Blue Mountains Musical Society’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera for the selfie generation where Jesus looks more Mad Max than Messiah.
Set in a world where the Sermon on the Mount would most likely be streamed on Facebook Live, it is a welcome reinvigoration of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical from 1971.
In this post-apocalyptic apostolic tale, Jesus and his disciples are the celebrities of their day, posing for selfies with their screaming followers. It’s fitting then that video screens and live projections dominate the set.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a show where Judas (Aarin Starkey) can overshadow proceedings but all three leads hold their own on the Springwood stage.
Sarah Namdar as Mary Magdalene is much more than a supporting player, gaining sustained (and deserved) applause for one of the show’s most iconic numbers, I Don’t Know How to Love Him.
Depth of talent is one of the musical society’s strengths and it is on display again in Superstar. Whether it is Matt Herne as the conflicted but ultimately crowd-pleasing Pontius Pilate, Eamon O’Flynn as Simon or Liam Gray as Peter, spotting a weak link is a challenging task.
The arrival of Herod is a welcome circuit-breaker from the angst leading up to Jesus’ betrayal and arrest and Clare McCallum (accompanied by some scene-stealing dancers) makes the most of the decadent, change of pace. It’s also a commendable piece of gender-switch casting – not a bad move in such a male-centric story.
One thing that hasn’t changed in this Superstar (apart from some minor post-70s tweaking) is the compelling music that propels the story. Music director Matthew Lovelace leads an impressive nine-piece band that has been happily returned to the theatre stage.
Apart from creating room for the band, the relatively sparce set allows the layered choreography of the talented dancers to have free rein. And there’s plenty of it too – director Jessica Lovelace even makes a joke in the program notes about her predilection for adding dance routines!
But it is the show’s over-the-top spectacle and bombast that make the quiet moments all the more affecting, with Nathan Hodge delivering real pathos in Jesus’ dying moments.
On a minor note: Jesus’ crucifixion and the suicide of Judas (it’s safe to say we don’t need spoiler-alerts for this story, surely?) are fairly intense so it’s probably wise not to take small children along.
Jesus Christ Superstar’s season at the Blue Mountains Theatre runs until June 4. For bookings visit http://bmms.org.au/, call 4723 5050 or visit the box office at 104-108 Macquarie Road.