Skip to main content

My review of Jesus Christ Superstar (2000 Stage Version), My Living Room

Regular readers (I keep apologising, but you will keep reading) may remember that a short time ago I got into minor shenanigans on Twitter over my review of the currently touring version of Jesus Christ Superstar. In my review I explained that it was my first time seeing the show and that I was far from impressed by the whole thing. I even described it as "noise".

Well my certain friends on Twitter thought I was unqualified to write a critique of the show as I had little (well no experience, but don't tell them) and condemned me for writing such a review that might bring down the establishment (or maybe slightly less severe, but I like to build my role).

So, on the most suitable of days, Easter Day, I sat down and gave Jesus Christ Superstar another chance with the 2000 filmed version on super deluxe BLU-RAY. It was an epiphany indeed.

Like the touring version, Jesus was played by (a much younger) Glenn Carter, very much the age perhaps that we recognise Jesus to be. He was every bit as good as I remember from Derngate as it was not he I had a problem with in general. Much improved however was Judas Iscariot, this time played with a devilish sneer and then powerful remorse by Jerome Pradon. He was much clearer in voice and every word could be heard.

I think much of my disappointment lies at the sound for the touring version. While some of it is sublime in its work; I particularly liked the way "Jesus Christ Superstar" came bellowing from the back of the auditorium during "Jesus Must Die". Much of the rest was broken and words lost by the shear "noise" of the music. The balance was all wrong, and lost words meant I couldn't follow the story via the lyrics. It's interesting that a couple of those I know enjoyed it, knew the show so well. Maybe if you know what to expect, you hear it even if its not clear. You are probably even singing along maybe? However for a newcomer, I didn't and couldn't, so things were disappearing.

However this should be a review of the 2000 version, so back to that. Renée Castle is a captivating Mary Magdalene whose rendition of "Could We Start Again Please?" is particularly delightful. Its true to say that her cleavage does get distracting at times (I am that shallow), however given her profession, perhaps this is very suitable. Also in the same song, it was superb to hear Cavin Cornwall again (playing this time Peter) who in the touring production was MR DEEP Caiaphas. Finally although his singing wouldn't get awards, the late great Rik Mayall's performance as King Herod is a glorious delight. Everything you expect of Mr Mayall is there, and everything we miss.

The staging and recording of course is superb as you would expect of a specially filmed version (it was filmed at Pinewood). The rather unusual updating works as well. It somehow doesn't feel odd to see Jesus walking in front of television sets, or his followers carrying guns. It also never feels like a film, just a more epic theatre version and this suits the show. Oddly enough I found the Derngate staging of the 39 lashes much more powerful and indeed the crucifixion scene was also better realised there as well. However the whole thing is every bit as good as I wanted it to be when I first saw it. I am glad that I have now learned how to love Jesus Christ Superstar.



Popular posts from this blog

Review of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent performed by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

The National Theatres Connections series of plays had been one of my highlights of my trips to R&D during 2014. Their short and snappy single act style kept them all interesting and never overstaying their welcome. So I was more than ready for my first encounter with one of this years Connections plays ahead of the main week of performances at R&D later in the year. Hacktivists is written by Ben Ockrent, whose slightly wacky but socially relevant play Breeders I had seen at St James Theatre last year. Hacktivists is less surreal, but does have a fair selection of what some people would call odd. Myself of the other hand would very much be home with them. So we are presented with thirteen nerdy "friends" who meet to hack, very much in what is termed the white hat variety. This being for good, as we join them they appear to have done very little more than hacked and created some LED light device. Crashing in to spoil the party however comes Beth (Emma-Ann Cranston)...

Review of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

This tour of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical has become sadly a double-tribute as it tours throughout the UK into 2023 and the love of its creator Jim Steinman, and the man who made his work world-famous, Meat Loaf, both lost in the last year, runs through the cast in this impressive version of the show. The storyline of Bat Out of Hell takes the Peter Pan idea and warps it into a dystopian world of a group of youth known as The Lost trapped forever at 18 years of age. The centre of this group is Strat, who, after a chance encounter, becomes under the spell of Raven. Of course, into this mix must come a megalomaniac, as all dystopian worlds really need. This is the father of Raven, Falco, who, with his wife Sloane, battle The Lost, Raven’s relationship with Strat, and indeed their own very bizarre relationship, to the backdrop of Steinman’s music. Bat Out of Hell doesn’t start particularly well, be it the performance or a show issue, for the first twenty minutes there is a lack of clarit...

Review of It's A Wonderful Life by Masque Theatre at the Holy Sepulchre, Northampton

Remarkably I only saw the classic film It's A Wonderful Life last Christmas, this was thanks to spotting it lurking on my subscription of Netflix. A glorious heartwarming film perfect for Christmas? That must be why I was a blubbering mess at the end of it then. There was hope that in public, The Masque Theatre's performance of the radio version of the story didn't leave me in the same situation. As it happened it did a little as that final scene in the Bailey household played out again, but it didn't matter as there were members of the cast in the same broken state as many of us audience members. Left to right: Jo Molyneux, John Myhill, Lisa Wright, Michael Street, Lisa Shepherd and Jof Davies This was the first radio play that I had seen performed and on the evidence of this, I sure would like to see some more. While not having the drama of standard plays in their creation of moment and places, they do have a rather striking drive towards character creation. The ...