iain Harvey as Jesus and Rianna Pearce as Mary

The choreography (Freya McIntosh) in this show is ambitious; the cast rarely leave the stage, and are constantly moving – across the floor, through jumps and turns, and dancing with every part of their body. It may be first night nerves, but it did seem like the cast were occasionally propelled by panic and may have needed more time with it, however every member put every ounce of energy into their performance.

The sequenced choreography occasionally strays into repetitiveness, however I think it smartly reflects the ensemble as one hive mind, particularly effective when they then join the bandwagon together calling for Jesus’ death.

The sparse set design works well for this production, though I do wish the levels had been used more efficiently throughout the musical and would have elevated the show further if the stage could have been opened a bit more. What does work exceptionally well, is the lighting design by Daniel Grey. The creative decision to keep Jesus softly lit at all times, emitting a heavenly glow, is very effective.

This production set out to “commit fully to the story’s momentum and spectacle”, and overall I think Inspired by Theatre has achieved this goal – I’m looking forward to see what they do next.