Jesus Christ Superstar - Regents Park Open Air / Barbican

Well, the ointment is sweet.

I recognise this is one of my more niche jokes.

Is criminal the way British theatre lets these iconic casts/productions pass without being immortalised on CD.

Wouldn't happen on Broadway. In fact it's the ONLY thing Broadway do better than us..... 

I would go tomorrow night but it feels completely reckless to spend the evening before an 8am Eurostar at the theatre.

Maybe i’ll just have a tiny look at tickets...

I've booked to see the last show because I had to see this again. I'm sitting up in the balcony where I was before but the view was fine anyway and I'm mostly going for the vocal talent which I'm hoping they'll go all out for since it's the last show. I cannot wait! I think I'll do the same for Blues in the Night since that was also an exhilarating night of vocal excellence (and I chickened out of sticking around to meet the cast last time so I'd love to try another time).

I've always been a fan of Matt, he always seems quite genuine. His fans are quite obsessive though! Within an hour of me tweeting about the production last Thursday (and making no specific mention of Matt) his fans were liking and retweeting it like crazy

I’m still trying to process this one. I saw today’s matinee.

Visually, there is no doubt it is absolutely stunning! The lighting is superb and atmospheric, the use of tableau, particularly in the Last Supper scene was beautiful, and the use of symbolism is fantastic throughout. I loved the recurring cross motif, both physically in the set and props, and also in the choreography every time Jesus was lifted, and how this developed as the piece progressed. The tainting of Judas’ hands at the end of Act 1, and then throughout Act 2 was a masterstroke, giving a physical representation of his betrayal. The choreography, whilst very busy, was fantastic at representing the mob - first the “cult” of Jesus’ followers, with recurring motifs to show how they may feel they have been brainwashed, how this then disintegrates, and then makes way for the crowd, again moving in unison, calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. I adored the temple scene, and the use of gold glitter throughout as blood. The concert vibe of this production was good, and how the microphone became a prop in its own right was nice, rather than just being there as part of the concept. For example, in “Blood Money”, Judas puts the first mic away where he can’t reach it, and climbs up the steps to get away, as if, by taking the mic, it would tempt him to hand Jesus in to the authorities. When he gets up the steps, and finds another mic on that level, it leaves him with nothing else to do, but betray him. I also loved how the mic was used effectively for his suicide, with a “blood red” cable. The ending was a very nice touch - a nod to what comes next.

I loved the energy of the production. Gosh do the cast really go for it, and there are some stunning performances. Ricardo Afonso as Judas was the standout for me - a stunning voice that knocked his music out of the park!

Why then, do I feel that it ultimately left me a bit cold? I’m not sure. A little bit style over substance? I love the show, and have adored the music for years. It just didn’t have the emotional punch for me at the end that I expected. Maybe it was because there was so little stillness and quiet? The piece was such high energy that little moments like this would have been welcomed - before “Gethsemane”, after the crucifixion. It may have also been the acting? I didn’t feel necessarily that the characters were really imbued, possibly due to the “gig” concept, and again this may be why I felt a lack of connection. Matt Cardle for me was the weakest link - I didn’t feel his acting was up to much at all.

Also, the show has been around for 40 years, but people still clap at the wrong moment, totally killing the mood. I could be turning into a miserable git though!

So, much to enjoy. A visual feast of a production. There’s just a little bit of something missing (for this reviewer at least).

I too was disappointed in this after it being probably my most eagerly awaited production of the year after all the raves it got.

While the singing and energy of the cast was absolutely phenomenal, that was really the only thing I enjoyed about it apart from the 'symbolism' of the glitter and microphones. Beyond that everything just left me cold, which is no mean feat considering the material being played out before you.

I have only seen an arena concert style performance of JCS before (I am more a Godspell fan), so I don't have much to compare it to. But even in a huge arena I felt the emotion of the material much more than I did here. This truly felt to me like JCS night on The Voice. Amazing vocals, but no connection to the material from anyone what so ever. Some of the musical transitions were also extremely clunky. Though the original album is the same, they could've been smoothed over a little more.

My other big gripe is that while I really liked the design of the staging, it didn't use the space properly. That stage is HUGE and yet everything felt pushed too far forward and everyone seemed crammed into this tiny little space at the front. It reminded me of Hadestown from the Circle seating at the National which looked like a tiny kit home plonked on 5 acre plot of land. After Stone's massive empty white void for Medea and Ivo's fantastic use of the space for The Damned, this felt like it could've been opened up a bit to give everything room to breathe. 

Maybe my expectations were too high based on the reviews, but this was just a giant 'meh' for me, which is a shame considering the massive amount of talent on that stage and I would buy the cast recording in a heartbeat!

Ricardo Alfonso is a STAR and I hope he has a very long and successful career ahead of him.

I would LOVE to see him as London's Pierre, if we EVER get The Great Comet.

They didn't do it last week.  I was there on the Tuesday night and it was pretty much sold out, only one or two empty seats in the whole place.

I agree with everyone else that Ricardo's voice is incredible.

I wonder if any of you remember a Friday Night is Music Night show on the BBC radio about 10 years ago? It had four leading WE men including JOJ, a tall slim Canadian guy, another brilliant musical actor and Ricardo. His name has stuck in my head because of his exceptional voice.




I was in A24 last night and it was such a treat to sit so close to the stage but probably not for someone faint-hearted.

All sold out now.

Maybe - maybe not. One last hurrah on Saturday night for me.