Jesus Christ Superstar at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.

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This was a production that left us reeling and gasping “what have I just seen?!” Not in a bad way I hasten to add, it was a complete visual feast for the eyes as well as a treat for the ears. Although unsure of what I expected from the show, it was certainly not that level of brain buzz at the end.

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Jesus Christ Superstar was glorious and amazing: the songs, the costumes, the acting, the slick choreography was truly made of Superstar stuff. It was such a different perspective on the story of Christ’s crucifixion than we were brought up with. It was very much a musical, with a strong musical theme running through it. A hand held microphone got handed from person to person as they had their turn to speak or rather sing, and be the superstar of the show. The microphone cable was used as a hanging tool at one point, and an amplifier stand ended up forming the cross.

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This all came together, not nicely perhaps, but in an ascetically pleasing manner. Indeed the opening scene featured a spotlight on a lone figure in a hoodie playing an electric guitar up above the stage. Striking, and induced the level of hush we had just been instructed to give by the pre show announcement. All the musicians were on an upper level of the stage throughout the show, making them an integral part, which of course was also most fitting.

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Some of the actors were particularly noteworthy – Ian McIntosh, Jesus himself, was simply amazing. At one point his voice just filled the entire theatre in a way that many people would not achieve. It almost felt like the applause following that would never end! Hannah Richardson as Mary also had an fantastic voice. The song that we all know, I Don’t Know How To Love Him, had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck hearing it live. I must admit I have never seen this show before and that was one song I was looking forward to hearing, having heard the soundtrack repeatedly on our Musicals playlists.

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Jad Habchi plays Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest. He and his men also had stunning voices, with one going from normal to really deep, almost unbelievably deep from a human! Their religious staffs switched round into microphone stands, again linking to the musical theme. Although I can be scathing of including a famous face in a musical’s cast, Julian Clary was an actual superstar in his portrayal of Harrod. He made quite an entrance, looking absolutely spectacular and brought a well needed but appropriately done bit of comedy to quite a dark storyline.

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Drew McOnie, the choreographer, had certainly done an amazing job. The coordination of the movements between the ensemble, the Jews, was just awe inspiring. The costumes must have been updated for the current century, although this musical was actually written back in the early 1970s. Most of the ensemble, the crowd of followers, are just in grey and white hoodie type sports wear, just like many of youngsters today wear. Jesus himself started off in a hoodie and trainers, often wandering around with an acoustic guitar, again like some young people in the modern day.

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The scene where Jesus is taken and shackled is really cleverly, and spectacularly, done. His clothes are bloodied and through the use of glitter and loud claps with a wooden instrument, they really bring to life the whipping. The whole scene is really moving and captivating. Although glitter being thrown at him sounds pretty and lovely, it is actually very graphic and harrowing.

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All in all this is just a fantastic show, obviously the music is wonderful as with all Andrew Lloyd Webber works. I did feel we lost some of Tim Rice’s lyrics a little, with the quantity of people singing it was not always easy to make out what they were actually saying. We do all know the story anyway so it didn’t take away from the overall experience too much.

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I am not one for giving ratings but when “superstar” is in the title it feels only appropriate to give stars. If we were looking at stars out of 10 I would probably give it 11. Although it really does mess with your head, and I am still reeling from coming out of the theatre once it was over, and thinking through everything we saw, it was a very memorable experience which I am most grateful to have had.

Further information: https://uktour.jesuschristsuperstar.com/

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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.

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