Tim Sheader's revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium is a thrilling, high-octane concert-style production that delivers an aorta-pumping experience. The show runs until 5 September at the Palladium, then moves to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 16 October to 9 January.
Sam Ryder's Jesus: Ripped but Passive
The casting of Sam Ryder, known for his Eurovision success, brings a unique vocal prowess to the role of Jesus. His octave-hopping voice can strip paint on impassioned high notes, but he struggles with quieter passages, and his nice-guy disposition clashes with Jesus's grumpiness. Ryder's Messiah is unbelievably ripped, with extensive tattoos, wafty linens, a beard, and a gathered topknot, resembling a charismatic yoga teacher or a ravey cult leader.
The production's concert-style format uses a semicircular scaffolding platform for the orchestra, with punters penned in below. A huge, toppled crucifix in black perforated metal serves as a catwalk and runway, slowly rising during Jesus's scourging like a bomber taking off.
Standout Performances by Huntley and Cathabel
While Jesus is a passive figure, the show is stolen by Desmonda Cathabel as Mary Magdalene and Tyrone Huntley as Judas. Cathabel delivers dreamy, heavy-lidded renditions of "Everything's Alright" and "I Don't Know How To Love Him," which are the evening's standouts. Huntley's Judas seems driven to insanity by fascination and fury, even emulating Ryder's soprano as if possessed.
The ensemble, ambivalently gendered and mostly in bejewelled makeup and crop tops, wouldn't look out of place at Burning Man or Berghain. David Thaxton's Pilate has laurels tattooed on his high-fade scalp and SPQR on his bicep. The priests, led by Bob Harms's sepulchral Caiaphas, move like a menacing cross between Kraftwerk and Lene Lovitch.
Novelty Casting and Witty Touches
Lloyd Webber's commitment to revamping his back catalogue includes eye-catching novelty casting. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the Broadway and Modern Family star, plays Herod in early performances, to be followed by Richard Armitage, Boy George, Layton Williams, and Julian Clary. Ferguson's Herod is attired in gold like a sybaritic sun king, complete with winged crown, and his song is accompanied by a troupe of jiving John the Baptists with their heads on bloodied platters.
The production is ramped up from Sheader and McOnie's 2016 Regent's Park version. Props are made from microphone stands, including priests' staffs, soldiers' spears, and the spindly cross to which Jesus is finally attached by a roadie with a power drill. Huntley's guilty Judas finds his hands coated in silver paint like blood as microphone nooses drop around him. Jesus's punishment during "39 Lashes" is meted out with the cast hurling firecracker glitter bombs at his gore-smeared six-pack, making it almost as pornographically sadomasochistic as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.
A Rollick Through a Strong Musical Collaboration
Overall, this is an OTT, aorta-pumping rollick through one of Lloyd Webber and Rice's strongest musical collaborations. The team knows that the score and the feel are all that matter. Jesus? Schmeesus. The production runs at the Palladium until 5 September, then at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 16 October to 9 January. For more information, visit lwtheatres.co.uk.
