Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR
Sun, 8 Apr 2007, 01:04 amjeffhansen6 posts in thread
Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR
Sun, 8 Apr 2007, 01:04 amAN ACTUAL REVIEW!!! - 7/4/07 THE COMMENTS EXPRESSED ARE THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR
When you present a show as well known and well loved as JCS, comparisons will inevitably be made....
The show had it's bright spots and some not so good - overall I'm sorry to say that the bad outweighed the good.
So, lets start with the good shall we...
Lighting and set were great.
Julie Fedele (Mary) - a lovely voice and it was a pleasure to listen to her.
David Wallace (Annas) - Nice clear tenor with just the right hint of whininess (a good thing)
Eddie Stowers (Pilate) - The standout performance of the night. Maybe not the best singer on the stage, but his performance was fantastic...Lloyd Webbers tortured Pilate to a tee.
Clint Strindberg (Simon Zealot) - made the most of a small role.
Paul Presbury and Paul Treasure for not needing mics.
And the not-so-good.....
The Overture - Why are the cast on stage??? Is the overture not meant to be a musical introduction to the show?
Judas - Didn't have the vocal range or power to have me convince me.
Jesus - Maybe it was an off night (I heard he had a cold), but he had trouble staying on key.
Caiaphas - Actually I really enjoyed Ted's vulture like portrayal of the chief priest, if only he could find his starting note..
The Herod scene - I thought I was in a Rocky Horror show. I know its usually played camp, but it was a little OTT. Good job from Paul, though.
The Leper scene - Didn't benefit from being halftimed.
Judas' hanging - Yes, we know how tortured you are by what you've done - just kill yourself already.
Jesus on the cross - also seemed to go on interminably.
Chorus - on a whole were very good, but need to find the volume knob as they seemed a little over-zealous in places.
SOUND - As someone who works on the tech stuff as well as on stage, I'm aware of the problems that amplified music and radio mics can cause. Sometimes I was unable to hear the vocals (Judas especially) above the band. It seemed that the cast were not confident with the mics (I better not sing too loud, I've got a mic on) and this came across as poor vocal technique. I couldn't help wondering if the show could have been improved by throwing away the mics and letting the actors/singers do their job.
Well there you have it. My night at Marloo. (will someone get the cobweb broom out and have a look up please)
I understand the countless hours that go into getting a production such as this on, so please take these comments in the manner in which thay are meant.
And feel free to come along and crit my next performance...I'll take it like a man.
jeffhansenSun, 8 Apr 2007, 01:04 am
AN ACTUAL REVIEW!!! - 7/4/07 THE COMMENTS EXPRESSED ARE THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR
When you present a show as well known and well loved as JCS, comparisons will inevitably be made....
The show had it's bright spots and some not so good - overall I'm sorry to say that the bad outweighed the good.
So, lets start with the good shall we...
Lighting and set were great.
Julie Fedele (Mary) - a lovely voice and it was a pleasure to listen to her.
David Wallace (Annas) - Nice clear tenor with just the right hint of whininess (a good thing)
Eddie Stowers (Pilate) - The standout performance of the night. Maybe not the best singer on the stage, but his performance was fantastic...Lloyd Webbers tortured Pilate to a tee.
Clint Strindberg (Simon Zealot) - made the most of a small role.
Paul Presbury and Paul Treasure for not needing mics.
And the not-so-good.....
The Overture - Why are the cast on stage??? Is the overture not meant to be a musical introduction to the show?
Judas - Didn't have the vocal range or power to have me convince me.
Jesus - Maybe it was an off night (I heard he had a cold), but he had trouble staying on key.
Caiaphas - Actually I really enjoyed Ted's vulture like portrayal of the chief priest, if only he could find his starting note..
The Herod scene - I thought I was in a Rocky Horror show. I know its usually played camp, but it was a little OTT. Good job from Paul, though.
The Leper scene - Didn't benefit from being halftimed.
Judas' hanging - Yes, we know how tortured you are by what you've done - just kill yourself already.
Jesus on the cross - also seemed to go on interminably.
Chorus - on a whole were very good, but need to find the volume knob as they seemed a little over-zealous in places.
SOUND - As someone who works on the tech stuff as well as on stage, I'm aware of the problems that amplified music and radio mics can cause. Sometimes I was unable to hear the vocals (Judas especially) above the band. It seemed that the cast were not confident with the mics (I better not sing too loud, I've got a mic on) and this came across as poor vocal technique. I couldn't help wondering if the show could have been improved by throwing away the mics and letting the actors/singers do their job.
Well there you have it. My night at Marloo. (will someone get the cobweb broom out and have a look up please)
I understand the countless hours that go into getting a production such as this on, so please take these comments in the manner in which thay are meant.
And feel free to come along and crit my next performance...I'll take it like a man.
davidwMon, 9 Apr 2007, 12:04 pm
Thank You
Thank You for a well worded review full of constructive criticism. It's not often I see reviews on these forums that are as well constructed as yours. T
Thank You for giving your opinion in a way that will help others rather than sladering them.
David
Walter PlingeMon, 9 Apr 2007, 07:51 pm
Agreed- a phemonenal review
Agreed- a phemonenal review for an excruciating production!
One codicil however, I thought Katy Mitton did fantastic and very under-appreciated work in the chorus, she was absolutely riveting and never pulled focus unnecessarily.
LabrugTue, 10 Apr 2007, 10:23 am
More Reviews
This is the type of review I like to hear. Honest, Unbiased with critical comments covering both good and bad.
Absit invidia
Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
who can also sing and dance
Fight/Sword Choreographer
Virgin Director
Don AllenFri, 13 Apr 2007, 01:06 am
Saw Superstar tonight at
Saw Superstar tonight at Marloo and agree with most of Jeff's review. Well worth seeing. The band was good and matched their levels to the stage action. Very little spill from the band lights, well done.
Really enjoyed Herod's scene and there were a lot of very good dramatic scenes throughout the show.
Great piece of audio to have Jesus use Pontius's mike during the beating scene.
I thought that sound really let the cast down as I was unable to hear a lot of the singing. Mary and Pontius sounded great, why not the rest ?
The sound operator needs to have both ears free to listen to what the audience hears so do not wear talkback cans. If you need to be cued have an assistant on cans.
You should have a script assistant beside you to let you know when to open up mic's before someone starts singing and when to shut them off.
The sound was very basey. It may help to prevent feedback if you take the top end off, but it also affects voice quality and clarity.
Two powered speakers positioned to the side of the audience do not provide good overall coverage.
Is the proximity of the powered speaker affecting the sound operators perception of mic levels?
The boom mics did not work on most performers, especially Judas. When he was lying on the floor facing the audience his mic worked fine, when he was moving it was usually garbled.
There was some very good sections of lighting but most of the crowd scenes were too dark. Were most of the lights used up on specials at the expense of general lighting.
During the bows we could see everyone clearly.
Back lighting was effective but patchy.
Side lighting only existed on the scaffold. It would have helped a lot for downstage coverage.
Try and talk your committee into a lighting upgrade. Patt 45 fresnels are a waste of electricity, no reflectors mean most light is wasted. Try and buy some secondhand lights or work out a borrowing scheme with other clubs.
Finally, crew do not belong on a stage taking a shortcut, when the house is live, go around.
NaFri, 13 Apr 2007, 07:23 am
Wow! That's the most
Wow! That's the most comprehensive review on tech-ing I've ever seen...
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