Can a show first performed more than 50 years ago still feel relevant today? The answer, based on last night’s performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at Birmingham Hippodrome, is, without question, yes. 

This Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of the legendary Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera is fresh, dynamic and visually spectacular. Not only that, but the cast brings such energy to the performance that even the most sceptical of audience members cannot fail to have any reservations about the modern-day appeal of the show vigorously challenged.

The set is simple, but so effective. While the story’s dynamic shifts from joyful adulation of Jesus by his followers to the harrowing crucifixion, the set remains constant. Two simple metal platforms frame the stage, an inverted cross reaching towards the audience and an upright cross in the background serving as a reminder of what is to come. The restrained set and imaginative lighting create an intense and dramatic atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cast leads the viewer through the last days of Jesus’s life in all its joy and despair. Though clichéd, a ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ is an apt description of the audience experience.

The performances are, without exception, outstanding. Our first view of Ian McIntosh as a laid-back Jesus with baseball cap and guitar initially challenges the stereotypical image of a saviour, but as the story unfolds, his accomplished vocals and emotional performance convey convincingly both the charismatic leader and the vulnerable human being who is terrified to face his fate... Shem Omari James is compelling as Judas, Jesus’s betrayer, attempting to blame others for his actions but ultimately tortured as he faces the reality of what he has done... The interaction between these two, particularly in the duet shortly before Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, is spellbinding.

Louise Francis is captivating as Mary Magdalene, feisty when challenging others’ perception of her and fragile as she sings I Don’t Know How To Love Him. 

Caiaphas (Jad Habchi) - reminiscent of a slightly deranged Liberace - Annas (Matt Bateman) and the Priests (Francis Foreman, Darius J James and Timothy Roberts) give a memorable performance of This Jesus Must Die, accompanied by a more than camp dance routine. Herod (Timo Tatzber) turns the camp element up yet another notch as he mocks Jesus, while Ryan O’Donnell is impressively sinister as Pilate, the man who seals Jesus’s fate. 

The main characters are supported by an energetic ensemble, inventive choreography and melodies conveying the passion and fervour of those who are witness to Jesus’s final days on earth.

This masterpiece of musicality and atmosphere was met with a standing ovation, testament to the manner in which the performance touched the hearts of those who were lucky enough to see it.

Five stars

Jesus Christ Superstar was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Monday 22 April at Birmingham Hippodrome, where it shows until this Saturday (27 April).