Pontius Pilate (Marcus Wolland) and Jesus (Anthony Butterfield).
Pontius Pilate (Marcus Wolland) and Jesus (Anthony Butterfield).
Take an iconic rock opera, pepper it with beautiful singing voices and a garnish of live music, and you have the ingredients for a show not to be missed.
Jesus Christ Superstar, the latest musical offering at Levin Performing Arts, has been baked to perfection and brings a tasteof Broadway to small town Levin.
Throw in a licensed bar, the option of a tasty meal, an informal table setting, and the senses are salivated by what is a biblical experience.
Mary (Jenna Wicks) comforts Jesus (Anthony Butterfield) in his time of need.
What theatre-goers are left with is an appreciation of just what a small-town community arts society can do, and what talent there is just waiting for a chance to be savoured.
The show is directed by Tacita Bohen, who also played the part of Annas. Dressed in dark leathers along with Caiaphas (Mark Peni), there's no mistaking who the bad guys are.
Right from the first dirty note from Nick Aungiers' guitar and the opening set from Judas Iscariot (Adam Pratt), the auditorium becomes other-worldly and dreamy, as the oldest story of betrayal unfolds.
Costume designers "nailed" it, adding a vibe where leather met lace and night met day, and perfect light placement only deepened the mood of each scene and the personality of each character.
Mary (Jenna Wicks) and Jesus (Anthony Butterfield) are confronted by Caiaphas (Mark Peni) and Annas (Tacita Bohen).
The set directors did a good job too, and the band never missed a beat in a string of songs that are worth the price of admission on their own.
A standout in a smorgasbord of strong singing has to be the solo performances of Mary (Jenna Wicks) with her offerings of Everything's Alright and I Don't Know How to Love Him.
Pontius Pilate (Marcus Wolland) commanded the stage and whipped up a storm, while Herod (Richard Walburn) provided some comic relief.
Bohen said Jesus Christ Superstar is one of her favourite shows.
A scene from the show.
"It has been a pleasure to be given the opportunity to direct this amazing show and an absolute pleasure to be part of the cast," she said.
The performance of the cast and those behind the scenes shows that in a small New Zealand town like Levin, there is talent to burn.
And as the story goes ... our hero Jesus (Anthony Butterfield) will rise to perform another night. The show continues until December 7.
