Slow down, Jesus.
You, too, Judas, Mary Magdalene and all the rest.
The touring show of the revamped version of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which opened at Centennial Hall Tuesday, Dec. 3, comes in at a swift 90 minutes.
And this Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical about the last week of Jesus’ life leading to the crucifixion is too delicious not to savor a bit longer.
Plus, the frenetic pace means we lose the nuances of the characters and the relationships.
That, and the often muddy sound at Centennial, though, are the only complaints. Because, well, “Superstar” is just fun; one of Webber’s earliest and best.
There is a lightness to this version, directed by Timothy Sheader (who really shoulders the blame for the rush job). Jesus is smiling the first we see of him. Of course, as crucifixion approaches, those smiles fade away. But Aaron LaVigne, who plays the guitar-strumming Jesus, makes him seem like an actual person. Heck, he even rocked a man bun. And when he sang “Gethsemane,” the opening-night audience leaned in and listened with awe. The lyrics “I want to see my God/Why I should die,” it seemed like a sincere, devoid-of-self-pity query about this salvation task he’s taken on.
The same was true of Jenna Ruball when she sang “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” in a voice packed with emotion.
James Delisco Beeks’ Judas came across as a man truly concerned that Jesus has come to love fame more than his mission. In addition, Beeks has a raspy rawness to his voice that demands attention.
The Drew McOnie choreography captures the idolization around Jesus at one point, and the menace of a crowd that demands “crucify him, crucify him” at another. And the scene where Jesus is given the 40 lashes is strange and wildly effective — each lash is a handful of glitter violently hurled at him.
Set designer Tom Scutt created a simple but effective set with a huge platform in the shape of a cross that separates the two-story scaffold that houses the dozen musicians, and the lighting by Lee Curran beautifully punctuates the drama.
This production nabbed an Olivier — England’s equivalent of the Tony Award — when it hit London in 2017. It bypassed a Broadway showing and went straight on the road.
Really, it’s best to think of this “Superstar” as a rock concert with costumes and dance. That way, you won’t mind that the story and characters aren’t given time to build. And as a rock concert, it’s a winner.
