Review: Jesus Christ Superstar (Oxford Playhouse)

Firstly, I want to say the following, for clarity:

• This was an amateur production.

• I went on the opening night.

• Jesus Christ Superstar (JCS) is the show I have seen the highest number of different productions of, and some of those multiple times. I know the score pretty much by heart.

With the above said, I was excited to see this production, and bought tickets on the day it went on sale, as I have seen Oxford Operatic Society (OXOPS) in action before and was keen to see them perform another musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

The show started with a unique directorial move, pre-filmed sequences of Jesus out near the river preaching and interacting with people. This added a bit of backstory before we launched into the show itself, and is a tool I have never seen used in JCS before so that was a pleasant surprise. It was particularly effective as the screen went translucent and characters appeared behind, perfectly still, moving us from the backstory to the present time.

The music began and I was delighted to hear the quality of the orchestra, it sounded perfect. No notes. (Pun intended.) The balance between music and vocals was perhaps a bit weighted to the instruments initially but this appeared to be adjusted for the second half.

The cast was made up of 40 performers. Their movement around the stage was impressive considering the amount of people on it. The full cast was used sparingly for scenes that work with the narrative, the sheer numbers gave a sense of chaos at times, which is very apt for certain parts of this show.

The choreography by Holly Prangley brought elements into this production that I preferred to earlier professional versions I have seen. The ensemble dancing, especially during Herod’s Song was fantastic.  Herod’s Song has traditionally been my least favourite song in JCS but in this performance I did not have one at all – the performance by Nicola Taylor as Herod was brilliant, as were the costumes.

The costumes throughout were, overall, great choices. It’s been a long time (too long) since I’ve seen Jesus all in white.  Judas being dressed in grey offset this well. The simplistic choice here is perfection, with the changes to Judas’s costume later having a visual impact, and the use of scarves adding a layer of complexity to this colour scheme. If there is one thing I would say, I felt Mary’s costumes were visually stunning (especially in Act 2) but didn’t naturally suggest what her profession was. If you already know, this doesn’t matter at all but for anyone new to the plot, they could have been uncertain what was inferred by “a woman of her kind”.

There are certain parts of JCS that must work for me personally, or I’d leave disappointed. One of these things is the vocals of Annas and Caiaphas, I love all the songs these two characters are involved with and I was bracing myself for this as it was the first live performance I have seen where Annas is played by a female. This choice was a success, and it was impressive to hear Jessica Sexon unleash her higher range vocals at one point, with such controlled power. The voices of Annas and Caiaphas worked well together, and Trig Prosser as Caiaphas, what can I say – the voice, the costume, the attitude; casting perfection.

Hannah Veale played Mary beautifully, her voice is stunning and the interactions between her and Guy Grimsley’s Jesus were sympathetically done. “I don’t know how to love him” was a joy to listen to.

The mention of particular songs brings me on to another thing that I look out for in JCS – the performance of Gethsemane. Jesus can be brilliant throughout but if Gethsemane is a disappointment that would be so jarring to me.  This was definitely not the case in this production. Guy Grimsley portrayed Jesus wonderfully throughout and I did not take my eyes away from him during Gethsemane. He offered great characterisation of the emotional turmoil Jesus was going through during his final days.

Grieg McDonald was perfectly cast as Pilate, the voice and personification were spot on. Not only that but the costume and lighting choices when he was on stage were fantastic. I left wishing Pilate had a bit more stage time as a result.

Emma Brown had great stage presence as Simon, and a wonderful voice. The programme confirmed what I expected, this is someone who has trained in Musical Theatre, and her performance of Simon Zealots was outstanding.

Andy Blagrove took the role of Judas in his stride, my favourite parts of this being when Judas was a chaotic mess. The raw emotion here was palpable.

I could write something about everyone in this cast, but I will just say in summary the ensemble was fantastic and obviously very dedicated to their craft.

There were so many choices made that worked well, the casting (gender switching) of Annas and Simon for example, the filmed sequences, choreography, lighting, costumes…  the direction throughout was on point. 

As I mentioned I went on the first night and, there were a few sound issues throughout, and a few words lost near the start of one song but the professionalism with which these minor issues were skirted over without any impact on the performance was impressive.

This is the second time I’ve seen Oxford Operatic perform a Lloyd Webber musical and both times I have wondered how an amateur production can be quite this utterly brilliant and professional.  So much hard work must go into it, but also the absolute love of theatre, and this shines through for the audience to see. Some of the cast and crew involved with this production would not be out of place in the West End.  We can only hope they stay in OXOPS as the audience in Oxford get to benefit from that.

If my diary wasn’t so full presently, I would be going back for a second viewing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Jesus Christ Superstar is showing at Oxford Playhouse until Sunday 13^th July 2025.

Please feel free to connect with me on Instagram, where I share my own curtain call photographs and thoughts on shows.

I have recently also set up a Facebook page, where I will be sharing additional photos and theatre related content.