Jesus Christ Superstar – Hull New Theatre

When a theatre production seems to pass in the blink of an eye, you know you have witnessed something special.

So, it was on Monday evening, when Jesus Christ Superstar came to the Hull New Theatre to spellbind us in the fairly full venue.

After a 10-minute delay for curtain up, the first half was well worth the wait. Events on stage were so utterly engrossing, next thing we knew the interval was upon us.

The stage setting for the last weeks of Jesus Christ’s life (seen through the eyes of Judas), was devoid of colour; even the actors’ costumes were mostly a drab beige. This cleverly created the perfect atmosphere of suspicion, fear and doubt leading up to Jesus’s demise.

Feared by the authorities for being hailed as the “King of the Jews” and the “Son of God” by his followers, it was obvious Jesus (the amazing Ian McIntosh) wasn’t going to make old bones.

But he might have lived a bit longer if he hadn’t been betrayed by Judas (a powerful performance by Shem Omari James).

This thought-provoking production saw an angst-ridden Jesus constantly being comforted by Mary (Hannah Richardson), who seemed at a loss at how to ease his troubled mind.

Richardson, as Mary, always seemed to bring a sense of calm to the stage when she appeared, and her voice was simply beautiful, especially when singing I Don’t Know How To Love Him – a magical moment.

Judas, on the other hand, loudly tries to come between Jesus and Mary and it’s his mistrust, jealousy, bitterness and eventual shame that brings about his own downfall, as well as that of Jesus.

We all know the ending of this age-old story – happy it ain’t – but down the decades, audiences have packed-out theatres, proving they never tire of Jesus Christ Superstar, which debuted in London over 50 years ago, in 1972.

Productions may vary, but the storyline remains the same.

On Monday evening, the show opened with the spotlight on a lone guitarist, hooded and mysterious, playing a haunting tune. Other musicians appeared throughout and I love that these talented bunch could be seen (mainly in the dim light, admittedly), as well as heard.

Lighting played a crucial part, too, changing from dim to super bright whenever the mood dictated. Clouds of smoke added to the atmosphere.

The all-dancing, all-singing ensemble energetically portrayed avid followers of Christ, while later calling for his crucifixion as a hysterical mob. The poor lad never stood a chance.

After Jesus is arrested and tortured, Pilate (a moving performance by Ryan O’Donnell) is torn between his conscience and the aforementioned mob, shouting for Jesus’s crucifixion. And we all know who won that battle.

Out of the 20 or so songs sung on the night – courtesy of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber – the one that gave me goosebumps was Superstar, the first strains of which appeared early on, showing Jesus in a spotlight surrounded by kneeling followers.

The crucifixion scene couldn’t be excluded, of course, and nothing was spared, leading up to that moment.

As Jesus’s bloodied body breathed its last, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre.

Then we all rose as one to loudly show our appreciation of a production that, no doubt, will run for another 50 years.

Running until Saturday, October 7th,2023; 7.30pm nightly with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday, 5th and Saturday, 7th. Tickets cost from £19. Call (01482) 300306 or visit www.hulltheatres.co.uk

Reviewer: Jackie Foottit

Reviewed: 2nd October 2023

North West End UK Rating: