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Last night, I was lucky enough to attend the regional press night of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking as part of its current UK Tour. In this review.. I’ll go over my thoughts!
The current touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar is a very contemporary take on this fan-favourite rock musical, the music by Andrew Lloyd Webber goes from strength to strength and there are many catchy tunes throughout. I have been a Jesus Christ Superstar fan for quite a while now, and yet had never had the chance to see it live, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
The story follows the final weeks of the life of Jesus Christ, as seen by Judas. It’s a very well known tale, matched with a score full of rock music to drive the events forward with a great sense of power.
Timothy Sheader directs this new production which has been modernised to fit the age in which we are currently in, brilliantly organised and well thought through, Sheader heads a tight ship that is sailing for success. Drew McOnie provides the choreography which was stunning. Each and every move was created with intention and then executed with a slick energy from the cast. McOnie’s choreography is always great to see but this time it was mesmerising, the rock style score gives McOnie a selection of powerful songs to play with.
The remainder of this show’s design was rustic and sharp. Designer, Tom Scutt does a wonderful job at making this production look the way it does, it is so well-themed and created - a masterpiece! Scutt’s design paired with Lee Curran’s lighting design makes for a dramatic feel to the piece which is perfect for the suspense that this musical builds from start to finish.
Much of the show is modernised as I mentioned earlier, with many things being done with microphone wires, and the whole show being sung into handheld microphones to create a concert style feeling to this musical.
Ian McIntosh is Jesus. His suave and calmed characterisation is ideal for this character, especially the image we have in our minds that Jesus would be this angelic and peaceful sort of person. McIntosh gives an outstanding vocal performance particularly showing major strengths during numbers such as ‘Gethsemane’. This number received the loudest audience applause and there is no justification needed at all, as this was truly brilliant. McIntosh also plays well onstage with the rest of the cast, good chemistry can be seen amongst them all and this is heartwarming to see from Jesus and his Disciples.
The role of Judas was played by Shem Omari James whose powerful vocal opens the show with ‘Heaven on their mind’. James holds a great presence and has a wonderful way of showing the audience the struggles that Judas is having even before he opens his mouth which is a masterclass in acting and acting through a song. Throughout the show Judas looms around even when not a major part of the scene and ends up betraying Jesus, which ends act one. It is so interesting to see Shem Omari James’ take on Judas as he can be interpreted in so many ways and James has brought a brilliant version of this iconic role to the stage. James’ vocals remain strong throughout the show with some incredibly high notes belted out with ease.
Hannah Richardson gives a beautiful performance of Mary, serving gorgeous tone and performances through numbers such as ‘Everything’s Alright’ and ‘I don’t know how to love him’. Her performance as Mary was refreshing to watch and I thought she was another standout from the show. Richardson’s characterisation as she sees everything happening is brilliant and she acts through this extremely well.
Another standout was Luke Street playing the role of Simon. I was overly impressed by Street’s vocal talent throughout ‘Simon Zealotes’ blew me away with the control, skill and power. Street is a force to be reckoned with and he also is alternate Judas, which I would love to see him perform after seeing this amazing performance as Simon last night.
The remainder of the cast are phenomenal, just too many fabulous performances to name everybody involved, the other supporting roles were characterful and exciting, and the ensemble cast gave a slick and energised performance, bringing Drew McOnie’s choreography to life and giving the show ounces of feeling and heart.
Overall, I really recommend this production of Jesus Christ Superstar…
This could well be one of the finest touring productions doing the circuit at the moment and I really do recommend going to see it! I’m already looking at booking a return. The music, the design and the cast are all impeccable.
The show runs in Woking this week, tickets available from here
Running until SATURDAY.
It heads up north to Sunderland next week too, tickets available from here
Finally you can see the other tour dates, as well as ticket links on the Jesus Christ Superstar website, by clicking here.
4th June 2024
Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants
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