Jesus Christ Superstar

Synopsis

The story of the adult life of Jesus as he preaches, does miracles, ruffles the establishments feathers and finally is condemned to death. Previous West End run finished in 1980 after 3,368 performances.

Our Review:

Simon Tavener - 23 November 2010

On leaving the Oxford Playhouse tonight, I overheard one theatregoer say to another, ‘Well, that was the worst thing I have seen them do.’ Now Jesus Christ Superstar is a musical that has always elicited strong reactions but was this a reasonable summary of the production by Oxford Operatic?

I would have to say no. However it is not the best version of this iconic show you will encounter.

Let us start with some positives. Duncan Blagrove makes an impressive attempt at the fiendishly difficult role of Judas. He brings a strong voice together with some anguished acting and, for me, steals the show from the solid Jesus of David Staines. Two years ago, Staines impressed me with a stand-out performance of The Russian in Chess. Here, he seems somewhat underpowered vocally throughout. There are some excellent moments but too often he seems overwhelmed by the task of portraying Christ on stage.

He is not helped by the placement of the interval. Director Dave Crewe ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Murray Hall - 26 November 2010:

Well, given what I had read about this production of JCS, I went to the Playhouse last night with high hopes indeed. I was not disappointed. Right from the outset, the mood of show is set perfectly through the menacing guards, music and lighting. The superb (yet minimal) set gives the show a slightly timeless feel, and this, coupled with the modern style of costume brings this 40 year old retelling of the biblical story right into the modern day. From the first song (Heaven on their minds - sung by Judas, played by the excellent Duncan Blagrove), the sense of the coming struggle, both literally, with the Romans, and figuratively, in the minds of Judas, the apostles and Jesus himself is perfectly pitched. Throughout, the choreography (quite how they managed to get more than 50 cast members on stage without injury is beyond me), singing, pace, lighting and acting really had me believing that every member of the cast and production team had worked very hard on ensuring that the individual characters understood their motivations and their own 'journey' through the story. Musically, this is a challenging piece. However, the band and solo singers rose to the task magnificently and put on a near flawless performance. Lest we forget that these are NOT professionals. They all have day jobs and this is what they do as a hobby. What is even more commendable is that this production would not have looked out of place in the West End. The director (Dave Crewe) has shaped and marshalled his principals and ensemble in a way which is highly admirable and I felt truly moved by the particularly harrowing scenes towards the end of act 2. There have been bold choices too. The interval has been moved, and the innovative decision to leave Jesus (David Staines) on stage throughout, praying and meditating whilst surrounded by sleeping apostles should be commended for its bravery and also the discipline of the actors. Also, the depiction of King Herod (Alex Williams)in his song could have been seen as a risky move, with the King surrounded by scantily-clad dancing girls (and boy!) - however, this is pulled off with a good degree of taste, and it provided a welcome semi-comedic lift to the proceedings. There were excellent performances throughout, notably from Chilina Madon as Mary and Tim Younger as Caiaphas. I would also like to mention the apostles as a whole. All 12 had individual characters and managed to (without dialogue to help) portray their struggles and motivations excellently to the point that I genuinely felt their pain on the crucifixion of their leader. This pays great testament to their acting skills. I would also like to commend musical director Julie Todd for her excellent work in moulding the singing to such a high level in rehearsal, and also for marshalling a large band through the challenging score with great aplomb. All in all, I would highly recommend this production to anyone (however, since the remaining performances are sold out, that seems a moot point!). As I said, I went to the theatre with high expectations. I left feeling that I had witnessed a superb production which left me truly moved and highly impressed. Congratulations to all involved!!...

Read more and add your own review