Jesus Christ Superstar 2024

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical Jesus Christ Superstar started life as a concept album when no-one was interested in staging it as a musical. The success of the album quickly led to a US concert tour, and then to its premiere on Broadway in 1971. The show hit London’s West End the following year and has continued to wow audiences for the last 50 years. The current touring production won numerous awards when it started out at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and it’s easy to see why. Webber’s haunting rock soundtrack is echoed in Tom Scutt’s industrial stage design and Lee Curran’s dark, moody lighting.

Director Timothy Sheader has kept the essence of the original rock musical whilst concentrating more on the original concept album. The use of hand-held mics, visible mic and guitar cables, on-stage travel cases, and clever use of a speaker stand all hint at this being more of a gig than a traditional musical. For a rock concert to be successful, you must have the voices to match, and the cast absolutely deliver. Faultless vocals across the company, hitting every note imaginable from Caiaphas’s (Jad Habchi) ground shaking deep bass to Judas and Jesus’s top of the range perfection.  

Ian McIntosh is outstanding as Jesus, focusing on his naivety and the fact that, in Mary’s words, “he’s a man, he’s just a man”. McIntosh convinces the audience that he is caught up in an ever-increasing spiral as the almost cult-like populus ramp up their belief in his abilities, then turn on him at his most vulnerable moment. Shem Omari James is a powerful match to McIntosh on vocals and emotional performance. Hannah Richardson (Mary) delivers perfection in two of the show’s most iconic songs: I Don’t Know How to Love Him and Could We Start Again, Please?, and Timo Tatzber’s Herod makes a brief but memorable appearance with the grotesque Herod’s Song.

I’ve seen numerous productions of Jesus Christ Superstar over the years and this ranks as one of the best - a 5* night of emotional perfection.

Garry Thomas-Lowde for Canal St Media

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Published: 22-May-2024 (7490)