Jesus Christ!

On the 23rd September, I was in London watching the 2012 tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. ‘Superstar’ joined the slew of musical theatre talent shows on ITV earlier this year and Ben Forster, the man who had vocally battled his way through to win the crown of thorns, was in the lead role of Jesus. Beside him on the stage were Tim Minchin as Judas, Mel C as Mary Magdalene, Chris Moyles as King Herod and Alex Hanson as Pontius Pilate. The impressiveness of this cast, combined with the epic feel of the O2 arena where it began its tour, made for one unforgettable night.
The staging of the show was the first thing that hit me while I waited for the music itself to begin. The completely empty stage that had been transformed into tiered steps, reminiscent of a Roman coliseum, scaffolding either side supplied the orchestra with a performance area and a huge screen across the back of the stage supplied the audience with scenery. The show having been updated to a modern setting (Jesus and his disciples made part of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement) the screen came into play immediately. As the orchestra played the overture, we were treated to a montage of news clips covering economic recession, ideological rebellion and political crisis. The orchestra did full justice to a great musical. The operatic rock felt at home with the arena setting and I was enthralled before the actors had even come on.
Minchin’s entrance, with the hugely powerful first song questioning the extremities that their revolution seems to be reaching, was an evocative moment. As an opener, Heaven On Their Minds is unquestionably brilliant, capturing the themes that will run throughout the entire musical; Has the revolution gone too far? Is Jesus jeopardising their entire movement? I’ve always admired Minchin’s musical talents, which he usually combines excellently with his comedic brilliance, and he didn’t disappoint. Throughout the musical his voice was consistently strong and emotive and he dealt with the conflicted character of Judas with the necessary amount of suffering and anger.
Mel C’s casting I was originally dubious about. Knowing nothing of her but that she was a Spice Girl I was, excusably, confused about her casting. However, by the end of the musical she had dispersed all doubts. In its contemporary setting, stars like Mel C and Minchin, with more commercial voices were fitting choices. Mary’s role in the musical as Jesus’ comforter (with its slightly sacrilegious hints of conjugal involvement) is a sympathetic role. She filled her moment of spotlight, singing I Don’t Know How To Love Him, beautifully, making the audience ache with her as she described the pain of loving such an enigmatic, tortured character.
Chris Moyles, another unconventional casting, made for an excellent Herod. Webber and Rice’s retelling of Herod as a camp, celebrity obsessed playboy is in itself made for hilarity. When you reinvent this further, placing Moyles as chatshow host, interviewing Jesus Christ (with the excellent touch of a text-in survey on whether he is ‘Lord or Fraud’), the scene was brilliant. Moyles exit line (“Join me next week when I’ll be interviewing Bono”) was absurd but delivered with just enough self-awareness to evoke a huge laugh from the audience. Alex Hanlon, as Pontius Pilate, was similarly part perfect. His part in the modern setting as a politician, was delivered with just the amount of weighted consideration to remind one of a Tory party conference. His emotional outbursts during the scene of the 39 lashes were delivered in touch with his character and one felt the tension of a politician in a moral dilemma, forced to appease the crowd and balancing the cost of one life with his own position.
Ben Forster, the star on the stage with the most to prove having been given the lead role through public vote, had all eyes on him throughout the musical. However, the public were justified in their choice as he asserted himself as a theatre star with aplomb. His confrontations with Judas and handling of the other disciples and new found fame were displayed with great realism. One of the great challenges of playing a musical theatre character is acting through song but Forster inhabited his character fully showing the conflicted mindset of a man unwillingly heading a revolution. His shining moment was the performance of Gethsemane, perhaps Jesus’ highest and lowest point. Possessed with the absolute knowledge of his capture the tortured son of God screams at his father, questioning the divine plan before ultimately accepting his fate. Forster’s raw vocals and emotions did the incredible song full justice and consolidated his excellent portrayal of Jesus.
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ is a musical that constantly resists interpretation; is Jesus the son of God or just a misguided martyr? Is Judas right to trade him in for the sake of the movement? Should Jesus fight against the Roman invaders? Webber and Rice, backed by the exuberance of youth created something innovative, incredible and powerful out of a story that has become conservative but in its day was really the story of a rebellion. The film version shows the disciples as hippies and now we see them as liberal, social activists. Every principle role in the new show was cast and played flawlessly and the staging and setting was relevant and absolutely fitting. I’ve long seen ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ as Lloyd Webber’s best musical by leagues and this tour really does it full justice.