Well, that rabble rouser Jesus Christ is at it again. Stirring up the people of Judea, angering Caiaphas and the Pharisees, encouraging a revolt against the occupying Roman government – although Governor Pontius Pilate doesn’t seem particularly fussed. Still, even among his own followers there’s dissent in the ranks – his bestie, Judas, seems particularly ticked off. Jesus better watch his sandaled step – and hey, that’s an awfully big Cross taking up a lot of real estate on the stage?
I have to assume you’re familiar to at least some degree with the general drift of Jesus Christ Superstar; after all, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera is based on one of the most popular books ever published, the Bible – or at least, parts of the New Testament. First staged on Broadway in 1971 (although it was a concept album first, the composers having had trouble finding anyone who would stump up cash for an arguably-blasphemous take on the story of Christ) it was the longest-running West End production of all time until Webber’s own Cats outpaced it in 1989.
It is a spectacular interpretation... passionate, creative, and immensely impressive
Now, of course, it’s a classic of the stage, with revivals occurring regularly. Here in Australia, we’ve had Jon English as Judas (1972), John Farnham as Jesus (1992), and even rock ‘n’ roll nerd Tim Minchin as the former in the 2012 Arena Tour (technically not an Aussie production, but Minchin certainly is). Indeed, it was the Australian ‘72 production directed by Jim Sharman (the visionary who brought The Rocky Horror Picture Show to life on screen) that set the tone going forward; and Sharman went on to direct the first West End run. What was once heretical is now orthodox. Who knows? Perhaps in a few centuries the play itself will be part of the Christian canon (probably in the Apocrypha, to be fair).
Lifted from the reimagined 50th-anniversary production launched by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London, this new Aussie tour opened at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre will all due pomp in circumstance. It is a spectacular interpretation, hewing closely to Webber and Rice’s chapter and verse, but proving there’s space within those constraints to be passionate, creative, and immensely impressive.
A sung-through musical (there is no spoken dialogue), Jesus Christ Superstar moves at a frenetic pace, with associate director Shaun Rennie (who’s also the associate director of Opera Australia) adapting Timothy Sheader’s original direction, and resident choreographer Bree Tipoki wrangling the bold, energetic movement of Drew McOnie; propelled by insistent, soaring rhythms overseen down here by musical supervisor Laura Tipoki. The trick, I think, to mounting JCS is to approach it with unwavering conviction and earnestness – a moment’s hesitation, a flicker of doubt indicating that this maybe isn’t the biggest, boldest show on Earth, and it all comes undone, the inherent campiness becoming a liability. In many ways, it’s an act of faith – you gotta believe.
Michael Paynter’s Jesus certainly made a believer out of us, the musician and actor taking the character from a figure of mystery, isolated by his followers’ worship, to a humanbeing grappling with his imminent torture and execution. He’s certainly got the pipes for it; Paynter’s rendition of ‘Gethsemane’ (‘I Only Want to Say’) was a showstopper on Opening Night; in that the audience (very appreciative, very into it) gave him a standing ovation. It was one of two that he earned that night, along with the arguably requisite (but nonetheless deserved) curtain call round. Perhaps nobody clapped louder than Jimmy Barnes, who was in the audience with wife Jane Mahoney – Paynter’s in his touring band, after all. (I had a little trouble getting back to my seat after the intermission, as Barnsie was graciously posing for selfies with fans in the aisle – what a time for a spot of idolatry.)
Don’t think I’m just name-dropping here, as old mate’s daughter (and former Tin Lid) Mahalia Barnes absolutely destroys as Mary Magdelene, bringing incredible soul and gravitas to the work’s sole female lead – comforting the Son of God, sparring with Judas, and belting out ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’. And speaking of showbiz dynasties, Tana Laga’aia is immense fun as a guitar-strumming Peter, the disciple who thrice refutes the Savior. (His sister Georgia is currently starring in Sydney Theatre Company’s amazing production of Dear Evan Hansen, a co-pro with the Michael Cassel Group, as other sister Catherine prepares to star in Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana movie. But on this night, papa Jay Laga’aia was beaming at his son from the stalls.)
Still, the most complex role is that of Judas Iscariot, the conflicted, um, traitor? Well, that’s a long conversation, but let’s say the disciple who shops Jesus to the Pharisees. American performer Javon King (recently seen as Seaweed in Hairspray) manages the difficult task with admirable skill and charisma. We feel his uncertainty and his rage, his disappointment and his doubt, as his revolutionary fervour sends him down a dark path. In terms of presence, he refuses to yield space, and that’s as it should be; this is a man battling to make his voice heard above the cacophony of praise, so why would he cower? Boiled down to its barest essentials, Jesus Christ Superstar is all about the dynamic between Christ and Iscariot, and the interplay between King and Paynter is the beating sacred heart here.
Elsewhere we get a predictably (and gloriously) scene-stealing Reuben Kaye as King Herod, here rendered as a camp golden God – and it will never not be funny that they cast the cabaret legend in this show, after a throwaway gag about Jesus on national television saw him fielding death threats from fundamentalists last year. A leather-jacketed Peter Murphy makes for a great Pilate, trying to find a path of decency through the rising mania and bloodlust as Christ’s inevitable execution approaches; while Elliot Baker (The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour) makes for a suitably sinister Caiaphas – and while I couldn’t help but think his look was reminiscent of a latter-day Rob Halford of Judas Priest, that’s a feature, not a bug.
It all plays out on designer Tom Scutt’s multi-level, industrial-inflected stage (any gamers in the audience will be reminded of Fallout’s desert-punk aesthetic) bombastically lit by Lee Curran’s arena-rock lighting (steered here by associate lighting designer Gavan Swift). It’s all deliriously over the top, always reaching for the biggest possible beat, insistent in its greatness – so it’s a good thing it is genuinely great. There’s a part of me that wishes for a more radical reinterpretation of the source material, as we tend to forget how controversial the original was back in the day, but that’s such a trifling quibble. This Jesus Christ Superstar rocks – sing hosanna to its name.
Jesus Christ Superstar is playing at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre until January 26, 2025. Tickets start at $69.90+bf, and you can buy them over here. Find out more about the national tour at jesuschristsuperstarmusical.com.au.
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