Go to content

Jesus Christ Superstar - Greasepaint and Stage Lights - Theatre Radio Show

Broadcasting on  Countywide Radio - Mondays at 4pm Acacia Radio - Mondays 9pm Affinity Radio - Mondays at 11pm Cirencester - Tuesdays at 2pm HWD Radio - Tuesdays at 6pm Forest FM - Tuesdays at 7pm South Devon Sound - Wednesdays at 11pm Cabin FM - Wednesdays at 6pm JHR Radio - Thursdays at 12pm Drystone Radio - Thursday at 12pm Islands FM - Thursdays at 8pm Red Road FM - Thursdays at 9pm Radio Hillingdon - Thursday at 9pm Sounds of Broadway - Various USA times South Devon Sounds - Fridays at 2pm Dover Radio - Saturdays at 2pm Elastic FM - Sundays 2pm Crystal Radio - Saturday at 5pm Cabin Fm - Saturdays at 5pm Image Radio - Saturdays 6pm Coast and County - Sundays at 9am Whaley Radio - Sundays at 10am Arrowesound - Sundays at 10am Barts Radio - Sundays at 11am West Norfolk Radio - Sundays 12 Noon KGH Radio - Sundays at 2pm Hereford Radio - Sundays 2pm West Surrey Radio - Sundays 2pm Humberwave Radio - Sundays 5pm Chiltern Voice - Sundays at 5pm Islands FM - Sundays at 6pm Canalside FM - Sundays at 6pm Beverley FM - Sundays at 6pm 3T FM - Sundays at 6pm Ribble Radio - Sundays at 6pm Meridian FM - Sundays at 7pm L35 Online Radio - Sundays at 8pm Guernsey Radio - Sundays at 9pm The Beat of South Texas - Various Times Phantom Radio - Sundays - 6pm West Wiltshire Radio - Sundays at 11am Conquest Radio - Sundays at 9am West Norfolk Radio - Sundays 12noon Shire Extra - Sundays 10am Swindon HBO - Sundays at 2pm Veteran Radio - Sundays at 2pm Beacon Radio - Sundays at 3pm Chiltern Radio - Sundays at 3pm County Sound - Sundays at 3pm ABC Radio - Sundays at 4pm Derwent Sound - Sundays at 3pm Hereward Sound - Sundays at 3pm Invicta Sound - Sundays at 3pm K-CBC - Sundays at 3pm Leicester Sound - Sundays at 3pm Marcher Sound - Sundays at 3pm Mercia Sound - Sundays at 3pm Penine Sound - Sundays at 3pm Radio Broadland - Sundays at 3pm Radio Hallam - Sundays at 3pm Radio Mercury - Sundays at 3pm Radio Victory - Sundays at 3pm Radio West - Sundays at 3pm Saxon Radio - Sundays at 3pm Souther Sound Radio - Sundays at 3pm Swansea Sound - Sundays at 3pm

Access menu ->
Skip menu

Broadcasting on  Radio Hillingdon - Thursday at 9pm Countywide Radio - Mondays at 4pm Coast & County - 97.4 - Mondays at 11pm Carillon Wellbeing Radio - Tuesdays at 5pm Cirencester HBO - Tuesdays at 7pm Forest FM - 92.3 - Tuesdays at 7pm UK Radio Network - Tuesday at 9pm Cabin FM 96.4FM - Wednesdays at 6pm Hastings Radio - Wednesdays at 9pm South Devon Sound - Wednesdays at 11pm JHR Radio - Thursdays at 12pm Drystone Radio 103.5 - Thursday at 12pm Red Road FM - 102.4 - Thursdays at 9pm Sounds of Broadway - Various USA times Illuminate Radio - Saturday at 4pm Crystal Radio - 107.4 - Saturday at 5pm Conquest Radio - Sundays at 9am Coast and County - Sundays at 9am Whaley Radio - Sundays at 10am South Wales One - Sundays at 4pm Barts HBO - Sundays at 11am KGH HBO - Sundays at 2pm Hereford HOB - Sundays 2pm Storm FM - Sundays at 7PM West Hull FM - 106.9 - Sundays 5pm Islands FM - 107.9 - Sundays at 6pm Canalside FM - Sundays at 6pm Meridian FM - 107 - Sundays at 7pm Rural Radio UK - Sundays 7pm Basingstoke Radio - Sundays at 8pm Guernsey Radio - Sundays at 9pm LCR FM - 103.6 - Sundays at 11pm South Devon Sound - Fridays at 1pm HWD Radio - Tuesdays at 6pm KGH - Thursdays at 7pm London Wide Radio - Various Times Islands FM - Thursdays at 8pm South Devon Sound - Friday 2pm JHR Radio - Fridays at 4pm

Skip menu

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar
UK Tour
(Review Complete)

Plot:
The final events leading up to the death of Jesus Christ are narrated through a gritty rock-opera, with a particular stress on the perspective of devil’s advocate; Judas Iscariot. Jesus, his disciples, and his followers navigate the pressures of being part of a religious revolution when the threats of those who oppose them loom so powerfully.

Set:
The set was a good mix of realistic and abstract. There was brass scaffolding high up on the stage which housed the band, and a giant crucifix that laid flat on the floor acting as a platform for actors. There were wooden steps upstage about a foot high which, again, added an extra element of levels to play with.
  
Review:
The birth of Jesus Christ Superstar could have almost never happened, as when it was first released as a rock concept album in 1970, it did not take off well with the English public. People at the time felt it was blasphemous and at best, controversial. The musical as we know it today only survived when it was staged in America the following year and completely took off among the alternative youth in the US. Any productions of this show- I believe- should always aim to embrace its controversial reputation and use it to push boundaries of what is expected on the stage. I would like to think that this particular production did a very good job of utilising this, as it was truly unlike any adaptation (or show) that I have ever seen before.
 
Right out of the gate the band were incredible. The orchestration completely encompassed the essence of the musical. It was dynamic, edgy, and certainly did justice to its rock-opera roots. ‘Heaven on their minds’ is an 11 o’clock number at the beginning of the show, so an insane amount of pressure lies in the voice of whoever plays Judas. Shem Omari James completely floored my expectations of what a voice could achieve when performing live, as not only was his voice incredible but he also appeared to hold very little back. This was almost confusing for me as I expected the singers to, understandably, be reasonable with their vocal choices since they have to sustain 8 shows a week. However, not only Judas, but everyone for that matter gave the best live vocal performances that I have ever heard. My thoughts on the choreography are not much different. The movement was not, in a conventional sense, ‘pretty’. It was jagged and in no shortage of boldness- a lot of the time I’d watch in bafflement thinking “what on earth am I seeing right now?”, but if a production of Jesus Christ Superstar does not make me think this, then it’s failed in its job of being socially transgressive- therefore I was impressed.
 
This is not to say, however, that I was overcome by the entire production. Timothy Sheader’s vision for the musical is not one I can fully get behind. There was giant stress in the musicality and choreography of the show which is absolutely right for a musical like Jesus Christ Superstar, but something that is also imperative to its success is the depth of its story- a depth I felt was not explored. Quite simply there was very little emotion. The cast's inability to act through song resulted in the absence of what should have been a very layered plot. I would venture as far as to say that while there was choreography and physical direction, there was no real acting. Every number, while they sounded amazing, was the same colour. This was extremely disappointing as I know Jesus Christ Superstar to be a musical of grit, feeling and inner-torment; and yet the actors had no onstage chemistry or signs of independent characterisation. I did not believe Mary loved (or even liked Jesus), and I did not believe Judas had met Jesus more than once- let alone known him for years. I did not believe Herod or Pilate’s threats, and I did not believe Judas was at all bothered about ending his own life. This being said, the lack of animation worked at some points- particularly for the Priests. The Priests are meant to be fairly stern and serious anyway, so their often blank expressions actually did help to convey a cold and uncaring group of people.
 
Speaking of the Priests, their staging, their choreography, their characters were actually the only cast members whose performances I think were flawless. Everything about them was frankly brilliant. They had dark grey costumes and clutched long golden staffs, their default position was to stand with their arms out in a bent T-pose which allowed them to appear less human and almost more robotic. I do not know if it was purposeful but the Priests constantly standing in a position that resembled the cross felt like a symbol of Christ’s impending downfall. And speaking of symbols, something I did love about this show was the abundance of foreshadowing. During various parts of the production, aspects of the set were cleverly lit to resemble the shape of a crucifix as they loomed ominously in the background of whatever was happening. In the number of ‘Hosanna’, Jesus falls backwards into the crowd where they carry him as a dead weight with his arms spread, which I believe was a brilliant parallel to how he is later pulled off the cross in the same manner. While the musical was not rich with acting, it was certainly filled with subtle nods of foreshadowing which I found incredibly pertinent.
 
There were, thankfully, moments within the show that did display brilliant story-telling (scarce as they were). ‘Gethsemane’ was a show-stopper and had me sitting with my mouth completely open. Ian McIntosh who plays Jesus had proved he had brilliant vocal range in previous numbers, but it was only in ‘Gethsemane’ I truly felt he was embodying the conflicting emotions of the character. This was the Jesus I wished I got to see throughout the duration of the show. The same goes for King Herod who was played by Timo Tatzber: his number was so full of depth and character, not just from him but from all members of the ensemble, that I found myself wishing that this is what the rest of the show had been like.
 
I do not have much more to say on this production apart from the fact that, at times, it hit the nail on the head, and at others it completely missed the point. For example, throwing golden glitter into the air every time Jesus was whipped may have been a stylistic choice, but it completely cheapened the harrowing impact that the lashing was supposed to have. The same goes for the self-destruction of Judas. His distressing death is meant to completely slap you in the face, but throwing a microphone off a balcony as a symbol for hanging just felt like a lazy get-out.
 
I’d recommend this show to anyone who knows and loves the music, this production certainly does it justice. I cannot say, however, that I recommend it to people who love the show for its narrative depth, as unfortunately while it was impactful to listen to, it was not so impactful to watch.
 

Claudia Lynch
 
Greasepaint and Stage Lights

Email: musicals@btinternet.com
website: www.greasepaintandstagelights.co.uk
Skip menu
Back to content