A
t the end of the Michaelmas
term, the drama and music
departments put on what
must rank as one their most
ambitious projects yet, with
their stunning production of
Jesus Christ Superstar. Recent years have seen
the virtuosity in dance and orchestra of West
Side Story, and the profound characterisations
of A Chorus Line, yet here was a whole new
challenge, a musical sung in its entirety from
beginning to end.
Without the sanctuary of spoken scenes, when
singers and band can re-group and focus on
what comes next, this is indeed a tour de force,
and how magnificently the company rose to the
challenge. From Ronan Handcock in the title
role, to Gavin Penn's guilt-ridden Judas, and
the warm humanity of Alex Wynn's Mary
Magdalene, the singers were simply
outstanding. And the talent was not the
preserve of pupils only - amongst the staff, the
Chaplain's Caiaphas was a vocal treat, and
Russell Gill's Annas was a revelation: a
chillingly malevolent presence with the voice of
a true West End tenor.
Here, Lloyd Webber's vocal writing makes no
allowance for a youthful cast - much of it is
dauntingly high in register, as is the custom in
professional theatre, yet both Ronan and Gavin
slipped effortlessly in and out of falsetto, to
produce performances both authentic and full
of integrity. There was much to admire too in
Murray Grindon's Peter, the character's
strengths and weaknesses given a sure-handed
portrayal. Alex Johnstone's Herod captured a
careful balance between knockabout comedy
and a neat political passing of the buck.
Edward Wynn showed an outstanding singing
voice as Pilate, and there were neat subtle
touches to his dream sequence.
And yet this was no
mere collection of
impressive solo
performances: the
chorus plays a
crucial role,
particularly as the
story drives towards
its conclusion, with
Christ beginning to
doubt himself, and
the mob turning
against him. There
was powerful and
robust singing
during the trial
scenes, and before
then the apostles
showed themselves
an intimate, and
literally harmonious, group of supporters.
For all the complexities of the singing inherent
in this piece, it is backed by an orchestral score
of considerable complexity, and the highly
professional band led by musical directors Colin
Albery and Karen Fergusson made a huge
impression on the evening. The costumes put
together by Maggie Vile and her team were
both authentic and nicely understated, a theme
that ran through John Fisher's lighting design,
nowhere more effectively seen than in the final
crucifixion scene, which was both beautifully
staged and perfectly judged. Pete Belfield's
handling of the hanging sequence too stays
long in the memory.
Enormous credit goes to director Anne Sheehan
for her mammoth efforts in both conceiving the
project and bringing it to the stage. She and
her team produced an evening of high quality
music, and powerful, thought-provoking
theatre.
Aluredian
39
Jesus
Christ
Superstar
by
Chris Holmes