Jesus Christ Superstar 25.02.2025
Invited| Review by Aaron Whittington
Photography: @mallanphotography
Tonight was the opening night of Tyne Theatre Productions’ presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s groundbreaking rock opera bringing the final days of Jesus of Nazareth to the stage in a way that captivated audiences for decades. This production explores timeless questions of faith, humanity, and sacrifice.
With its iconic score featuring songs such as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Heaven on Their Minds,” and “Superstar,” the musical reimagines the biblical narrative through the eyes of key figures: With Judas Iscariot and Jesus himself challenging audiences to reflect on the complexities of leadership, betrayal, and the enduring impact of one extraordinary life.
This production was celebrating ten years as an independent venue and all profit made from ticket sales goes back into the venue itself to continue and help restore this beautiful and historic venue.
Tyne Theatre Productions is a dedicated community of creative individuals committed to bringing exceptional musical theatre to life. Operating as part of Newcastles historic Tyne Theatre & Opera House, the amateur company showcases local talent through high-quality productions. One of my favourite productions personally has been their version of Rent a few years ago which still stands up as one of the best performances I’ve seen, even up against professional shows I have also witnessed. Since then they have also shown 9 to 5 the Musical and School of Rock to rave reviews also.
So onto the show. Sadly it had been impacted by some sound issues from the start which continued sporadically throughout. This for me affected the shows enjoyment in parts. From not being able to hear vocals at all to just being too low, but overall and come the end, reflected knowing I really enjoyed the show despite the issues.
I have since found out they were well aware of this and was something being worked on. In fact before opening due to extenuating factors out of their control the production hadn’t had an opportunity to have a full tech run through as planned. But you know what they say, the show must go on! I will say though when vocals hit they certainly did more often than not, and honestly immersed me in this rock opera. If the sound is perfected which I expect, this will be a fantastic show for the rest of the run.
Sound aside, the performances cannot ever be faulted. As ever, I genuinely love the cast in these productions. Their effort, emotion and enjoyment is clear to see from the principal leads through to the ensemble.
Craig Wallace as Jesus Christ was my ‘Superstar’ of the show. showing a vocal range that could easily have gone wrong, he hit night notes that let him go toe to toe with the best rock stars out there. Other highlights were ‘What’s the buzz’ Craig displayed a whole range of emotions from frustration and despair to true moments of fleeting happiness when embraced with Mary Magdalene (Bridget Wallace) This was a demanding role not only vocally but also physically as we see Craig covering all parts of the stage. A well deserved and audibly loud appreciation at the end of the show was given by the audience.
Bridget Wallace as Mary Magdelene. Bridget’s vocal tone and sound are just wonderful, especially with her rendition of ‘Everything’s alright’ and the emotive ‘I don’t know how to love him’ Visibly bringing the calming influence on Jesus in moments of frustration. I would love to see more of her vocals given the opportunity, as I feel the original scripting limits stage time for this role.
Judas played by Tyler Neumann can belt out a song, and had his opener ‘Heavens on my mind’ not been impacted by sound issues we would’ve been off to an outstanding start. I could see the effort going into it, however he did later shine in many other songs thereafter. A great performance as friend and betrayer.
A moment of laughter and campness – we had King Herods song. This brought a few moments of light relief and was perfectly executed by Ben Stoddart.
Staging wasn’t over complicated with a steel set up. Bleachers on the sides with a bridge at the back. Costumes were modern. Now the live band that was visible through this steel structure added a dimension. Having live drums and guitar riffs will always enhance, and this brought the rock feel even more so.
The show doesn’t work without the full cast, and an amazing well done and congratulations to other supporting cast and ensemble. A shout out to Shirley Spoors too who managed to grab my attention with her emotive facial expressions too.
Grab a ticket, see a fantastic show, support a great cause. I’m sure any issues I had will be sorted, leaving a fantastic production for you to enjoy!
Thu 27 Feb – Sat 1 Mar, Various Times
Full price adults: £25
Concessions (over 60s, under 16s and students): £21
Back stalls (Tue – Thu) & Limited view (all performances): £15
Age guidance: 10+ with Parental discretion is advised as the show contains occasional strong language, some violence, an onstage depiction of the crucifixion and suicide.