Jesus Chris Superstar - A Superstar Show and a Superstar Cast

 To a casual observer, when you think of musicals, it's hard not to think about Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jesus Christ Superstar is probably up there amongst his very well known, and so it was a surprise to me, as a musical nerd, that I had never been to see it before, or even heard much of its soundtrack before. When I heard it was being put on in my home town, I just couldn't resist seeing it, and hopefully learning to fall in love with a whole new soundtrack which, to be honest, is one of the major perks of musical theatre!

The Amateur Operatic Society of the Concordia Theatre, based in Hinckley,  put on, as an amateur company, what was frankly an outstandingly professional piece of theatre. So much so, you could put the exact show on, with the exact same cast and crew in any west end theatre, and they would not look out of place. 

If the powerful voices of Daniel Morrison (Judas) and Tommy Guest (Jesus) weren't enough of a selling point, I would urge you to see it because every single member of the show was an unstoppable force of nature. The harmonies were powerful, the dancing was slick and quick paced, yet nobody looked out of breath or exhausted, and the set was astonishing in setting the scene of the story. 

The story of Jesus Christ Superstar is centered around the last days of Jesus before his crucifixion, and you see everything from the last supper, to the inner torment of Judas before he ultimately betrays Jesus, to the rise and fall of a messiah, all within a roughly 2 hour show that packs a lot of power and emotion in every song, from hopefulness and love, to despair, anger and fear. 

I am by no means a religious person, but even I could not help but be awed by the story that was being told, and was moved by it like I've never been moved before, and this is why I will always stand by my fierce opinion that there is no better medium for telling a story than the theatre. Because you are there in the theatre, you are in some ways part of the narrative, and it makes it more real, and when you see the cross come out, my jaw was on the floor. Full props have to go the set designers and prop team for pulling off easily the most raw moment of the show, as well as the actors that had to endure taking it on and off the stage, and for Tommy, who had to be in an undoubtedly uncomfortable position and still give a powerful performance to rival any west end cast today. 

Ben Burgess was another stand out for me, both as an ensemble member but also as Herod, and he easily gave a crowd pleasing performance, really making King Herod's Song his own, and owning that stage. 

Honestly, I could write paragraphs and paragraphs on how amazing this show was, but I think this was a crucial piece of evidence that amateur theatre can and does rival professional theatre, but no matter whether you are paid for your performance, or do it just for the love of the art, theatre remains the absolute crown jewel of entertainment. 

There are still tickets available at https://concordiatheatre.co.uk/ however this show must end on the 17th May, so if anybody does wish to go I would grab them before they are gone. 

I would like to commend all the directors and crew of this particular show for not only your sublime casting choices, but also for putting together a show that was just bursting with energy from the start, with a set that created the atmosphere to match the score, with every bit of the stage being used to its full potential. 

As for the cast, I hope you know that I have followed a lot of your journeys through different shows, and this honestly was an absolute triumph for all of you, and I have no doubt you will continue to soar in whatever you do next. I cannot wait to have my jaw dropped again. Enjoy your last couple of shows and thank you for bringing this amazing show to life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐