Featuring lyrics and music by Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar is now a global phenomenon. However back in 1970, finding themselves unable to secure funding for a stage production, Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice released the show as a concept album. The album’s success paved the way for the show’s Broadway debut in 1971. The musical was groundbreaking for its innovative fusion of rock music and traditional musical theatre, setting a new standard for the genre. By 1980, the musical had grossed over $237 million worldwide. Running for more than eight years in London from 1972 to 1980, it held the record for the longest-running West End musical until Cats surpassed it in 1989.
Since then, Jesus Christ Superstar has been produced globally, performed in multiple languages and received numerous awards, embedding itself firmly in the cultural zeitgeist. In 2016, celebrating the show’s 45th anniversary, a new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” was mounted at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Its success led to a return to Regent’s Park in 2017, followed by a run at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2018 and the Barbican Centre in London in 2019. In 2019, a U.S. tour began to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. The production returned to Regent’s Park in 2020 during socially distanced COVID-19 times. Now, the show is on a UK tour, and London audiences can see this award-winning production once again as it visits the New Wimbledon Theatre for a limited run.
Ian McIntosh as Jesus was absolutely sublime, he acted the part phenomenally and his vocal throughout was exceptional delivering a Gethsemane that was an incredible showstopper. Shem Omari James gave a confident performance of the damaged Judas and his vocal performance was of exceptional quality. Hannah Richardson gave a stunning vocal performance as Mary and her I Don’t Know How To Love Him and Could We Start Again Please? were show highlights. Ryan O’Donnell gave a fantastic performance as the broken Pilate, delivering a vocal that was powerful and full of grunge while delving into Pilates conflicted emotional response to Jesus and his political aspirations and responsibilities. Matt Bateman delivered a wonderful performance of the often underrated character of Annas, hitting those top notes with seeming ease. Jad Habchi delivered a stellar performance of the menacing Caiaphas while Timo Tazber’s Herod was a decadent and dangerous romp.
Having experienced this Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production both in the park and at the Barbican previously, I was thrilled to catch it again on tour. Among the many renditions of Jesus Christ Superstar I’ve seen over the years, this one stands out as my favorite. The brilliance of Tom Scutt’s design, the dynamic lighting by Lee Curan, Nick Lidster’s innovative sound design and Timothy Sheader’s masterful direction converge to create a rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar that feels utterly revitalized, undeniably contemporary and profoundly relevant. Playing the New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday, make sure you catch this absolutely heavenly Jesus Christ Superstar!
Reviewed by Stuart James
