Stage rocker a right show-stopper
Few local adaptations of Broadway musicals by amateur casts are capable of even projecting a trace of their original versions. Indeed, many which have dared to experiment with such modification have often been evaluated as frightfully freakish imitations which are often a blushing ignominy to their renowned creators.
Not so with Jerome de Silva’s adaptation of the celebrated Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice masterpiece, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, staged recently to full houses at the Lionel Wendt. The bold effort by The Workshop Players would surely have prompted a nod of approval from both the prodigious lyricist and music composer themselves. Positively, this local rock musical version with its appealing quality of innovation made it a fascinatingly entertaining experience.
Not everything was perfect however. Jesus Christ Superstar is not an easy show to bring off, but in this production Jerome and his crew certainly rose to the challenge. Undeniably there were the lapses that are always a part of any amateur group production, particularly when performing a complicated recreation of the greatest story ever told. But then again how many in the packed audiences ever had the good fortune to witness the original Broadway or London West End versions?
Perhaps the major problem with the opera was the high singing ranges expected of the main leads. The almost deafening volume of the accompanying music score in many instances sadly drowned the lyrics. The parts of Judas and Jesus were written for tenors with the ability to reach very high notes, something neither Rehan Almeida as Jesus or Gehan Blok portraying Judas had. To put it irresistibly in lighter vein it seemed a case of ham-to-ham combat when Jesus and Judas go up against each other pitching notes so high which shrieked at an amazingly high decibel level.
The irony of it all was that that they both sing quite well within their capacities until they are confronted with the portrayals of sheer anguish.
But these were just some of the picky points that the mesmerised audiences did well to ignore even if they were aware of the slips. This staging was likely to have evoked a great deal of ‘70s nostalgia – I am guilty as charged – as well as younger musical fans curious to know ‘what the buzz’ was all about. Minor nit-picking apart there was never a dull moment. By eliminating the distraction of long-drawn scenes, the play’s intimate appeal to the audience heightened its impact and emotion.
And the floorboards were never left un-stomped by the whirling and twirling of youthful, fancy footwork. It had its portions of glamour, glitz and pathos and brimmed with excitement and a shared achievement of unfeigned entertainment.
On the other end of the scale, the lead antagonists were solid gravelly basses and Sean Amarasekera as Caiaphas and Dino Corera as Annas sounded like a cross between Paul Robeson and Satchmo . They exuded the near perfect cadences that did justice to the original. The black leather trench coats of the High Priests and Pharisees served to enhance their menacing image reminiscent of Hitler’s elite SS death squad officers. And they were all hell-bent for leather for the blood of the celebrity Jew. When Caiaphas singing with a deep bass rumble muses, “One thing to say for him, Jesus is cool,” it was hard not to snicker.
And the lead role of the most misunderstood woman in the Saviour’s life, Mary Magdalene was remarkably enacted with mixed feelings of mystical devotion and earthly love portrayed admirably on this night by Purnima Pilapitiya. She intoned her big number classic ‘I Don’t Know How To Love Him’ with admirable clarity giving a more touching edge to the voice of the confused courtesan now obviously infatuated with the ‘Godman’. She did not attempt to hit the high Cs out of the theatre but her restrained crystal clear soprano nonetheless carried the just right appeal for the role.
The simple yet impressive set with its shiny scaffolding along with the lighting created some stunning visual effects. And there was no gainsaying that the cast sang and danced with enormous energy, enthusiasm and commitment, sweeping you up into the drama of the events of Holy Week. They scampered up and down steel ladders like pirates on the Spanish Main.
Near perfect: The menacing High Priests with Judas
Among the play’s most appealing features was the brilliantly inspiring portrayal of the podgy Herod by Dominic Kellar. Togged out in royal purple robes and tiara he displayed every characteristic of the gloating, royal epicurean in robust song and preening movement. Young Dominic seemed so precisely right for the role.
The sequence was augmented with all the razzle-dazzle and eye candy complete with a bevy of skimpily clad beauties at his disposal. His representation of the blue-blooded sensualist making multitudinous whoopee was exceptional. His hysterical song and dance routine while performing some killer moves in the process was so consummately executed.
Again keeping faithfully to the original theatrical was the role played by Mario De Soyza as the suave, unctuous Pontius Pilate. He strode the stage in a velvet suit as if he was in a vaudville or Vegas lounge act. His was another impressive performance of the characteristic politician through the ages playing to the gallery and buckling under the fear of insurrection.
The sounds of the 39 lashes and the nails being hammered in were a high point and would have evoked tearful anguish and a sense of impotency and guilt among true believers and non-Christians alike. But again the cruelty and pathos was ingeniously countered by the triumphant almost ethereal resurrection scene at the end which was simply dazzling.
As a result the dramatic finale was most alluring with its unrestrained exultation and riotous romping with the special effects of flashing strobe -lighting and impressive musical phrasing reaching a crashing crescendo to bring down the curtain. And they set up a rousingly jaunty firestorm with their final intonation of ‘Superstar’.
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