Review of Jesus Christ Superstar at Milton Keynes Theatre

It is hard to believe but way back in 1970 when Jesus Christ Superstar first appeared it failed to get the backing it needed to be staged, therefore the show found its first release as a concept album. The following year though, following the album's success, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice's rock opera launched upon the stage of the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. The journey of the revolutionary show had begun, but, is it still a revelation now, that is the question.

The answer is a clear yes, this show following, loosely, the final days of Jesus Christ is as strong and striking in this version, hot from Regents Park Open Air Theatre, as the show may ever have been. Rather unusually for a review, I have to open by commenting on movement and the immense choreography that has been created by Drew McOnie. Rarely has a show, beyond that of a dance one of course, been so impactful in the essence of movement. Our cast arrives at the opening show in a rabble-rousing cascade through the auditorium and from this point, the show, physically, rarely stops, barring for those tremendous, quiet poignant moments of song. McOnie alongside the director of this piece, Timothy Sheader, do everything to make the show visually appealing and this continues throughout in ritual-like dances, and rhythmic movements of obeyance and obedience. I have never seen a musical and its movements strike so powerfully and constantly throughout the entire show.

However, not only does this show excel in this, it does so on every level. This cast is stupendously good; Ian McIntosh, as the eventually broken and conceding to failure Jesus Christ, is exceptional, a performer I have now seen four times before and who has improved within every role. As he breaks upon the floor during his performance of Gethsemane, we break with him. At his side, is an emotional performance by Hannah Richardson as Mary. Her work and sincerity on numbers such as Everything's Alright and Could We Start Again Please? is simply beautiful and I Don’t Know How To Love Him is breathtaking. Shem Omari James gives a busy and dramatic performance as Judas, showing his constantly troubled side well, and deals with the challenging range needed for his vocals well. There is superb entertainment from the moments with Caiaphas (Jad Habchi) as he assembles the Pharisees and priests, with Habchi and Matt Bateman as Annas in particular showing the extraordinary range needed for their songs including This Jesus Must Die/Hosanna. Exceptional.

The production as a whole looks stunning with Tom Scutt's set and design showing a gritty edge and the perfect backdrop for events to take place. The lighting design from Lee Curran is also top-notch, with stunning moments of bright and brash coupled with subdued, dusky moments to plot the mood of the story. Musical director Michael Riley also leads a stunning on-stage band to create the exceptional music this show has.

Director Sheader and his team have pulled out all the stops to make this version as good as possible, beautiful, but perfect touches such as the framing of The Last Supper for example are sublime, the creation of the 39 lashes is effectively realised and the culmination of the crucifixion as traumatic as it should be. This provides a word of warning though that this is a gritty show and could be potentially very traumatic for some.

Finally however, while it's a bold statement, having seen over forty shows at Milton Keynes Theatre, I think, this stunning version of Jesus Christ Superstar is the best I have seen there, it is truly that good. If you get a chance to see it there, or on the tour at any point, grab the opportunity, you will not be disappointed.

A tremendous reimagining of a groundbreaking show.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 30th October 2023 at Milton Keynes Theatre.

Jesus Christ Superstar runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 4th November 2023.

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Photos: Paul Coltas

Review of 2:22 A Ghost Story at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

2:22 A Ghost Story continues an endless rise and run of success on the stage. This play by Danny Robins was first staged as recently as August 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre and since then the show continued to run in London for two years, moving to four further London theatres, before eventually closing in the city to embark on this tour, which began in September last year. During these runs, the cast has constantly been updated with often populist actors, and some, which are not even associated with acting. As this reaches Royal & Derngate, now even the touring cast has been swept clean and four further performers take on the incredible success of a show. This is the second time I have seen 2:22 A Ghost Story , and it is safe to say that on that first viewing, with the previous tour cast, I was not as blown away by the play as the success seemed to warrant. The aforementioned populist casting seemed to have driven a so-so ghostly tale into success beyond its quality, and with th...

Review of The All New Adventures of Peter Pan at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

For theatres across the land, it's that time of year again. The time when the theatres fill with screaming children and a ridiculous amount of sugar intake and trips to the toilet. Yes, it is panto time, and before you say it, oh yes it is. This year, for the Royal & Derngate, it is time for a trip to Neverland (or Forever Land, that is, but more on that later) and a magical adventure with Peter Pan and the dastardly Captain Hook. Once again, following hugely successful previous runs, Evolution Productions brings this tale to the stage in 2025. And it has to be said, once again, they strike panto gold with The All New Adventures of Peter Pan , with a constantly lively, brilliantly colourful and awkwardly funny production that, as always with Evolution, is totally family friendly. Over the years here, Evolution and writer Paul Hendy have created the essence of pantomime (which just so happens to link to the tale within this story). Keeping all the traditions intact, a ghostly be...

Review of Murder She Didn't Write at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Murder She Didn't Write , stopping off for a four-day run at Royal & Derngate on a lengthy UK tour, treads the now well-worn path of an improvisational evening of theatre entertainment. Unsurprisingly, from the title, this show from Degrees of Error's takes a murder mystery as its inspiration, with the story influenced by ideas from the audience each evening. Due to this, Murder She Didn't Write and a review are very much an individual affair. What I saw in my evening at the theatre will differ significantly from what the audience will see the following evening; however, the fine performers will remain. The touring cast, in no particular order, is Lizzy Skrzypiec, Rachael Procter-Lane, Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, Douglas Walker, Harry Allmark, Rosalind Beeson, Sylvia Bishop, Emily Brady, Alice Lamb, Sara Garrard, Peta Maurice and Matthew Whittle. For my performance, Skrzypiec, Procter-Lane, Baker, Walker, Bishop, and Clements were on stage alongsid...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog