Jesus Christ Superstar at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Kelly Victoria
Last night I had the absolute pleasure of watching the tour production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley.
This revamped more modern-day version of the show has been much talked about and it’s absolutely clear to see why.
With a dark and moody set which stages the live band and with a huge cross dominating the stage, this sets the scene for the whole show as the set barely changes throughout.
You are taken on a journey through the later part of Jesus’ life and the ultimate betrayal of Judas (played by Shem Omari James) which leads to his gruesome death.
With a rocky and modern soundtrack, the entire show is sung through hand held microphones as if you were at a rock concert and is filled to the brim with the most phenomenal vocals.
Dressed in a hoody, Jesus (played by Luke Street) is mesmerising from the moment he enters the stage and his raspy vocals and dedication to character are nothing short of brilliant and he really does play Jesus as a superstar.
One of the highlights of the show for me has to be Mary (played by Hannah Richardson) performing I Don’t Know How to Love Him. Hannah’s vocals were just absolutely outstanding and she portrayed the sentiment of the song perfectly.
Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is reflected very cleverly by him dipping his hands into the trunk of silver that tempts his betrayal and then removing his hands which are coated entirely in silver paint – representing his disloyalty. This scene ends the first half of the show and his betrayal continues to be represented throughout the second half where Judas still has silver hands.
As Jesus’ life finally comes to an end, he is whipped 39 times. This is intelligently portrayed in the form of handfuls of glitter being thrown at his battered body to represent each whip. The crucifixion is both haunting and mesmerising at the same time with Jesus being bound to the cross for his final breaths.
This show is filled with some of the most modern choreography that I’ve ever seen in a musical. Kudos has to go to Resident Choreographer, Christopher Tendai who also forms part of the ensemble cast. With rhythmical movements and a more contemporary dance style it suited this modern adaptation of the show in exactly the right way. The ensemble performed the demanding choreography exquisitely and in a way that only the most highly trained performers with oodles of stamina could manage.
This show really does do modern meets the beginning of time perfectly with trendy outfits, including hoodies and baggy pants rather than the traditional cloths that you might expect but work perfectly.
The entire show is sung using hand held microphones which are also smartly used to be multi-faceted and form props to support telling the storyline. This was a genius idea and something that I’ve never seen done before.
This show really doesn’t give you moment to take a breath in the best of ways. It’s the most intelligently put together show that I’ve ever seen and really is heaven sent.
The Hawth is home to the show from Monday 18th March to Saturday 23rd March and tickets can be bought here.
Rating: 5/5
https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/the-hawth/whats-on/jesus-christ-superstar
Ticket Prices range from £50.50 to £27 19 March 2024 – 23 March 2024