The musical Jesus Christ Superstar was first performed in 1971, 48 years later and the hit show is still turning heads and leaving audiences wowed in both professional and amateur settings. With lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, this hit production focuses on the life of Jesus Christ and his struggles with Apostle Judas and members of the Pharisees. What makes this musical truly unique is the mixture of 1970’s rock songs mixed together with the traditional tales of Christ, truly a musical to look out for.
Last night Jesus Christ Superstar was reimagined entirely as St James’s CE High School, Bolton, took on the incredible task of showcasing this wonderful show and boy did they pull it off!!! Walking into the school hall, the audience were given a hint of what’s to come with spray painted tapestries revealing the passion the people had for Christ, alongside the adoring words of ‘Jesus Rox!’ and ‘Jesus Roolz’.
As the show began the audience were transported to a grungy, anarchic and thrilling parable that immersed its audience. Olivia Finley as the character of Judas, stunned the audience with her strong, powerful rock star looks. Her opening number ‘Heaven On Their Mind’ showed the audience her costume wasn’t all that was rocking, her vocals were powerful too. Accompanying Finley, Ethan Browne played the perfect Jesus Christ, his angelic appearance complimented his character's vocals and persona whilst faultlessly juxtaposing his surroundings. Complimenting both Finley’s and Browne’s performance was Emily Griffiths! Griffiths has the voice of an Angel! As the role of Mary Magdalene I could listen to her rendition of ‘Everything’s Alright’ all day, every day! She was made for the role!
Opposing Jesus and his teachings stood the powerful Pontius Pilate, played by Jordan-Lee Cooper, his vocals can only be described as liquid gold, with such a smooth and powerful tone from such a talented actor, his performance in ‘39 lashes’ left me speechless. Throughout the whole show Rachel Slater gave me villainous vibes as the authoritative Caiaphas, her 'Matrix'-like appearance gave an institutionalised characterisation to her performance alongside a respectable vocal performance that was perfect for her character. Mason Ernill and Amber Burns contributed to this poisonous pairing as the characters or Annas and King Herod, their performances added to the quick-witted and remarkably brutal ending of the show. Burns’ jazzy showstopper was perfectly put together highlighting how much of a superstar King Herod was at the time, the cabaret number also showed the hatred Herod had for Christ himself through the brilliant choreography by Jennifer Entwistle.
Special mention must go to the ensemble who played the mob, profiteers and Disciples! How fantastic each member of the cast was! Without the talent, resilience and tenacity of a cast this size, this production wouldn’t be as amazing as it was. Each member of the cast worked their hardest, and they strived to put on the best show they could! For myself one member of the ensemble did shine very bright and that was Ellie Gillies. My attention was instantly drawn to her throughout all ensemble numbers, her dancing was flawless and her reactions were timeless, a wonderful performance from her.
Throughout the performance I found myself amazed and speechless at the performing that was happening on stage, this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for St James’s wonderful director, Johanna Hassouna-Smith. Her vision and attention to detail left my creative senses burning, my favourite scene excluding the final scene would have to be ‘39 lashes’ - the beauty of the ribbon reflecting the lashing’s Christ was receiving overwhelmed the emotion I felt for the events that were unfolding before my eyes, this later consolidated my heartbreak for the character as he was turned around and Christ’s lash marks were there for the audience to see, you could feel the gasps!
Overall, each scene was carefully thought out and you could see the hard work that had gone into creating this. The band played tremendously under the leadership of Derhim Bahakam, given this musical is all music and hardly any words, their commitment and timing to the show was astounding. A fantastic performance from a fantastic high school that could have very easily been a professional show given the students' talent and showmanship.
Reviewer - Caroline Bleakley
on - 4/7/19
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