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An old story rocks on Jesus Christ Superstar
Malvern Theatres
**** THIS is the show that helped to establish
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber as superstars of the musical theatre
world. It presents the audience with an account of the last week in
Jesus’ life in Roman-occupied Israel and portrays Jesus as a man, rather
than a divine figure. He was a superstar because he made a huge impact
on people in his day and since, but here he is depicted as a man unsure
of himself, at times petulant and angry, at times rejecting the poor and
diseased who came to him for healing. It is a rock opera in a modern idiom: the music
and the contemporary dress bring the story of the man into a context
that a youthful audience of today can more easily access. However the
torture and crucifixion of the man closely reflect the experiences of
the Jesus of the gospels. The Malvern Theatres Young Company bring together
a handful of key professionals to direct the show which is performed by
young singers and actors from the Malvern area. This combination works
brilliantly. The mark of Andy Reiss (Director), David Lane (Musical
Director) and Katie Leeming (Choreography) on the show and the expertise
they impart ensures that the enthusiasm and energy of the young cast are
fully developed in a truly professional context. The excellent musicians and the skills of the
Lighting Designer were similarly vital in achieving powerful dramatic
scenes: the 39/40 lashings on Jesus’ back during his trial, the
hammering of the nails and the erection of the cross brought the show to
a musical and dramatic climax that was truly moving and dramatic. The principal performers all had great stage
presence and performed with real aplomb: Grace Harris (Mary) has a
wonderful voice to add particular strength to her performance and the
harmonies achieved when singing with Lewis Allan (Peter) were beautiful,
backed by a number of the ensemble. Alex Jones as Pilate acted with real confidence
and is also an excellent singer who sang with clarity and strength in
the lower reaches! Jacob Kipping was a brilliant Herod: the scene is
wonderfully written and, dressed like a mafia boss/rock star with his
backing chorus of dancing girls around him, he gave us a very
entertaining scene. James Baker (Judas) had some excellent moments.
The anguish and remorse he experiences at the outcome of his betrayal of
Jesus was tortured and effective; his suicide left us in suspense as he
appeared to hang by his neck for an age before darkness enveloped him! Will Thompson-Brant as Jesus was a powerful
presence at the centre of the action. For the most part his singing was
strong and clear, his final moments were particularly dramatic and
moving. The ensemble were very well managed and
effective, no more so than when they appeared in hoodies like a pack of
hounds to taunt and haunt Jesus around the time of his death. The show builds to a wonderfully powerful
dramatic climax, though the irony of the title is that Jesus is
presented to us in this musical as a man whose mission was unclear and
possibly unsuccessful. The singers’ refrain, ‘Could we start again
please?’ and the reflective solos Jesus delivers on more than one
occasion suggest major doubt on the clarity and success of his mission.
He even ends up at one point dismissing the crowds of sick, blind and
lame with the shout of ‘Heal yourselves!’ The supernatural is implied by
Judas’ return after his suicide to taunt Jesus, but there is no
suggestion of Jesus returning from the dead. The show was rapturously received by a very
enthusiastic audience. There was a great sense of life, energy and
community emanating from the stage and the show deserves great houses
through the week! To 23-08-14 Timothy Crow
20-08-14
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