Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill Theatre

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill Theatre: A Transcendent Rock Opera

★★★★★

The Watermill Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar doesn’t merely stage Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s iconic rock opera – it transforms it into something genuinely transcendent. Director Paul Hart has crafted a production that feels both intimate and epic, utilising every inch of the Watermill’s unique setting to create an unforgettable theatrical experience.

From the opening bars, this actor-musician production crackles with raw energy.  Watching Max Alexander-Taylor’s Judas deliver his tormented vocals whilst playing a blood-red guitar creates a visceral connection that traditional staging simply cannot match.  The sight of the entire cast seamlessly switching between instruments, singing, and acting elevates the familiar material to new heights. Michael Kholwadia’s Jesus is understated yet magnetic, his stubbled, T-shirt-clad everyman bringing unexpected vulnerability to the role.

But it’s the production’s inspired use of the Watermill’s outdoor space that truly sets it apart. After the interval, we found ourselves being led into the gardens where the second act unfolds around a flickering fire pit.  The Last Supper, Gethsemane, and The Arrest play out in this intimate outdoor setting, with the evening’s warm weather adding to the atmospheric staging. The guards who arrest Jesus then sternly directed me and the rest of the audience back inside – a brilliant piece of theatrical manipulation that made me feel complicit in the drama.

The emotional journey from the sombre outdoor scenes to Christian Edwards’ powerful Pilate creates genuine tension, making Samuel Morgan-Grahame’s gloriously camp Herod all the more effective. His wonderfully over-the-top performance had me and the rest of the audience in fits of laughter – a much-needed comic relief after the preceding intensity that had left me genuinely moved.

I loved how the production makes clever use of the theatre’s architecture too, with performers appearing on the adjacent rooftop to deliver key moments from above, literally overlooking the action in the “garden” below.  David Woodhead’s set design accommodates both indoor and outdoor staging seamlessly, whilst the cast’s multi-instrumental abilities create a rich, live soundscape that puts many professional orchestras to shame.

Parisa Shahmir’s Mary Magdalene provides the production’s emotional anchor, her rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” delivered with heartbreaking sincerity.  The supporting ensemble, including Olugbenga Adelekan’s menacing Caiaphas and Alexander Zane’s scheming Annas, creates a vivid world of political intrigue and spiritual crisis.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the Watermill Theatre as such a shining jewel in Newbury’s crown – this is community theatre at its absolute finest, proving that intimate staging can be just as powerful as West End spectacle.  The Watermill’s thoughtful touches, from providing blankets for the outdoor scenes to utilising natural lighting, demonstrate a theatre that truly cares about its audience’s experience and shows why this venue continues to be one of West Berkshire’s greatest cultural treasures.

Jesus Christ Superstar runs until 21st September, and if you only see one show this year, make it this one.  It’s a production that reminds us why this rock opera has endured for over half a century, whilst proving that the most innovative theatre often happens in the most unexpected places.

Jesus Christ Superstar continues at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, until 21st September.  
Box office: 01635 46044 or www.watermill.org.uk
https://www.watermill.org.uk/events/superstar