arrow_downarrow_leftarrow_rightarrow_upbookmarkArtboard 6bubbleicon_arrow_lefticon_birdicon_calicon_facebookicon_mailicon_searchicon_twittericon_websiteicon-emailicon-facebookicon-ldicon-twitterArtboard 6review_countsigthumbs_downthumbs_uptop_allArtboard 6top_yearw-negw-nonew-nutw-pos

Jesus Christ Superstar

May 16th - October 29thAvon TheatreTicket Info
No reviews have been posted yet for this show.
13 Reviews
Comments

Traditional arts journalism is in decline. Now more than ever, this independent website and our podcast fill a growing void. We've had over 1.5 million page views, and are grateful that you are here. We rely on readers — and a handful of advertisers who share our values — to make our work possible. When we raised funds for our podcast, The "Performers Podcast," the average donation from people like you was $96. Now we hope you’ll join us in augmenting our coverage of arts in the region by making a one-time donation today.

Founder Stratford Festival Reviews
Donate Now
This is a listing for the 2011 season. For the current 2024 shows click here.

From Abu Dhabi to San Diego

Give a listen to this great feature story, from KPBS Radio, about how Jesus Christ Superstar has affected people’s lives in a variety of ways. It includes a Pig Latin rendition of the title song.

Read Full Review

La Jolla Playhouse offers earplugs

“La Jolla Playhouse offers earplugs on your way into the theater. The pre-show announcements notes that “if you’d like to try a soothing lozenge, feel free – our band will drown you right out….don’t bother [with them]”

Read Full Review

Drains the work of its camp excesses...

“O ye of little faith. To all those who made snarky comments when it was announced that “Jesus Christ Superstar” was being resurrected by Des McAnuff, I say unto you, “Go down to La Jolla Playhouse and observe the benevolent gift of this revival, which has had the miraculous effect of turning even an Andrew Lloyd Webber denier like me into a momentary believer.”

Read Full Review

Gifted ensemble breathes new life...

“McAnuff, music director Rick Fox, and choreographer Lisa Shriver guide a gifted ensemble. The cast maximizes the pleasures of the evergreen score while imbuing the portrayals of biblical characters with passion and nuance.”

Read Full Review

Visiting the show now, two months...

“Nolan, now fully recovered, is in magnificent form vocally…the grace of forgiveness – so essential to this biblical story – is beautifully communicated in Nolan’s portrayal.”

Read Full Review

Raves for Superstar

The New York Times writes that the BUZZ about Stratford’s Jesus Christ Superstar has prompted “New York producers and other critics to book flights to Toronto for a look….The director, Des McAnuff, who is also artistic director of the festival, said in a telephone interview that “we’re definitely taking calls from New York and elsewhere about having a future elsewhere…”

Read Full Review

Tough and tender, slick and...

Referring to New York, Ouzounian writes:”this “Superstar” ought to blow the town apart. And it could only help if this time, such a show brings along the entire original cast….[Kennedy is] a wonderfully low-key but intense Mary. She’s definitely the one caught in the middle, and her confusion allows her to offer thoughtful versions of all-too-familiar songs like “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”

Read Full Review

Josh Young delivers a powerhouse...

“a super production, from Robert Brill’s timeless metallic set and “headline” news crawl that updates the story’s progress to costumer Paul Tazewell’s mix of biblical robes and post-modern police uniforms, Choreographer Lisa Shriver’s groovy movement smartly accents McAnuff’s surefire story-telling.”

Read Full Review

Best work I’ve seen from McAnuff...

4 Stars: McAnuff has sussed out a way to make Jesus Christ Superstar a coherent and compelling piece of drama while not stinting on the concert-style spectacular. Filling in space beneath the surface of the lyrics with meaningful mime, he’s carved out a “love triangle” between Josh Young’s self-righteous, sexually ambiguous and entirely seductive Judas; Chilina Kennedy’s sincere and yearning Mary Magdalene; and Paul Nolan’s enigmatic, but magnetic Jesus, who inspires both devotion and bafflement among his followers by playing hard-to-get.

Read Full Review

Second musical hit at Stratford for...

“McAnuff’s direction is close to flawless in the way he integrates music with story, aided by Lisa Shriver’s choreography and Rick Fox’s musical direction… Fans of musical theatre are invited to enjoy the ride en route to Broadway.

Read Full Review

Josh Young Electrifying

5 Stars: Young is nothing if not electrifyingly present in every moment in his portrayal of Judas…Bruce Dow clearly aims to delight — and succeeds…and Brent Carver threatens to steal the show.

Read Full Review

This production is an absolute miracle.

Four Stars: First impression review, to be followed up shortly with a full analysis. “A cast to die for (your sins?) – a divine Nolan as Jesus; a sweet and suffering Kennedy as Mary Magdalene.. The production’s top notch, too: Lisa Shriver’s spirited choreography is fresh, while set designer Robert Brill finds inventive new ways to skin a catwalk.”

Read Full Review

It's hard to know where to start the...

4 Stars:”Carver is on a real winning streak this year…Likewise Dow, who turns the potentially cloying “Herod’s Song” into a piece of sheer theatrical wormwood…Young takes Judas into places I have never seen this character go.
Lisa Shriver’s choreography also combines the most current dances with moves that seem to have come from the mists of time, energizing everything they touch with true style.”

Read Full Review

No Matches for Reviews

Share This Post:

Share This Tweet This Email This