Jesus Christ Superstar (Capitol Theatre) ★★★★½

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Capitol Theatre. 6 Nov 2024 – 19 Jan 2025.

Rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is back and it’s louder, sweatier and glitterier than ever before. Oh and sexier! Is Jesus allowed to be this sexy? It’s very conflicting.

Vocally this show is no joke. Michael Paynter may look like a hipster Hillsong youth pastor on the verge of a scandal, but his rock tenor voice wails like an electric guitar possessed by the devil. The effortlessly clear tone of his high notes is a wonder to behold, and his rendition of “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)” scored not one, but two mid-song ovations on opening night. It was remarkable.

Paynter is paired with Javon King as Judas. King, a more experienced musical theatre performer, makes Judas a smoother, more lyrical character. He brings a more intellectually conflicted tone to the numbers. The musical theatre credentials are backed up by Peter Murphy as the frustrated Pilate. Mahalia Barnes delivers smooth R&B vocals as Mary. Let’s be honest, there is absolutely nothing to the character of Mary. She wanders on, sings a song, wanders off, but Barnes makes the most of her moments and her voice is gorgeous to luxuriate in. 

The casting of Reuben Kaye as Herod is a genius move, injecting a chaotic dose of queerness into the show. Where previous iterations of this production had treated Herod as a Leigh Bowery / “club drag” character, Kaye makes the role his own with more of a theatrical “drag show” performance. It’s a welcome breath of fresh air and colour in the sea of greys and browns.

This particular staging has been doing the international rounds since it premiered in London’s Regent’s Park OpenAir theatre in 2016 (it would return in 2017 and then be retooled for indoor theaters and go on tour) and there is a definite mid-teens “H&M lounge-wear” feel to the baggy, monochromatic styling. The choreography by Drew McOnie explodes with moments of ecclesiastical conformity and dynamic worship. Tom Scutt’s design has lost much of its original scale but still evokes a brutal landscape, with its metallic catwalk crucifix and elevated scaffolding. On a side note, Robert Tripolino, who I saw play Jesus when this production was staged at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2018, will be jumping back into the role for the Perth leg of the tour. He’s excellent as well.

Jesus Christ Superstar has a massive cultural footprint in Australia thanks to the record breaking 1992 production. In that production Jon Stevens’ Judas served up rockstar sex appeal in tight leather trousers, this version sees Paynter’s Jesus slowly disrobing before being beaten, bloodied and glittered. There’s something very, well… Catholic about staring up at a sweaty, six-packed messiah. It’s the sort of jacked Jesus the manosphere would believe in.

In some ways, Jesus Christ Superstar works best when treated as a concert, more than a piece of theatre and this production straddles the best of both worlds. With no dialogue, the only acting required happens in the vocals, and this team of singers over deliver. There’s little in the way of subtlety but the roof-busting big notes more than make up for that. Michael Paynter’s performance alone is one for the record books.