Jesus Christ Superstar at Royal & Derngate, Northampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Last night, we went to the Royal & Derngate in Northampton to see Northampton Musical Theatre Company’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera is one of my all time favourites, and having seen a number of productions over the years, I do go to each performance with a little trepidation that they will not do the masterpiece justice, but I need not have worried yesterday. Billed as an ‘amateur’ production, this was anything but!! In fact, this is one of the best performances of Jesus Christ Superstar I have seen and worthy to stand alongside any West End production!
The first thing that really impressed me was that the interpretation of the show was kept very simple and allowed us to focus on the music and performances. I have seen a ‘futurist’ version and a ‘modern day’ version (complete with mobile phones) for example, and I spend more time trying to work out what the ‘message’ is rather than just enjoy the show. With this production the set was striking (giving off Hamilton vibes!) and costumes were, in the main, neutral colours with a desert feel but nothing distracted from the performance and I was able to just sit back and enjoy the musical that I love!
I am going to say from the off, I wasn’t sold on Linden Iliffe as Jesus. He wasn’t enough of a stage presence for me and his voice wasn’t strong enough, in my opinion, for what is one of musicals greatest songs, Gethsemane. But do not let that put you off because there were some incredible performers in the show. Dan Hobson dominated the stage as Judas Iscariot. His passion oozed from every note he sang and his final scene left a chill within the theatre. Ellie Tollman as Mary Magdalene should be proud of her rendition of ‘I Don’t Know How To Love Him’, and Gordon Ritchie as Pontius Pilate needs his own spin-off show because we just didn’t get to enjoy enough of him! The priests were brilliant and the dancers were fantastic. Everybody just did a fantastic job and I wish I could name them all. However, any production of JCS is only as good as it’s King Herod, and Matt Clarke gave one of the best performances of Herod that I have ever seen!!
Paramount to any musical is the music, and I can honestly say I was not expecting a live band at an amateur performance, but we had one and what a treat. Bravo to all the musicians. They brought the performance to life with every note and it was just the icing on the cake!
Performances like this by local groups make big West End shows accessible to everybody. Whether you are a die-hard theatre fan or new to the musical scene, I urge you to go and see this production. It’s a story that we all (should) know, remaining authentic to its 1970 conception performed by a strong passionate cast. Don’t miss out, it’s a real treat!
Rating: 5/5
Jesus Christ Superstar is at Royal & Derngate, Northampton until Saturday 1st November. Ticket prices from £17
For more details and to book tickets, please visit royalandderngate.co.uk