Jesus Christ Superstar - Regents Park Open Air / Barbican

Lovely weather

Lovely dancing and movement

Lovely abs

Songs like nursery rhymes

Repetitive and repeated

As to be expected from ALW

Lack of singing ability all round

Jesus particularly bad

Think it was understudy this matinee

Bad bad bad

And there really isn't that much glitter

It's a really well thought out production badly let down by the vocals

I WAS IN THE SAME THEATRE AS PARSLEY!!!

Oh, how I wish I'd known!!

I knew we had an understudy JC but didn't particularly mind. However, yes, was was unfortunately quite vocally weak. Gethsemane was quite under powered and the rest wasn't much better. Dancing/movement was brilliantly choreographed and excellently executed by the equally brilliant cast. Disagree, however, about the singing ability of the rest of the cast. Judas, Pilate, Caiaphas, Annas, Mary, Peter & Simon all outstanding vocalists - with quite a phenomenal orchestra! 

Have a fabulous evening - I'm jealous!

Jesus Christ Superstar. Where I all began for me- the Palace Theatre 1974 (“I’m going to see a show in the West End, mum!”)- and passions I didn’t know existed were stirred. It was here my love of theatre was born…

So it was with some excitement that I made my way to (not quite West End’s) Regent’s Park earlier this week. The weather forecast was good (an English heatwave predicted- temperatures of 18 degrees plus…); it was a sold out show (always promising); and I spotted some famous names in the audience (Michael Grandage with Christopher Oram, then Charles Dance, followed by Kylie from Beautiful People having a real-life hissy fit at the bar.) And what a perfect summer venue- such an improvement since I’d last visited in the early 80s. There was a definite buzz, and something good was happening…

Rusted girders, a toppled cross that would not be rising again, and big, big speakers everywhere guaranteeing a big, big sound. And from the second I heard those familiar bars of Superstar towards the end of the Overture, the choreography giving a nod to Norman Jewison’s film version, I knew we were in safe hands.

What a band! What a sound! Tom Deering is some keyboardist! Here was an MD who finally understood the score (there have been so many dud productions over the years, I was beginning to think that no-one would ever fill original musical maestro Anthony Bowles’ shoes). Here was someone who was not afraid to take some risks; slow it down, bring down the volume, put in a pause here and there.

The whole production felt like a Jesus Christ Superstar for today, with no need for gimmicks (remember Jesus being tried by Pontius Pilate just back from the gym, in jogging shorts and trainers in Laurence Connor’s Arena version? Uggh!). This was a version with a strong vision- part theatrical performance with Roman masks in a tiered, open-air arena, a Greek chorus commenting on the action with words and stylised movement. There was even a moment when I thought we’d been transported to Oberammergau, until we were suddenly thrown into da Vinci’s mural. This was a production with twists and turns. Because next it was part concert with hand-held mikes, stands, long cords- a nod to the original London production- and the audacity to have the actor just stand and deliver… I liked the choreography, although some reviewers had led us to believe that it was at odds with the action. It was, but for me it worked.

And as it grew dark, so the lights began to shine. Tyrone Huntley shone throughout. Small in stature, big on delivery, effortlessly reaching every note and letting us hear every word. (I would love to know the identity of the Judas he replaced, but I’ve a feeling mrmusicals will thrice deny me this knowledge…) Declan Bennett’s Jesus was moodier, more arrogant than we’ve been used to, and I’m aware that he was off the following day. Perhaps he was beginning to feel unwell on my night, twice failing to find his starting note in Poor Jerusalem and The Temple, and singing a line I’d never heard before in The Last Supper. I enjoyed his take on Gethsemane, but wouldn’t agree that this in itself was worth the price of the ticket. The rest of the cast were strong, particularly the high priests, with their expressionless faces, their unchanged positions on the cross, their repetitive movements.

What was refreshing was Timothy Sheader’s inventiveness; no coins for Judas' act of betrayal but a Pandora’s box of liquid silver, once touched never to be washed clean; no body scars for each of the 39 lashes but another splash of glitter, reminding the Golden Boy that his way to the top was never going to be an easy ride; and we were not going to feel comfortable tapping our toes along to the famous Superstar anthem (it’s an eleven o’clock number, isn't it? I hadn’t realised that until now!) when we were witnessing the mob’s barbaric torture of their victim.

There were a few minor disappointments: the Herod scene, with its promise of something big with yet another nod to a past production, this time the original Broadway one, fell flat with some seriously silly dancing during the instrumental break. A wasted opportunity really… And if I’m being picky, I’d have loved to hear some strings beefing up the orchestration of Pilate’s Dream and John 19:41. The OLC recording of these two tracks has never been bettered in my opinion.

But overall we loved it. We cheered. We stood. Some of us were even a little confused by the ending. Did he come back to life again? He’s not supposed to in this, is he? And as we heard the final notes, the entire company looked out to us, the audience, and stared. Hang on a minute! That’s what happened in the version I saw at the Palace Theatre all those years ago. I was back where it all started...

Hosanna Superstar! I really hope you can be resurrected. I would love to come and see you again.

Some thoughts from last night's show:

That score, in that setting, with that band, with that PA system was just perfection. When the Overture started I got chills and it wasn't because it was cold outside.

Tyrone Huntley was just brilliant, what a voice and loved the way his Judas was played. Declan Bennett's Jesus left me feeling a bit disappointed. His acting was great but his voice sounded knackered. He was at his best when he wasn't having to belt high but if it weren't for the dramatic lighting and loud music in Gethsemane I probably would have felt more disappointed. There were zero high notes in his Gethsemane last night. Is that a change for this production or did he just adjust it because he's trying to look after his vocal chords?

Choreography at the beginning I found quite distracting as it took a bit of getting used to but in the end I did grow to love it. There were some clever bits of movement that were repeated to mean different things later on in the show.

Absolutely LOVED the silver hands idea. So simple but so effective. Really liked the use of mic stands/microphones. There were bits of Herod's song I liked but that dance break was bizaree.

Overall, a fantastic production with some amazing vocals. It looked and sounded great. I'd love to see Declan on a good day.

What a shame! Didn't even attempt them and any that he tried earlier on in the show didn't go so well for him. Thanks for the clarification, Steffi. 

Declan not Ceclan, but it won't allow me to edit my post

Thanks for the notification. Fingers crossed something will happen...

Seriously enjoyed this last night.  The absolute standout for me was Tyrone Huntley - the vocal acrobatics were spot-on as was the intensity of his performance.  My other half felt it was a 'bit too like a gig' but I felt that the levels of quality achieved, musically, meant that the drama that came through the music made up for any lack of 'naturalistic staging'.  The choreography was a bit 'hit and miss' but when it 'hit' the 'misses' were entirely forgiven. The climax was utterly thrilling in every sense.  It felt like Tim S had been directing this in his head/dreams for his entire life and he'd taken a particular and personal pleasure in bringing it to the stage.  The 'nods' to the film are, perhaps, testament to that.  As someone who grew up watching the film (ahem) religiously - it felt like a re-imagining of the piece as well as a tribute to it's best (?) iteration.  Five Stars and praying for a transfer!

Something is going to happen, Baz has confirmed it

I saw this yesterday afternoon. Firstly, it was absolutely scorching (someone in the audience did it pass out) and the cast were amazing. You would not know that they were feeling it as they were so professional.
Originally, I booked to see this for a few weeks ago but couldn't make it. I was excited about Declan's casting and did feel disappointed to find out he was scheduled to be off yesterday. I needn't have worried. Billy Cullum was outstanding - small in stature but with a huge, huge voice. He didn't go for the high notes but I think it worked within this direction; his voice suited the rock style. Having seen Glenn Carter hit all the notes I much preferred this style which I think focused on the acting. I did tear up!
Without repeating everybody else I simply loved it. Loved the direction, loved the choreography, loved Pilate, loved Mary and absolutely loved Judas. What a talent Tyrone Huntley is.
This is my favourite ALW score and my god was this direction worth it. The best thing I've seen this year - I can't wait for the transfer!

I'll definitely be back if this is true. Saw it o the 24th August at the evening show and it gave me goosebumps, I loved it so much!! Very happy for this to return!