"Jesus Christ Superstar"

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

This musical has a special, place in my musical theatre heart as I first bought a Music For Pleasure LP of the Highlights of the show when I was very young and played it until the grooves wore out. I then later got hold of a copy of the double album film soundtrack, again playing it to death.

The soundtrack, by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, has everything you could want from a rock opera, and the story is one that everyone knows, but from the perspective of Judas over the last week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.

This production has been reimagined by the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical revival; in my eyes this musical has never been away long enough for it to have needed a revival. Saying that, this whole production has a fresh new feel about it, which I am loving. I'll go as far as to say that there were, for me, comparisons to any Shakespeare play in that Shakespeare can be delivered and set in any time zone, and with any costume design. Here we see a very different design and wardrobe to any other production I've seen previously.

It gives you an immediate feel of Bohemia with the staging, and hints of Green Day with the make up, so straight away you are grabbed just by the visual side of this production.

Ian McIntosh takes the role of Jesus. Not only is this man hypnotic in the role but his voice is sensational. My favourite song from this musical has always been the mighty "Gethsemane", and not many actors I've seen in this role can match the power and passion of the original, but Ian's version ticked every box of my ideal performance of "Gethsemane".

His rock falsetto soared and held that special note that any fan of this rock opera will be well aware of. His voice made the hairs on my arm and my neck stand up, always a good sign for me when an artist gives me the tingles. This man's vocals are second only to the original film soundtrack version by Ted Neeley.

Judas is played by Shem Omari James, and another incredibly good vocal performance; in fact there are no weak links from anyone in this show. Passion and power combines in Shem's vocals. With this production we also see a change in a vital part of Judas' journey. or should I say the end of his journey, and also the ending of the musical which also features both Jesus and judas is different and rounds the story off in a novel way.

Hannah Richardson plays Mary Magdelene. Her versions of "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and the duet with Peter, "Can We Start Again, Please", are simply sublime and full of tenderness and passion.

Charlie McCullagh was Pilate in Monday's show. Clad in black and playing guitar on stage, we see both sides of Pilate with the ballad "Pilate's Dream" and the more darker side of the character later on.

Caiphas, the High Priest of Israel who sees Jesus as a threat to the nation, is played by Francis Foreman in Monday's performance. What a voice and range this man has, and it's showcased beautifully in this role.

Matt Bateman is Annas, Caiphas' right hand man. Along with Caiphas and the other priests, we see another mood change in the production. Complete with mic stands, they appear like a boyband complete with slightly camp choreography, indicating that, although they are the ones with power, you just can't take them as seriously as they would wish you too.

Timo Tatzber plays Herod. I have seen many Herods over the years including Alice Cooper and Chris Moyles, all with their own little twist on the comedy relief cameo moment. Here, Herod is played almost Drag Queen-esque with the long golden flowing train and almost burlesque style costume. Timo delivers a wonderfully sneering rendition of "Herod's Song", and you could really tell when he had finished toying with Jesus because the mood changed, and you could hear that change.

It's not credited in the programme but the actor who played Simon was outstanding, not only with the choreographic side of the show but with his rock vocals.

This show is, and always has been, a "rock opera" and these actors have the power and passion of a rock singer as well as the control of an opera singer. Probably the best professional touring cast for this musical that I've witnessed.

There's a massive ensemble who flood the stage with exuberance and talent, and it's with this ensemble that another part of the story is told. The growth of Jesus' followers as we see maybe one or two start in contemporary dance style, and then others join in until you have a throng of followers, as if they have heard the news of Jesus and want to be a part of the following. They also depict the other side of the coin with the masses who implore Pilate to crucify this King Of The Jews. It's their voices and urgency that turn these scenes very dark, putting Pilate on the back foot, surprised that they have turned so quickly on Jesus.

The set design, which doesn't change throughout, gives a feel of a rock concert, occasionally incorporating mic stands. The steel girders create a framework around which everything revolves, with a metal runway from the back to the front of the stage in the shape of a cross. The girders hide the musicians who are not on stage musicians.

When this project was first envisaged, Jesus was effectively billed as a "Superstar" and that is the feeling you get in this production. But we all know what happens when you place someone on a pedestal.....

Directed by Timothy Sheader, I love the way that this musical has evolved over the years and feels every much as fresh and exciting as it was when I first saw it, many moons ago. It's not easy to keep a musical, that has been going for over fifty years, as exciting as this production is.

Again I revert back to my comparison with Shakespeare's plays; over 400 years after he wrote them, they are being performed in a new way, always the story intact but with more glitter. And you get plenty of glitter, to remind us of the "superstar" effect Jesus has. He is anointed with glitter by Mary, but is also beaten with his 39 lashes with glitter.

The choreography by Drew McOnie. This part of the production is where an awful lot of the "freshness" comes from. The style is contemporary in style and, at times creates a feature within the musical just to feature a dance break, something I'd never really noticed in previous productions. There are sections influenced by Matthew Bourne (possibly) with plenty of free-flowing choreography. Watch out as well for local performer, Stephen Lewis-Johnston in the ensemble.

Not since the film version of this musical have I noticed the choreography in the way that I did tonight. That I'd like to think is what Drew was aiming for, and succeeded in, for me anyway.

The soundtrack contains so many well known songs, "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Superstar", "Gethsemane", "What's The Buzz", "Everything's Alright", "Heaven On Your Mind" and of course "Herod's Song".

Every single song delivered impeccably with the power and passion and performance required for that particular piece, by both the band and the performers. None under sung, not one over sung. Every one performed the way that Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber had envisaged being performed.

Adding to that rock concert vibe was the brilliant lighting design, and the volume was at just the right level for this kind of a musical.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is a true heavenly delight and is Lording it over anything else on this week. I for one will religiously revisit this show time and time again, and when it's as good as this performance, why would you not? "Jesus Christ Superstar" is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 13 January.