'Jesus Christ Superstar' at Bristol Riverside: Judas and Christ for our time
Who would count as Christ today? Edward Snowden? Marine Le Pen? Bernie Sanders? It's hard to imagine, and harder still to see the relevance of a savior in a world obsessed with shameless self-promotion. Yet Bristol Riverside Theatre's stirring and musically sensational Jesus Christ Superstar sets Judas' betrayal of Christ in our time, replete with selfie-taking disciples, riot police, and gimp-suit wearing temple dwellers.
Not only does it work, but director Keith Baker has crafted a world integrated from start to finish, with the only unhemmed stitches those present in Tim Rice's book, which forces the introduction of one-scene only characters late in Act 2. Costume designer Linda B. Stockton dresses Christ's followers in punk attire of metal-studded pants, torn hoodies, and halter tops, with both Simon and Judas sporting half-shaven hairstyles colored purple and silver (across the board, the makeup unifies the subculture of Christ's followers). The Pharisees look like music-studio moguls in their lapelless coats and gold necklaces, as they strut in surrounded by guards in antifa pullovers and shades.
Musically, Baker has assembled a tremendous cast that tears through Andrew Lloyd Webber's electric guitar-centered score. Both Patrick H. Dunn (as Jesus) and Adam Kemmerer (Judas) blast through their upper registers on multiple numbers (the mic volume at first overwhelms); each displays a haunting pathos, with Dunn mesmerizing in Gethsemane, and Kemmerer evoking sympathy as the echo effect of Elizabeth Atkinson's sound design amplifies his regret (during "Judas's Death"). Ciji Prosser's Mary Magdalene balances their screaming with a soft yet sultry soprano, and Darren Ritchie adds nuance as a reluctant Pontius Pilate, lazily swinging a golf club as he decides life or death.
Stephen Casey's choreography builds on Stockton's impressive costumes. The disciples and followers punch and stomp like punk rockers through their early choral numbers as Christ's revolution marches toward Jerusalem. Later, a twisted Charleston variant underscores the joker-faced dancers in "King Herrod's Song (Try It and See)."
Throughout, Joe Doran's lighting builds a backdrop for this sung-through musical. Vertical neon bars flash red during Judas' betrayal and suicide, the steps of Roman Tatarowicz's staircase set illuminate the sterility of Pilate's office, and the Temple scene dazzles like an EDM festival.
Baker invites us to draw parallels: Christ's followers wave signs reading "Make Jerusalem Great Again" and cry out the Sanders slogan "People Over Profit." But the Christ in this story remains the soft-spoken Galilean, transplanted to our time, bound and betrayed in the intrigue of a political thriller and sung in a production that excites like a rock concert.
Jesus Christ Superstar. Through April 16 at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol. Tickets: $15-$49. Information: 215-785-0100 or brtstage.org
