|
Jesus Christ
Superstar
Presented by:
Old Scotch
Music & Drama Club
Venue:
Geoffrey
McComas Theatre
Reviewer:
Robbie Carmellotti
Date Reviewed:
17th October,
2009
Straight to the point, this show is a hit. Old
Scotch Music & Drama Club have excelled in creating a unique
interpretation of the world wide smash Jesus Christ Superstar. If I
were Margaret Pomeranz I would probably give the show 4 out of 5
stars, leaving one off only to encourage the company to continue
making professional standard theatre at amateur costs.
I can’t say that this was a flawless production,
or that I liked every single aspect of the show, but in a time where
extremely over kind reviews are given to productions that are of a
lesser standard, I feel Old Scotch deserve full credit on producing
a production equalling, if not surpassing, the standards of what you
would expect from some of Melbourne’s more mature, well respected
companies.
An interesting thing about this show is that the
more I sit and reflect on it, the more I like it. Certain things
like the inclusion of rear projection footage featuring Lady Gaga (I
think it was her) and a live feed projection, at the time made me
sit and look wide eyed and unsure, but looking back on the show as a
whole I loved the idea and see it as an essential part of this shows
success.
Starring Jaime Pearce as Judas and Gerard
Schneider as Jesus, the pair had a great tension from start to
finish and worked off each other really well. Jamie’s voice is
stunning for the role and although he had accent issues, often
dropping into an Australian ocker sound matching that of Peter
Garrett, he did perform the role of Judas superbly well. Gerard gave
100% of himself to his performance, and it was evident he was
working tirelessly to give a solid performance, which he did.
Personally, I felt he was a little harsh in his portrayal and played
Jesus a bit too aggressive, though my companion left the show with a
small crush on Gerard, so it possibly was just me that felt this!
Having known Gerard as a performer for a few years now, it is a
credit to him, to see how he has developed his voice and performance
ability to such a high standard. Some may say his voice type is
incorrect for Jesus; he has a very operatic sound to his voice. At
first I felt it was wrong, but as the show continued I managed to
forget my pre conceived ideas, as Gerard’s powerful voice
reconditioned my mind as to how Jesus should sound.
A potential show stealer was Daniel Mottau,
playing the role of Peter. Drawing attention every time he was on
stage with his fantastic presence and captivating voice Daniel
nailed the role of Peter and added great talent to the ensemble.
Paul James as Simon, Georgia Brooks as Mary, Andrea Carcassi as
Pilate, Phil Elphinstone as Caiaphas all commendable, consistent and
enjoyable performances.
As an ensemble the cast were very tight, well
rehearsed and passionate about their personal performances. No one
was bad and it seemed as though everyone was easily in the moment.
Ben Hudson, one of Melbourne’s most well known
and extremely respected MD’s fully lived up to the high standard we
have come to expect. Musically the show was impeccable, the
orchestra sounded flawless and accompanied the casts strong and
clear vocals perfectly. Credit must also go to the audio engineering
department. Managed by Glenn Bardwell he proves that sound in a non
professional show can equal that of a professional production. His
work was not unnoticed, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a show that
allowed me to enjoy both the orchestra and cast without static,
interference or drop outs.
This show was dripped in direction, and love it
or hate it Alan Burrows did a fantastic job in getting his vision
across to the audience. It takes a lot of balls for a director to
tackle JCS the way Alan has. He has modernized the show and added
some completely different angles of direction which can only be
applauded and compared to something you would expect to see from a
Baz Luhrmann type. It is very inspiring to see such an experienced
and well rounded Director take such big and creative risks with such
a well known show. Following the script is obviously essential in
some shows, and some allow flexibility, in this instance, my
personal feeling is Alan has succeeded in taking the script as a
mere guide and re moulding it into an original adaptation of JCS.
Perhaps traditionalists would disagree, and I can see why they
would, but I loved Alan’s direction and vision. The only scene that
I didn’t connect with was that of Herod. The germen accent and Emcee
approach didn’t really work for me, but the inclusion of the Harley
Davidson was certainly unexpected and a crowd favourite.
My main disappointment with the production was
the choreography. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just feel the
wrong approach was taken. Because the show was modernised and quite
abstract I think the routines should have been more contemporary and
bold... possibly ugly? Purely compliment the angle of the shows
direction? It was certainly tight and well taught, I just question
its relevance to the shows overall message. I also am unconvinced
that the death scene was appropriate, leaving Jesus laying alone on
the stage while his followers, Mary included, walk away from him
kind of killed (pardon the pun) the warmth and love they had
previously shown for him.
For the most part the shows lighting design
seemed quite basic but very effective. There was one moment of
lighting chaos where everything went a little crazy, but this was
obviously an opening weekend malfunction that will surely be ironed
out for the continuation of the run. Set design by Andrew Plant was
a clever moveable set which gave generally smooth scene changes and
provided an excellent tool for the creative team and actors to work
with. Visually it was effective and impressive.
With prices ranging from $30-$45, I genuinely
believe this to be a production of good value and entertainment. The
theatre is comfortable and uplifting, as is the walk into the
theatre, surrounded by the prestigious and architecturally beautiful
buildings that make up Scotch College. Make sure you have clear
directions to the venue as it isn’t the easiest to find and the show
has a strict 8pm start.
Thank you Old Scotch Music & Drama Club on a job
extremely well done.
Robbie is a regular reviewer for theatrepeople,
he has a very big passion for all aspects of theatre and performing.
Currently Directing RENT with Fab Nob’s he is busy preparing them
for their November 6th opening. Outside of Theatre he is
a Professional Dance Coach, working with some of Australia’s leading
dance competitors. Robbie is based in Melbourne at Dance Dynamics
but often travels interstate to teach and adjudicate. Theatrically
he has won and been nominated for awards for directing,
choreographing and performing, having worked with Fab Nob’s,
Whitehorse, DTC, Williamstown Little Theatre, Windmill, Nova,
Players and Break a Leg Theatre.
|