Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Wed 3 Oct

words: JENNIFER ALLAN

★★★★☆

Can any performance ever truly live up to an excited 13-year-old girl’s experience of her first rock opera?

On this, my second viewing of Superstar (now as an adult) I’ve decided that if anything can come close, it’s the current UK touring production of the classic musical with its bizarrely all-star cast featuring comedian Tim Minchin, DJ Chris Moyles and ex-Spice Girl Mel C.

Building on Baz Luhrman’s {Romeo And Juliet} idea, the performance is constructed around a contemporary ‘Occupy Britain’ setting. With a post-ironic wink to Lloyd Webber’s original idea of a 70s rock opera against a traditional 4BC aesthetic, the versatile Greek chorus style ensemble features crusty jugglers in tents, breakdancers, riot police and even pole dancers.

A surprisingly lacklustre and vocally weak performance from Minchin as Judas Iscariot only served to throw into sharp relief the strength of the supporting cast and chorus, which gave a dynamic and breathtaking performance, thoroughly embracing the overblown drama of the show to stirring effect. Moyles, characteristically humorous, was a self-aware King Herod-cum-Gameshow host, complete with crushed velvet suit and a host of glamorous assistants. A be-dreadlocked Mel C became a powerful, if slightly out of tune, Mary Magdalene.

Ben Forster’s development of the Christ character raised him from preening, spoiled rabble-rouser to anguished martyr during one impressive number in the Garden Of Gethsemane.
Innovative staging techniques, imaginative use of ensemble and the dark, resonant score made for a rousing, thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining production.