Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s venerable rock opera detailing the life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been wowing audiences for more than half a century now, and it’s reassuring to see that this latest iteration of the tale of Christ is just as vital, immediate and engrossing as ever before.
Utilising minimalist sets and costuming (with the exception of one major character), this is a local staging of the production mounted to celebrate the show’s 45th anniversary at London’s Regent Park in 2016. The result is a more ambiguous and enigmatic staging of the story, with the costuming and sets combining both the modern and the biblical. And while the technical aspects of the show are first rate, it’s the performers’ vocals where this really shines.
High praise must be given to Michael Paynter, who is a revelation as Jesus. Not only does he impressively physically embody the Son of God, but his vocals are truly extraordinary. Paynter does sound uncannily like a young John Farnham at times, ironic given the fact that Farnham himself played the role in an arena tour back in 1992. Paynter is nothing short of phenomenal though, nailing the show’s most difficult number – Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say), which resulted in a rare mid-show standing ovation during the show’s opening night.
Equally good is Javon King as Judas, who passionately conveys the heartache and difficulty of his betrayal of Chris, and pours those emotions into each and every number he is part of. King really is the emotional centre of the show and is more than up to the task. Perhaps King’s most memorable moment involves Judas sticking his hands into a chest full of silver only for his hands to be stained with that very substance, a moment depicted perfectly.
Mahalia Barnes makes for a warm and comforting Mary, a strong presence all throughout the show, with the character singing what is arguably the show’s two most well-known numbers – Everything’s Alright and I Don’t Know How To Love Him. Barnes performs these two numbers with a softness and empathy, which makes for a nice counterpoint to some of the more bombastic sequences.
The King Herod interlude has always been a refreshing break of comic relief during what is necessarily a very serious and grim story, and Reuben Kaye’s Herod here definitely pushes the character to the extremes of where Herod could go. Kaye is a brilliant performer and the costuming (which at first takes up almost the entire length of the stage) is impressive, but I wonder if it might have been even more effective if they hadn’t gone as big. The wild shift in tone proves to be a little bit jarring and off-putting in the end. But that said, Kaye is a phenomenal performer and his vocals on King Herod’s Song are the equal of any of his co-stars.
This production really does turn the instrumentation up to maximum volume, with the electric guitar dominating the show’s musical score. If I had one small criticism, it would be that the guitar playing often drowns out the vocals at times and makes it difficult to decipher the lyrics.
Keeping to the minimalist theme, only one set is used throughout the show, but it is impressive with its multiple levels and huge inverted cross dominating centre stage, and costuming makes subtle but effective use of some iconic Roman imagery, such as oversized centurion masks.
Even if you’ve seen this production before, this new version is worth a revisit due to the vocal prowess of the three leads, backed by an exemplary supporting cast.
Moving, emotional and heart-wrenching, as this tale should be, Jesus Christ Superstar still remains one of the finest examples of what the rock opera genre is capable of and should continue to live on forever.
4/5 STARS
Playing at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne until June 22, then touring to Brisbane. Tickets and more info: jesuschristsuperstarmusical.com.au
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Photos by Jeff Busby/Used with permission
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 