Jesus Christ Superstar – Barbican Theatre

Ricardo Afonso and Robert Tripolino in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican Theatre, London. Picture: Johan Persson

Jesus Christ Superstar continues at the Barbican Theatre, London until 24 August 2019.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

It may be reaching for the easy cliché, but “resurrection” is the word that comes to mind for the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Arguably the best of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s collaborations, the original sung-through score was very much of its time. And while it has been regularly revived since, there was something hypnotically magnetic about the Regent’s Park production that made the whole piece feel thrillingly modern.

This production has played at Chicago’s Lyric Opera and will shortly embark on a US tour. But for six weeks, the production returns to London, and an indoor venue. Tom Scutt’s set has been scaled down and straightened out to accommodate the change from amphitheatre to proscenium arch – and while the change allows for some nice touches (the I-beams of the set’s girders climbing, crucifix-terminated, into the sky) a few little touches are diminished, the effect of Act II’s humorous restaging of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper not being visible for those on one side of the audience.

Musically, though, the score (under musical supervisor Tom Deering) sounds raw and powerful once more. So much so, in fact, that especially in Act I Rice’s lyrics are often lost in the mix. That’s initially a problem for Jesus, as Robert Tripolino’s portrayal is deliberately underpowered, presenting a meek and mild figure in sharp contrast to the fear embodied by Cavin Cornwall’s Caiaphas.

Sallay Garnett’s Mary is similarly overwhelmed vocally to begin with: she brings a delicate, jazzy interpretation to the character that seems at odds with the production’s bombast. Not until her solo ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ near the end of Act I does the airiness of her delivery punch through, giving a pleasant counterbalance to the rest of the score.

Ricardo Afonso’s muscular Judas, the third vertex of the Biblical love triangle, contrasts well with Tripolino’s slender Jesus, throwing the character differences into both physical and musical relief. Of course, it’s impossible for anyone who saw this production in its original 2016 home not to miss Declan Bennett and, especially, Tyrone Huntley. But when Tripolino launches into an excoriating ‘Gethsemane’, all memories of other performances fade away for one thrilling moment.

Timothy Sheader fills out the production with some scene-stealing performances, Matt Cardle’s Pilate (wielding an electric guitar in sharp contrast to the disciples’ acoustic models) and Samuel Buttery’s Leigh Bowery-inspired Herod both grabbing the Act II spotlight. And Lee Curran’s lighting design, although shorn of the natural dusk-to-darkness backlighting of the Open Air Theatre, still dominates, supplemented by imaginative use of the Barbican’s unique stalls corridor lighting at the top of Act I in ways no other venue could accomplish.

But it is Drew McOnie’s choreography which is the true star. His crowd work, intricate contemporary ballet whose fluidity and dynamism always serve to enhance each scene, highlights the impressive ensemble.

It also serves the musical’s emphasis on the effect of the crowd. At the start of the show, Caiaphas and his priestly entourage are fearful less of Jesus than the throng of followers he has accrued; by the end, the same mob is exerting its control in calling for Jesus’ execution. Without ever reframing the show into a modern world of social media follower counts and tweet storms, Sheader’s Jesus Christ Superstar is nevertheless the ultimate in modern parables, speaking to followers of any religion and none.

Scott Matthewman

Tickets for Jesus Christ Superstar are available HERE.