I previously doubted the wisdom of The Court Theatre’s decision to resurrect Jesus Christ Superstar as a Christmas showcase musical. But opening night was a true revelation.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 rock opera is based loosely on the Gospel accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life. However, this is not a religious musical. It is a humanistic interpretation, which concentrates on the conflicted relationship between Jesus the teacher, and Judas the pure believer turned betrayer. [More]

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The combination of a theme darker than usually takes the stage for the holiday season, and the challenge to make fresh cloth from material which has been tackled by so many so often, must have given the programmers pause for thought when The Court’s summer production was planned. The dream team of Stephen Robertson, who is also choreographer and costume designer, and Richard Marrett, who oversees band and studio orchestra from keys 1, has seen to it that on all counts this revival is a winner.

A fresh concept was essential if the rock opera was to wow an audience now accustomed to, and perhaps even jaded by, all the dazzle and decibels of contemporary musical theatre. Harold Moot’s restrained set with desert toned staging and slanted beams supports a lighting design from Grant Robertson also strong in its simplicity. Together they uphold the uncompromising rawness of the storytelling and the emotional impact of its music.

From the start the presence of a dark angel of death (a little reminiscent of Angels in America perhaps) will haunt the action, but in essence it devolves from the questions and problems expressed by everyone we meet as the last seven days of Jesus of Nazareth are chronicled. All of course is through song and dance, so that the familiarity of the story is an advantage; no exhaustive dialogue or back stories, just the accelerating build to the Crucifixion and the intense drama of its passage. 

Central to the development of the plot is the relationship between Judas Iscariot and Jesus. Their roles define the tension between the patient obedience of the appointed Messiah to divine will and the tormented desire of his long-time friend to try for a less dangerous and painful way forward for the cause, which of course concerns the conversion of the populace to new beliefs and lifestyles, incompatible with the current rule of Rome or Egypt or, significantly, the high priests themselves.

It is the frenzied devotion and demands of the crowd  that escalate the teachings of Jesus to threaten the stability of all and the production plays up the ultimate selfishness and cruelty of  their demands, from ‘What’s the Buzz?’ to their later chant of ‘Crucify him’. Their appetite is voracious, insatiable, and – expressed through compelling music and dance – deeply disturbing.

Questions and doubts beset the action all the way, from the whys of Judas to the bewilderment of Mary Magdalene and the unhappy procrastination of Pilate, who ultimately sends Jesus first to the 39 lashes and then to his dreadful death. Jesus himself in his last hours at Gethsemane asks his god for guidance and when all seems in vain, concedes to the divine will. Uncertainty makes for riveting drama of course, especially where the stakes are so high, driven by music as powerfully presented as this.

Visually the production creates a new Superstar well in tune with the rock tradition, without sacrificing simplicity where it is appropriate. Thus shaven headed Judas, played with searing talent by Caleb Jago-Ward, has all the getup of angry rock to support his superb performance. He gives us anguish at a scale rarely encountered.

Nic Kyle as Jesus reaches similar intensity and impact through the classic simplicity of his white robe, head also shaven, but in the holy man style. Whereas initially he is gently countering or ignoring the demands of Judas, or the mob, the role calls also for dynamic response, as in ‘The Temple’. The poignancy of his song at Gesthsemane is heart wringing.

Both are super-charged powerful performers, translating music and circumstance into memorable experience for the audience.

The same conviction, physical and musical sensitivity could be said of all who take the stage in this show. Monique Clementson brings a warm and beautifully flexible voice to her strong portrayal of Mary Magdalene with ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ as an especially fine summary of her position.

James Foster makes the most of his material as Pilate, to reflect the unenviable position of a man who is unable to withstand the demands of the mob, though his heart and sense of justice painfully prod him to do so.

No such debate for Herod, played by Fergus Inder (who also plays Apostle Matthew). In gorgeously outrageous garb, matched in his song ‘So You Are the Christ’ by malicious and dismissive glee, Inder wins delighted applause, shared with his train of impossibly be-bobbled pink tap dancers. (Kira Josephson is the choreographer here).   

From the time of his extraordinarily effective entry, the wonderful bass notes of Ben Kubiak as Caiaphas help establish his uncompromising authority and danger for Jesus. Together with a vicious Annas, played by Chris Symon, and High Priests (Edwin Beats and Joe Kummer) the force of opposition from the established religion is potently displayed.

The Apostles trying to survive it all are ably fronted by Peter (Isaac Pawson) and Simon(Cameron Douglas), and operate as an ensemble which can move from frenzied mob to silent sentinels with brilliant precision and energy .Their dance numbers are a high point of this production.

Plaudits must be saved though for the music which surges through the story, reining in or articulating through voice and instrument its emotional forces. The musicians earn well-deserved applause beyond the standing ovation readily given by the first night audience.

Beyond the tinsel of the Christmas season, this production will stand for the beauty and gravitas of matters spiritual which are also within it.

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