Note: This is the first of three reviews at the time of writing of Timothy Sheader’s ground breaking and exhilarating production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Open Air in 2016.

Jesus Christ Superstar had an interesting start. It was first conceived as a stage show but was launched as a double record album in 1970. Evita too was launched in that way, with the music preceding the staging.

The stage show opened in New York at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 51st Street in October 1971 with hugely opulent, psychedelic designs: a far cry from the simplicity of the Christian message.
It came to London to the Palace Theatre in August 1972 in a stripped back production away from the extravagance of Broadway.  With Paul Nicholas initially playing Jesus, the show ran for eight years and broke the record for a longest running musical, in the days before Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.

Timothy Sheader’s production at the Open Air in Regent’s Park is exciting, brilliantly sung and choreographed and, best of all, unbounded by walls.  On a fine summer’s evening, the cast join us progressing through the audience and immediately I felt we were witnessing a joyous sect of enthusiastic and inspired youth.  They are magnetic so that you want to be part of them.  They make their way down to the stage dominated by a 35 foot cross on the playing area.  Twin rusted metal structures shaped like giant box kites hold the orchestra on one, and the rock band on the other, and at lower levels allow the players to perform above the stage.

The overture sounds a little like Bernstein’s but there’s a mixture of jazz and rock with great brass from the orchestra.  Besides his magnificent set, Tom Scutt’s costume design looks comfortable and quasi Holy Land.  They wear hooded garments, not modern day hoodies but with the Biblical sweep from the head covering, some wide Turkish trousers and sneakers, the colour palette soft greys and pale greens.

Judas (Tyrone Huntley) sings “Heaven on their Minds” setting up a Julius Caesar type scenario cautioning against the cult of personality, singing “You’ve begun to matter more than the things you say”.  Drew McOnie’s choreography has the crowd covering their faces with one hand and the other arm is outstretched, the hand pushing away, “your followers are blind, too much heaven on their minds.” When they bend down and throw up their arms repetitively the impression is of a kind of group ecstasy, a crowd mania.

Judas is always thinking about ways in which Jesus (Declan Bennett) and his followers will attract the wrong sort of attention and cautions about Jesus’s relationship with a prostitute.  Mary Magdalene (Anoushka Lucas)’s role is to calm and soothe Jesus in the pretty tune “Everything’s Alright”.  This is countered by Judas criticising the cost of the anointing oil.

The entrance of the high priests, Annas (Sean Kingsley) confirms Judas’s fears.  The priests line up, standing above the stage, in dark designer stripes singing, “This Jesus Must Die” reiterating “He is dangerous”.  The Chief Priest has a magnificent stage presence, the deepest of bass registers and dark glasses enhancing his coolness.  Cavin Cornwall is mesmerizing in the role.  When their ceremonial staffs are upended to reveal microphones, we are in full swing rock concert mode.

The rhythmic “Hosanna” is the response from the crowd on Palm Sunday and sees Jesus held aloft, stretched out horizontally, supported by the outstretched arms of his disciples.  Simon Zealotes (Joel Harper-Jackson) leads the revolt against the Romans with blue smoke flares and Jesus responds with reiterating his values “Poor Jerusalem”.  Pontius Pilate (David Thaxton) is revealed from behind a Roman sculpted mask with scary eye makeup and his own guitar

As Jesus closes down the flurry of traders in “The Temple”, the dancers again make this one of the most impressive scenes, with gold design and flashy materialism. The demands for miracles increase and Mary Magdalene sings probably the best known song from the show, “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”.  Anoushka Lucas’ phrasing is beautiful and it is emotionally affecting. Act One closes with Judas’s deal with the priests to betray Jesus.