Jesus Christ Superstar at Limelight Theatre.

Wanneroo Repertory theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Ryan Taaffe was a highly anticipated affair, selling out Limelight theatre for no less than 13 shows, weeks before the opening night which is no mean feat for any company even with this most famous of rock operas as the sell. Beginning with a sample of many of the songs you immediately are aware how badly some of the music has aged, and how well other songs have but one does not watch Shakespeare expecting current affairs, so without further criticism of Lloyd Webber I will get to the bits that matter. The curtain opened to a tableau of Jesus’ crucifixion on what seems a pretty barren set, the outer sides of the set being adorned with leveled scaffolding that gave this minimalist set a pretty harsh feel and I wondered at how on earth this mode of setting could be used effectively without giving a construction yard feel to the whole affair, but as the show wore on I saw how effectively Ryan Taaffe utilized it, bringing it to life with lights and props to some extent but the most effective of all was Ryan’s positioning of the actors all over the scaffolding that really made sure that the whole production was alive rather than confined in a cage of construction equipment. The costumes were a reflection of the era that JC Superstar was written as opposed to the time it was set but this too was extremely well done, with the soldiers adorned in US military uniforms and the disciples adorned in free flowing clothing no doubt inspired by the hippy movement only the council in their robes seemed out of place, looking either like something from Jesus’ actual time or from the star wars Jedi council. That aside I think the costumers did a fantastic job and in a play where many a quick change is needed they used simple but effective techniques to get the character changes across. Jesus’ followers putting on the reflective aviators of the roman guard instead of changing whole outfits being one of my favourite changes. Immediately I thought the singing was fantastic and undoubtedly the strong point for most of the performers alas in the front row it was often very hard to make out what was being sung whenever the band was playing at any reasonable volume and if there was chorus singing whilst a verse was being outed the same problem arose. Perhaps raising the mike volume of characters such as Jesus and Judas could alleviate this problem, but I imagine the further from the pit you got the easier it would have been to hear the voices of the performers over the speakers. But don’t get me wrong this was a technical fault not one from the performers all of whom were incredible singers Jesus (Tyson Walton Cherrie), Judas (Charles McComb), Caiaphas(David Bowyer), Mary (Rebecca Griffiths) and Pilate(Alex McLennan) were all exceptional singers and well supported by very energetic and talented Chorus-and even a brief cameo from the director himself as Cowboy Herod. With such a strong cast of singers it feels cruel to single anyone out, but I must admit that Jesus and Judas were cast to perfection, providing a wonderful relationship around which the show could work and really bouncing off each other and they must be commended for their work. This is not to say that no one else rose to their level, in fact on the contrary but this is the most crucial relationship in the script and the incredible turmoil that was exhibited by both characters as they came to terms with what role they would play in their lives was a joy to watch and hear. This was the 1st of 13 nights and It is a talented cast and the show is organized without fault by a very talented director. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I must say to those lucky enough to have tickets you will enjoy it and it’s certainly a night well spent. I want to congratulate Wanneroo Repertory inc. and the entire cast and crew on a show well done. Written by Tom Camp