REVIEW: Jesus Christ Superstar at Newcastle Theatre Royal ★★★★★

Photo credit: Paul Coltas

This week, we went to see Jesus Christ Superstar, which is currently only on its second stop of its UK tour, currently running until August 2024. It has been 8 years since I last saw the show, and it's my guilty pleasure musical, so I was so glad to see it again.

For those who don't know, Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Tim Rice. The show was reimagined by Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, which won them the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The story follows the final week of Jesus Christ's life, primarily from the point of view of Judas. The show originally opened on Broadway in 1971 and was seen as a revolutionary piece of theatre. 50 years on, it still has the same impact on audiences, with the cast and crew receiving a standing ovation from a packed house at Newcastle Theatre Royal.

I'll be honest, I was surprised to see so many mixed reviews for the show from its run in Manchester, as it seemed that the whole Newcastle audience absolutely loved it - everyone was immediately on their feet! I can see why some people may not have been a fan of the stylistic choices, but I thought the whole show was amazing.

The cast were outstanding, with every single member so perfect for the role they were playing. Shem Omari Douglas as Judas was insanely talented; I loved him in Dreamgirls so was so happy to see him in another musical. Ian McIntosh as Jesus was also just outstanding, with his vocals flooring me during Gethsemane. I loved that the whole cast got their chance to shine, as their vocals were amazing and everyone got the chance to show them off. Julian Clary was obviously perfect casting for Herod - he was flamboyant and camp, and everything you want from the character!

The set was very basic, and I'll be honest I was slightly concerned by this, as I can sometimes lose track of where we are without much set. But, to be honest, it did the job and the music carried the story along so well, I didn't miss any of the old bits of set at all.

I also really came to love the choreography, which surprised me to no end! When it started, it reminded me of something I would probably avoid at the Fringe, however, as the show went on, I saw the power of the choreography. It brought so much energy to the show and helped to build tension and intensity as the show went on and without it I don't think the show would have been as powerful as what it was. By the end of the show, I was so impressed that I wasn't sure how they had the energy to get through the whole show.

Honestly, I think this is one of the strongest and best touring productions I have ever seen - I'll definitely be buying tickets to see it elsewhere on tour, and highly recommend everyone sees this production!

Tickets for the tour: Jesus Christ Superstar Tickets

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