Advertisement

Culture Musicals

Jesus Christ Superstar

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice, directed by Des McAnuff (Stratford). In rep until October 29 at the Avon Theatre. $25-$106. stratfordfestival.ca. See listing. Rating: NNNN

The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice combo makes musicals about all the wrong things. Eva Peron? T.S. Eliot poems? Come on, guys. I wanna laugh. I wanna see some dancing.

And Jesus Christ as musical fodder? You have to be kidding.

The title song from Jesus Christ Superstar was a big hit in the early 70s, but I was never drawn to the show.

Imagine my shock to discover that both in terms of its content and its rock music – at the time, unlike anything that had hit the stage since Hair – the musical is radical and risky. And in director Des McAnuff’s hands, it becomes a thrilling show.

The year is 33 BC and Jesus of Nazareth has become a sensation. But Judas is worried. His leader is starting to believe the hype and is attracting too much attention. The political radicals are getting pissed off because Jesus won’t rebel against the Romans. And the Pharisees running the temple as a casino-cum-brothel are feeling threatened. Soon the people want Jesus crucified, Judas betrays him and Roman prefect Pontius Pilate arranges Jesus’s death.

Sound familiar? Sound like something you’d make a musical out of? A rock musical? To coin our former Prime Minister, just watch them.

Paul Nolan finds the inner core of Jesus, a man not quite ready to do God’s bidding, and he conquers the demanding songs – hitting notes like Robert Plant used to in his Led Zeppelin days. As Judas, Josh Young, also an exceptional singer, manages to gain our sympathies. And the incomparable Chilina Kennedy transforms Mary Magdalene’s big hit I Don’t Know How To Love Him – which I used to think was an insufferable song about female insecurity – into a statement about the challenge of loving an icon. All three are excellent actors, too, and that’s what gives the show its heft.

McAnuff takes another risk in accenting the love triangle among the three protagonists. There’s more than a whiff of homoeroticism between Judas and Jesus, and Mary’s plainly hot for Judas, most of which comes across in bits of business and not the text.

The steely set design by Robert Brill and the costumes by Paul Tazewell come in blacks and greys, a combination of Mad Max and mod. It’s way too industrial but does make the point that the story is ageless.

And as usual in a Stratford-produced musical, the supporting cast is off the charts. As Herod, Bruce Dow has a gas with his show-stopping Herod’s Song, which McAnuff stages as a burlesque act. And Brent Carver gives Pilate a deep sense of inner conflict.

When you’ve got these guys as back-up, you know you’re in good shape.

susanc@nowtoronto.com

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted