-->
What: Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour, Universal
Pictures
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: *****
The filmed version of the UK Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour left me breathless and
gob-smacked at the quality of the production, Laurence Connor's stage direction
and performances by Tim Minchin and Ben Forster.
Minchin's exceptional vocal and performance skill in
music theatre is a discovery for me, although I've always liked him as a
comedy-cabaret performer. His interpretation of Judas in this Arena production
is charismatic, sympathetic and strangely alluring, considering how Judas
betrays Jesus to the Pharisees.
Forster's Jesus is naive and sensitive, intensely
human and afraid in the face of his impending sacrificial death and his
crucifixion scene is beautifully staged and profoundly moving.
Ex-Spice Girl, Mel C, is affecting and credible as
Mary Magdalene and the rest of the leads are equally compelling.
Chris Moyles plays King Herod as a glitzy, wildly
popular television show host who whips the crowd into a frenzy over Jesus and
views everything in terms of ratings.
Alex Hansen has a fine voice and depicts Pilate as a political
animal who wants to help but is swayed by the crowd, his advisers and the
pressure of getting on with his tennis match.
In this version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly
successful musical, a naïve Jesus is fighting a losing battle as an idealist
trapped in a world of politicians, religious leaders, cult followers, desperate
youth and a media circus.
Connor's production is cunningly updated to include
projections, tweets, graffiti and a chorus of dread-locked ferals as Jesus's
followers. The world of Jesus comes into the 21st century with a powerful
urgency that resembles a youthful, political revolution.
This production would be spectacular live but reaches
new dimensions on screen with vivid close ups and multi-camera filming that
allow the viewer to climb inside this dangerous and passionate world of social
upheaval and personal betrayal.
Read more about the movie
at: http://www.jesuschristsuperstar.com/2012/08/22/arena-tour-2012/
By Kate Herbert
No comments:
Post a Comment