I hadn’t heard a whisper about Jesus Christ Superstar for many years when I stumbled across its production by the Trevelyan College Musical Society (TCMS). Director Ben Cawood and Assistant Robyn Bradbury and Choreographer Alysia Orbell put together a wonderful, fresh take on the last days of Jesus, with Judas at the centre of it all. An interesting idea, no?

So I got a ticket and watched TCMS put the show on. Two very in-character guards checked my ticket at the door, and they would later go on to persecute Christ. It only took a few seconds of the opening number for me to feel the energy of this show. There are too many named cast members to rave about, so I’ve had to pick just a few. But everyone was amazing.

Trevs’ own Seb Powell as Judas started everything out with a bang, His fear at the future of Jesus’ movement was tangible and hung heavy in the air. Every single song, every single line, every single belt, he put all he had and more into it. You truly feel that he cares about Jesus, as much as, if not more than Mary Magdalene, who is supposedly the love interest of the Christ. But she lacks the care for the poor that Judas has. His betrayal is not born of greed and envy. Rather, abandoned Judas falls into the arms of the comfort of charity, promised silver to help the poor by the vengeful and tyrannical hands of Caiaphas and Annas. His suicide was felt by everyone and his final number stole the entire show. No performance the rest of the night came close to Powell’s Superstar.

Harry Threapleton’s Jesus, the Superstar, was wonderfully played, perplexing and in pain. He wasn’t the calm, cool, cryptic Christ of many other mediums, but angry and antagonising, especially when Judas is in the picture. As he chased the moneychangers from the temple, here, nightlife enjoyers from a club, his rage was palpable. His sorrow at Gethsemane echoed through the dining hall.  In the performance I saw, his crown of thorns tumbled to the ground from the cross. Intentional or not, it was a beautiful fall, showing the great downfall of this “King of the Jews”. It is not easy to make Jesus angry, complex, and likeable, but that’s just what Threapleton did.

Many of the other characters were exceptional. Herod’s (Henry Barker) brief time in the limelight was humorous, energetic, and depicted his fluctuating emotions well. Caiaphas’ (Fred Walmsley) voice was very different to the rest, but was so perfectly frightening and menacing. His chemistry with Annas (Valerie Devereux) created a terrifying duo of villains for us to hate. Simon the Zealot (Bethan Crotty) served as the only other disciple to seem to truly care for Jesus, with vocals as strong as her message. The cast was stacked with talent. The ensemble did not lack the enthusiasm and care that the named roles had; they, too, gave the musical all they had.

My favorite performance of a single song may have been Pilate’s (Carl Murta) Pilate’s Dream, a deep and haunted number about the Roman’s premonition that he would be blamed for Jesus. Through the musical, he tries to wash his hands of the coming violence, but as Jesus was destined to die, Pilate was destined to be part of the killing.

And of course, besides just those on stage, the production was lovely as well. The red graffiti on the walls literally bled with the devotion and care that the production team put into it. The band was incredible, and performed each piece with professionalism under musical director Niamh Connellan. At times, however, they were louder than the singers, making some lyrics difficult to hear. But the pressure of performing such a musical was very high—and the band delivered.

A few technical errors, like troubles with the microphones, occurred, but the actors and band handled them with professionalism.

If you can catch this show on its final night, I would absolutely recommend going. Sit back and enjoy the fruits of all the work TCMS has put into this!

Images: Dan Wattis (TCMS)