A Guest Review by Tom Hitchcock
Jesus Christ Super SHOW!!!!
Staged in the gorgeous Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, this production of Jesus Christ Superstar from BSEODS was far from amateur. The whole production was a slick modern take on the musical by Andrew Llloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
The set made up of a raised platform, steps, a portable platform and a cloth screen had this modern, yet jagged feel to match the rocky music scores which propelled from the musicians (lead by Gaz Brown) sat on stage. The tone was set by the lone guitarist taking centre stage for the opening riff of the overture, at this point we knew we were in for a real treat and the cast didn’t disappoint.
Photo Credit: Andy Abbott
A strong cast lead by Connor Love-Foster as Jesus, who hit the high notes and low notes of his character both vocally and physically and kept you engrossed in what was unfolding for Jesus.
Judas, (Adam Bonner) was confident and strong in the role. This part has consistently challenging vocals throughout which are often underestimated. It was clear that Adam is vocally capable, it would be great to see him relax into it more, although his acting through song brilliantly carried him through.
Asha Ray as Mary , was vocally pleasing to the ears and gave an air of grace to the part, as Jesus’ lover.
Photo Credit: Andy Abbott
For me, Oliver Squires as Pilate stole the show. A part which could easily be overlooked but boy did Oliver come out and make Pilate stand out from the crowd! His vocals and characterisation were incredible; he had the ability to really lift his scenes.
Adiranna Furneux as Herod oozed charisma and her vocals were very good. It was great to see a ‘chat show’ take on the scene between Herod and Jesus. A fresh idea, executed well with the use of ensemble as studio and crew members.
Jack Berry, Ryan Smith, Millie Dean and Alfie Davis were great in their supporting roles and each held fantastic characterisation for their part helping to build a very strong cast!
The ensemble in this production were equally strong, with all members knowing their dance routines, vocals and positionings on stage, as well as creating their own personas – something which is easily overlooked.
Photo Credit: Andy Abbott
It was a brave move by Sarah Brodie (Director) to add a modern twist (use of mobile phones and a live feed to a large screen) to this musical, but she pulled it off incredibly well. Not only did this achieve Sarah’s vision of “reliance on technology, addiction to social media, obsession with ‘cult of celebrity’, etc, for me it added another dimension to the dances and insights into the characters. Coincide this with some very clever and well rehearsed, dance routines from the choreographer (Abigail Longworth), even incorporating symbolism in the routines as the cast made the sign of the cross with their phones in hand, (nobody dropped them!) , shows how well this modern twist was planned.
Photo Credit: Andy Abbott
The scene where Jesus receives 39 lashes was incredibly well thought out, with cast members adding their dash of blood to his body as each lash is called and leaving Judas to be the last one – very powerful imagery!
Last and by no means least, the band was superb, each song was played with real feeling and again, well rehearsed and tight, helping to keep this musical moving at a good pace.
Well done to all in BSEODS for a marvellous production and If you haven’t got your ticket yet you must grab it before the show finishes on Saturday 16th May. You can book tickets here on the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds Website
SUFFOLK THEATRE 