Jesus Christ Superstar - Get Ready To Rock With This Heavenly Musical

Jesus Christ Superstar is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most iconic and best-loved musicals. After a successful revival of the show at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2016, this modern adaptation is currently on a UK tour, with the first regional premiere currently playing at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

Described as a 'rock opera', it did indeed feel like you were attending a rock gig set against a narrative of the last seven days of Jesus Christ and the conflict between Judas and Jesus before the crucifixion. As a wailing electric guitar solo rang out from the live band on stage at the start of the evening, the tone had been set.

The star, undeniably, of the show was Jesus, played magnificently by Ian McIntosh. With a vocal prowess and mesmerising stage presence, probably no doubt gained from his time starring in the Queen musical, We Will Rock You, McIntosh was centre stage throughout as he led the audience through an epic journey with Jesus being the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll superstar with many modern-day rock star parallels: one minute Jesus was everyone’s idol; the next, people turned on him and he was no longer the leader.

When McIntosh performed Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) it felt cool, comfortable, yet commanding. An early highlight of this legendary show.

With remarkable energy and choreography by Drew McOnie and a strong supporting cast, the concert-style production was entirely sung, though at some points the vocals did get lost in the mix, making it hard to decipher what was being sung.

Playing Judas Shem Omari James brought a dark twist to the evening, while Hannah Richardson was delightful as Mary; her heartfelt version of I Don’t Know How to Love Him was touching and soulfully sung. Her gentle yet commanding presence contrasted well with the darkness that followed in the second half of the show. The running time is quite short, running at just over two hours, including the interval.

The publicity blurb states "stars Julian Clary," I think a more apt description would be to describe Clary’s inclusion as King Herod in the musical as being more of a guest appearance. We had to wait well into the second half of the night before he made a fleeting showing. His five minutes in the limelight singing Herod’s Song brought a comic touch to the evening as he arrived dressed in gold like Cleopatra, albeit with a dash of pantomime silliness.

I am still unsure whether his inclusion was a good or bad move. He certainly took the evening in a different direction, momentarily (thankfully, Clary did not take centre stage when the cast took their final bows when the performance concluded), instead letting the main characters rightly receive the warmth, appreciation, and support from the audience.

The standing ovation received as the final curtain rose was well deserved in this captivating portrayal of a timeless story.