Jesus Christ is a Superstar at The Barn
AUGUSTA. Mich.–In the penultimate and titular number in Jesus Christ Superstar, the spirit of Judas Iscariot sings his heart out in a white tux backed up by a stage full of scantily-clad women also donning white, shaking and jiving and otherwise bringing the house down while a bleeding and suffering Jesus in nothing but a loincloth and a crown of thorns struggles to carry his cross across the stage in front of the soulful, rousing display.
It’s a striking if not shocking juxtaposition—and but one of many powerful images set to masterfully performed catchy music in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original sung-through ‘70s rock opera, now at The Barn.
Producer and Director Brendan Ragotzy (who also plays a terrific Pontius Pilate) is at his best with this genre. Instead of going for the glitzy, modern, overdone style of the 2012 Broadway revival, he opts for heart in this reimagined tale from Judas’s point of view of the week leading up to Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion.
The ending to the greatest story ever told is no less brutal for our knowing that it’s coming. And thanks to powerful performances and just the right touch with technical effects, this deeply touching production builds to a powerful climax.
Newcomer to The Barn, Jay Poff, plays a gentle Jesus, singing sweetly with what sounds like a classically-trained voice. Donning white robes and placed in a literal and figurative spotlight, he seems to glow, peering into the audience with piercing blue eyes, and communicating with expressive hands. His pleading “Gethsemane” is utterly committed and full of wonderful, seemingly effortless vibrato.
Eric Parker as Judas matches his impassioned, committed portrayal and takes it up a notch as the rightful superstar of this production. He is a force, and at the top of his game in this role. Every entrance is electric, every song high energy, and his “Judas’s Death” evokes real sympathy for this character whose name is synonymous with betrayal.
Unfortunately, the role of Mary Magdalene isn’t given much depth or complexity and largely serves merely as a sympathetic support figure for Jesus. However, Samantha Rickard has a lovely mezzo and does a beautiful job with what little the role offers—and fully embodies her sweetness.
As intense and crucial as these performances are, other ensemble members bring much-needed levity. Among the show’s highlights are the big ensemble numbers such as “Hosanna” and “Simon Zealots” as well as “Superstar.” Jamey Grisham is a wonderful Simon, and his choreography offers wide variety and, at times, symbolic meaning—arms reach forward, up, and out, transforming bodies into mutable crosses that, at times, are embellished with jazz hands. He borrows from tap, jazz, and ballet traditions at various turns, pulling out all the stops for the downright campy vaudevillian “Herod’s Song” complete with a kick line—for which the centerpiece, John Jay Espino as King Herod with sparkly makeup, bejeweled earrings, and clutch with matching crown, couldn’t be more delightful.
Molly Lamperis’s lights emphasize mood that shifts from buoyant to sinister and are especially impressive in creating convincing but not egregious violent effects. Carly Heathcote’s costumes run the gamut from understated showgirl two-pieces to long cotton robes to vaguely 70s kerchief tops and bell-bottomed jeans with especially dark and strange headpieces for the villainous high priests as well as skimpy armor for the soldiers. Michael Wilson Morgan’s set, a platform suspended between two flights of stairs with rustic crucifixes and netting in the background, is highly functional and appropriately ascetic.
As for the Musical Director, “it’s an opera so he doesn’t get any rest. He just goes, goes, goes,” said Ragotzy during his curtain speech about Matt Shabala. He certainly does create terrific sound with his five-person orchestra and creates terrific balance and variation with the excellent singers.
What it all adds up to is a horrifying couple of death scenes and a whole lot of wiping away of tears in the audience. It’s a powerful story, yes, and one that some take to heart more than others. By using the strength of its cast and crew, and eschewing gimmicks or wild interpretations, The Barn’s current offering is, indeed, a superstar.