In the last week of His life, Jesus enters Jerusalem where He experiences betrayal, torment, and death. This is Jesus Christ Superstar and it is currently playing at Sunset Playhouse.
I knew I was in for something special as I felt goosepimples rise on my skin from the first notes played by Mark Mrozek and his extraordinary orchestra. What I got was one of the best shows I’ve seen in nearly three decades in this business and ranks in the top three of my personal favorite productions.
This cast came out with all guns a blazing and had the audience in the palms of their hands from start to finish with an epic set of performances charged with power and emotion that will have you cheering, laughing, and, yes, crying before the night Is through.
Tommy Lueck provides a superior piece of direction with the show. He stages the show in the modern times with Jesus’ followers coming from the dredges of society. They are street people and gang members. In short, the very people Jesus would be hanging with today. Lueck’s economy of movement is stunning as every motion means something. There is never a wasted beat or action. Lueck understands every jot and tittle of this story and smoothly moves from beat to beat and hits each one squarely on the mark. Pacing was sharp as a tack and he skillfully guided his actors to their fantastic performances.
As a rock opera, the musical direction is intimately tied to the acting and Mark Mrozek rises to the occasion with his efforts. Not only do Mrozek and his orchestra nail the score to the floor, but Mrozek achieves a level of nuance I’ve seldom heard with his singers. The blends of voices made for entrancing harmonies, but those solos. . .words practically fail me. Mesmeric. Haunting. Moving. These are just some of the words I can use to describe them and they still fall short. It must be experienced emotionally and then you’ll know what I mean.
The show is supported by a strong ensemble who are always in the moment and breathe beautiful life into this world. Coltyn VonDeylen is an animal as Annas. He has no morals and his wicked smile when he plots Jesus’ death is downright chilling. Tom Flanagan has a fearsome presence and a malevolent bass voice as Caiaphas. I loved the dichotomy of Nicholas Callan Haubner’s portrayal of Pontius Pilate. He’s a powerful, confident leader, but weighed down by doubts and uncertainty about Jesus, best exemplified by his mighty tenor in “Pilate’s Dream”.
Natalie E Wikstrom dazzles as Mary Magdalene. She is loyal and devoted to Jesus and is the follower who is a half-step ahead of the rest as she slowly starts to realize that Jesus might be far more than an ordinary man. Wikstrom has a glittering soprano and soars with her solos in “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” where she questions how to love a man who simply loves her and wants nothing in return and “Could We Start Again, Please?” where she longs for things to go back to how they were before Jesus’ arrest.
Jesse Weinberg has a conflicted take on Judas Iscariot. He loves Jesus, but fears the path they’re walking as Jesus’ movement rises. The tragedy is that all of his fears and concerns rise from the fact that he doesn’t understand Jesus’ true nature. Despite being His right-hand man and hearing His teachings and seeing His miracles, he still sees him as just a man. And it’s his spiritual blindness that leads him to betray Jesus. Weinberg does stellar work in portraying Judas’ internal conflict and, wow, what a voice. Weinberg expertly modulates his voice to suit the emotional timbre of a number whether he’s got a sense of misplaced clarity in “Heaven On Their Minds”, sheer terror and panicked anger in “Judas’ Death” or praising and simultaneously questioning Jesus’ identity in “Superstar”.
Ladies and gentlemen, Joshua Pope’s portrayal of Jesus is what acting is all about. It’s not only what he says, but what he doesn’t say. Pope is always in the moment with micro-expressions and reactions that show he is really listening to what’s going on around him. Some of his best moments are when he gets pulled into the thick of the action such as when he starts dancing with the group in “Simon Zealots/Jerusalem” and his visceral shock and revulsion at seeing His Father’s house turned into a tawdry marketplace in “The Temple”. Pope’s Jesus loves His followers, but is slightly frustrated by their inability to fully comprehend His teachings. He also is truly feeling the burden of His mission as His death rapidly approaches which gives Pope the opportunity to show Jesus’ humanity. As an actor, his shining moments are the scourging and the Crucifixion. For the first time, I saw a truly suffering Savior and I wept.
Pope’s awesome tenor always suits the moment whether he’s gently teaching his followers in “Everything’s Alright” and “Hosanna”, letting his fears and frustrations about the denseness of his apostles boil over in “The Last Supper”, or plaintively asking God to let this cup pass Him by with searing falsettos in “Gethsemane”.
Abby Rasmussen’s choreography is splendid and not just in dance numbers like “Heaven On Their Minds” or the vaudeville/roaring 20s stylings of “King Herod’s Song”. It’s also the movements utilized when a group of seemingly supernatural lepers engulf Jesus or when demonic goblins pursue Judas and push him to suicide. Lisa Quinn’s costumes are pluperfect with the leather vests and jackets of the former gang members, the black dresses and Victorian suits of the Pharisees which makes them seem like a coven, the tattered robes and facial wrapping of the lepers, the full bodysuits of the goblins, and Jesus’ simple white shirt and pants. Quinn’s use of color is especially impressive as nearly all the costumes have a level of black except Jesus’ to show their sin and corruption while the white of Jesus’ garments show Him to be the light of the world. Katie Johnson has designed a set reminiscent of Golgotha with a series of platforms building up to the top point where stands a pole that will become Jesus’ cross. Matt Carr’s lights suit emotions and moments such as the almost dance club kaleidoscope of “Simon Zealots/Jerusalem”, the lone spotlight on Jesus for some of His more melancholic musings, or the evil reds of Judas’ death and the Crucifixion. Scott Vargas has the actors’ voices reverberating throughout the theatre and provides some chilling sounds such as the violent whips of Jesus’ scourging. The props of Lynn Ludwig-Franitza and Susan Zuern enhance the show with the erector set style cross being an impressive accomplishment.
I feel privileged to have been able to review this show and my only regret for the reader is that the entire run is sold out. If you managed to snag a ticket, ready yourselves for an incredible time. If you missed out, I hope this review gives you an idea of the quality of the work of Sunset Playhouse so you can attend the next production.
Jesus Christ Superstar runs at Sunset Playhouse through May 5. Showtimes are 7:30pm Thurs-Sat and 2pm on Sundays. This run is sold out. Sunset Playhouse is located at 700 Wall Street in Elm Grove, WI.
Chris' Corner 