Performance: Jesus Christ Superstar
Performed by: Really Useful Theatre Group
Date: 24th September 2015
Location: New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, London
Seat: Stalls, Row T, Seat 9.
Rating: 3.5/5
I will begin by being the first to admit that I don't know the biblical stories very well, I was never brought up in a particularly Christian way nor did I really take an interest in it, therefore I went into Jesus Christ Superstar only having a vague understanding of the plot which may have been a disadvantage to me and why I perhaps did not get the full potential of the musical.
I will begin by saying that the vocal range of some of the songs of this musical are incredible and indisputably more difficult than that of Phantom of the Opera. I found myself in awe at the incredible power and beauty of the voices demanded of Judas and Jesus in particular, by Lloyd-Webber. Glenn Carter the actor who played Jesus delivered the high notes perfectly and beautifully.
In typical Lloyd-Webber style there was hardly any speech but more a continuos stream of songs and recitative, which I felt made the plotline slightly harder to follow. That said, the music was the entirely redeeming feature of the musical with only one word to describe it. Incredible. I will be the first to admit I felt nothing could ever sway my love for Phantom but Jesus Christ Superstar knocked it right off its pedestal. It goes without saying that the storyline of Phantom is stronger, but the music for Jesus Christ Superstar is vocally and audibly more impressive and awe-inspiring.
Unfortunately, the best and arguably most famous song of the musical (to which it is named after) 'Superstar', I felt in this particular production was gimmicky and almost cheap, and I missed the entire meaning of the song, that being Judas in hell, feeling it was more Judas in X-Factor than anything else. Furthermore, I felt Mary Magdalene and her general presence in the musical was unneeded in a sense. Whilst I appreciate that Mary Magdalene was an important part of Jesus' story, it felt like the love story that was trying to be established between them was one-dimensional and quite frankly non-existent. I felt no sympathy for the character of Mary and her heartbreak as I felt there was no depth to her character or to Mary and Jesus' relationship.
That being said, there were many more amazing things than terrible ones. 'The Temple' in which Jesus is overcome by Lepers was an incredible scene, and 'Herod's Song' was, although almost drag-like in its nature, a much needed relief (much like the Thénardiers presence in Les Miserables) from the heavy and dark plotline.
The one scene which stuck out the most impressive to me was 'The Last Supper'. The company arranged themselves on stage to mimic Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper which I felt was a fantastic touch and a brilliant reference to the painting and its legacy.
Jesus Christ Superstar, was a very good production, with some incredible vocal talent and aptitude and fantastic music, however the storyline was rather weak and was not interesting enough to carry the musical through. Furthermore, some of the songs may have been slightly misinterpreted or portrayed in the wrong way upon stage, sometimes making them difficult to follow.
