Hosanna? Lo.
Jesus Christ Superstar - Stadttheater Bremerhaven, 13th January, 2013
I hadn't really intended to see this production of Jesus Christ Superstar as while I like the show I have seen so many productions and the last production, the Schleswig Holstein Landestheater one a few years with Chris Murray in the title role left such an impression on me that I wanted to keep it as my last memory of this show as long as possible (not counting in the DVD of the current UK tour production).But with Olaf Plassa who was once in the opera ensemble at the Volkstheater in Rostock and me usually being impressed by him when seeing him in the musical productions in it, me having time, a Sunday matinee, an excellent seat available I thought I go as also the review on musicalzentrale.de was most outstanding (though I know other show reviews often did not match what I thought).
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by ALW with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical is based very loosely on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus & his disciples in Jerusalem & ending with the crucifixion. It highlights political & interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot & Jesus, struggles that are not in the Bible. The resurrection is not included. It therefore largely follows the form of a traditional passion play.
Judas - David Jakobs
Mary Magdalene - Franziska Krötenheerdt
Pontius Pilate - Olaf Plassa
Simon the Zealot/Herod - Thomas Burger
Caiaphas - Andrey Telegin
Peter - Peter Kubik
Annas - Lukas Baranowski
Ensemble - In house opera choir, extra choir, ballet and extras
Conductor - Ara Khachaturian
The staging has put the show into modern days.
I read some called new approach, but only someone who has hardly seen the show can say that. No productions but one I have seen have e.g put the cast onstage dressed in Roman dresses but in then modern outfits. Same goes for the set design. Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's idea was never it to be accurately placed in Roman days and that it was to be from the beginning a story which while it might be about Jesus it could be anyone's story and could happen any time and anywhere.
There were certainly some good ideas and interpretation but none were new at all - as the temple scene was now put into a stock exchange with screens on each side showing share prices etc. - yawn, seen before.
Same goes for ideas as the same outfits of Jesus' followers looking with their green jackets and the JC badge on it as frat boys. Or when Jesus is whipped counting the 39 strokes these being displayed on screens at the back but people watching it run to him and wipe off their hands covered in (fake) blood at Jesus's body - yawn seen before as well.
The last supper is some kind of a dinner party with champagne being served - unfortunately they forgot the finger food - yep, you may know what I will say now - yawn, seen before as well.
I found ideas as in the current UK tour with incorporating the whole "Occupy" protests a lot more effective - and especially these were NEW.
95 % of the oh so creative ideas are recycled ideas of someone else's creativity - deliberately or not I cannot tell, but they are ideas which have been around before. That must not be a bad thing automatically but anyone writing how creative this production is should be aware of that.
Besides the already mentioned screens stage set was while very bright and colourful (sometimes actually too much, I wonder whether someone epileptic could watch that show) more simplistic with a two-tiered arcade at the back, a couple of pillars, some pedestal, mini balconies, and the odd prop brought onstage when needed as fences for the trial scene.
With all brightness and luminance overload, not only seen in the set but also the lighting and the costumes, which all too often reminded more of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat unfortunately the story and its supporting dialogues were dispossessed of its importance.
It also did not help, something I especially did not like was that the German translation but for the title song was used - the English original is a lot more distinctive and striking. Saying that though as David Jakobs' pronunciation was anything but satisfying (yep that is how German English sounds like) and made me cringe during his "Superstar" maybe better - otherwise I might have burst into laughter.
What was really drowned with all the big pictures are the normally most intense relationships, spiked with curious jealousies, in other productions presented with a degree of intimacy that prevents the characters from seeming remotely biblical (that said, to call the Jesus-Judas-Mary connection a love triangle would be an overstatement) but here little of that was left. A Judas might sing of what made him to betray Jesus but the supporting feeling was largely not there.
Martin Markert is largely, without doubt, a beautiful Jesus to remember in act 2, in act 1 he reminds me more of a wimpy Scientology member with his shining grins (I constantly had a picture of Tom Cruise in my head as Martin's Jesus reminded me massively of who I would picture Tom Cruise to look and act like that part) but a leader and never manages to really be one for me lacking stage presence (which others saw I just didn't) - it is very hard for me to understand why the crowd would follow one like his Jesus.
But as said in act 2 especially during "Gethsemane" he gives his Jesus at last depth full of torn human touches. Vocally he cannot be fault being most spotless and furthermore.
David Jakobs as Judas is certainly technically perfect as Martin Markert so e.g. his "Superstar" is technically well sung besides his "D-english" BUT (isn't there usually a but for me ;-) ) how people can call his voice powerful and vivid I do not know (and how can anyone even fancy him as these musical kiddie fans I saw before the show and whose ridiculous childish behaviour while waiting in the foyer outside the auditorium while soundcheck happening inside and David singing I could witness (and them pretending to having a clue but not having one about musicals in general)) .
Neither was he the cynic moraliser I want to see at the beginning nor was he the frustrated tormented manic firebrand and traitor later but a tantrum throwing teenage boy who is upset about not being Jesus no. 1 anymore.
When I think of e.g. Ralf Meyring as Judas in the Schleswig Holstein Landestheater production who bluntly rocked the house during "Superstar" with less top notch falsetto but more natural screaming (come on, JCS is to be a ROCK opera, not a rock OPERA) and then here I get a sissy, oh dear.
I read some called new approach, but only someone who has hardly seen the show can say that. No productions but one I have seen have e.g put the cast onstage dressed in Roman dresses but in then modern outfits. Same goes for the set design. Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's idea was never it to be accurately placed in Roman days and that it was to be from the beginning a story which while it might be about Jesus it could be anyone's story and could happen any time and anywhere.
There were certainly some good ideas and interpretation but none were new at all - as the temple scene was now put into a stock exchange with screens on each side showing share prices etc. - yawn, seen before.
Same goes for ideas as the same outfits of Jesus' followers looking with their green jackets and the JC badge on it as frat boys. Or when Jesus is whipped counting the 39 strokes these being displayed on screens at the back but people watching it run to him and wipe off their hands covered in (fake) blood at Jesus's body - yawn seen before as well.
The last supper is some kind of a dinner party with champagne being served - unfortunately they forgot the finger food - yep, you may know what I will say now - yawn, seen before as well.
I found ideas as in the current UK tour with incorporating the whole "Occupy" protests a lot more effective - and especially these were NEW.
95 % of the oh so creative ideas are recycled ideas of someone else's creativity - deliberately or not I cannot tell, but they are ideas which have been around before. That must not be a bad thing automatically but anyone writing how creative this production is should be aware of that.
With all brightness and luminance overload, not only seen in the set but also the lighting and the costumes, which all too often reminded more of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat unfortunately the story and its supporting dialogues were dispossessed of its importance.
It also did not help, something I especially did not like was that the German translation but for the title song was used - the English original is a lot more distinctive and striking. Saying that though as David Jakobs' pronunciation was anything but satisfying (yep that is how German English sounds like) and made me cringe during his "Superstar" maybe better - otherwise I might have burst into laughter.
What was really drowned with all the big pictures are the normally most intense relationships, spiked with curious jealousies, in other productions presented with a degree of intimacy that prevents the characters from seeming remotely biblical (that said, to call the Jesus-Judas-Mary connection a love triangle would be an overstatement) but here little of that was left. A Judas might sing of what made him to betray Jesus but the supporting feeling was largely not there.
Martin Markert is largely, without doubt, a beautiful Jesus to remember in act 2, in act 1 he reminds me more of a wimpy Scientology member with his shining grins (I constantly had a picture of Tom Cruise in my head as Martin's Jesus reminded me massively of who I would picture Tom Cruise to look and act like that part) but a leader and never manages to really be one for me lacking stage presence (which others saw I just didn't) - it is very hard for me to understand why the crowd would follow one like his Jesus.
But as said in act 2 especially during "Gethsemane" he gives his Jesus at last depth full of torn human touches. Vocally he cannot be fault being most spotless and furthermore.
David Jakobs as Judas is certainly technically perfect as Martin Markert so e.g. his "Superstar" is technically well sung besides his "D-english" BUT (isn't there usually a but for me ;-) ) how people can call his voice powerful and vivid I do not know (and how can anyone even fancy him as these musical kiddie fans I saw before the show and whose ridiculous childish behaviour while waiting in the foyer outside the auditorium while soundcheck happening inside and David singing I could witness (and them pretending to having a clue but not having one about musicals in general)) .Neither was he the cynic moraliser I want to see at the beginning nor was he the frustrated tormented manic firebrand and traitor later but a tantrum throwing teenage boy who is upset about not being Jesus no. 1 anymore.
When I think of e.g. Ralf Meyring as Judas in the Schleswig Holstein Landestheater production who bluntly rocked the house during "Superstar" with less top notch falsetto but more natural screaming (come on, JCS is to be a ROCK opera, not a rock OPERA) and then here I get a sissy, oh dear.
Franziska Krötenheerdt (alternating the part with Svetlana Smolentseva) from the opera ensemble as Mary Magdalene is so bland. How she can be described as warm and loving as in some reviews I cannot understand. Especially her "I Don't Know How to Love Him", while certainly nicely simply sung (though you can clearly tell she is from the opera genre), totally lacked grace, yearning and vulnerability.
The song is a bearing of an unrequited love for Jesus, even he lets her close to him at the beginning he never really lets her to be with the man Jesus reviling her. It seemed not very layered which I just expect from this complex character.
Olaf Plassa as the dithering Pontius Pilate was definitely the highlight of this production and for once I wished there'd be more numbers of Pontius Pilate. When Olaf Plassa fills the theatre with his most dark, luscious bass-baritone and his expressive play finally some top notch theatrical class which goes beyond excellent technique is added to the show..
Thomas Burger in his double role of Simon the Zealot and Herod does a fine job, unfortunately with all the bright pictures before Herod's song the normally stand out showbiz number went a bit, well I wouldn't say unnoticed, but it didn't have the same meaning as usually. Saying that the number was still well performed not only by him but by the ballet too with a not too exaggerated choreography (by Barbara Tartaglia) which could leave an impression in general.
The orchestra was okay as was the rock band both though missing the rock and the drive. They were certainly loud enough but often loud is not automatically energetic which is a shame as the music still stands the test of time after all these years.
And for just hearing it again, even if not performed as excellently as it could have been, it was worth to see the show again.
The comments around me in the interval and after the show certainly showed that I was not on my own with what I was thinking as I overheard others saying that this was a lame show - curtain call applause was very restrained - anyone else rating it highly cannot have seen more stunning and especially convincing productions before.
The song is a bearing of an unrequited love for Jesus, even he lets her close to him at the beginning he never really lets her to be with the man Jesus reviling her. It seemed not very layered which I just expect from this complex character.
Olaf Plassa as the dithering Pontius Pilate was definitely the highlight of this production and for once I wished there'd be more numbers of Pontius Pilate. When Olaf Plassa fills the theatre with his most dark, luscious bass-baritone and his expressive play finally some top notch theatrical class which goes beyond excellent technique is added to the show..
Thomas Burger in his double role of Simon the Zealot and Herod does a fine job, unfortunately with all the bright pictures before Herod's song the normally stand out showbiz number went a bit, well I wouldn't say unnoticed, but it didn't have the same meaning as usually. Saying that the number was still well performed not only by him but by the ballet too with a not too exaggerated choreography (by Barbara Tartaglia) which could leave an impression in general.
The rest of the ensemble did also a decent job proving it does not always need musical guests to deliver good work especially when facing a rather challenging job as high quality Jesus Christ Superstar and not a shitty Wildhorn show.
The orchestra was okay as was the rock band both though missing the rock and the drive. They were certainly loud enough but often loud is not automatically energetic which is a shame as the music still stands the test of time after all these years.
And for just hearing it again, even if not performed as excellently as it could have been, it was worth to see the show again.
The comments around me in the interval and after the show certainly showed that I was not on my own with what I was thinking as I overheard others saying that this was a lame show - curtain call applause was very restrained - anyone else rating it highly cannot have seen more stunning and especially convincing productions before.
Pictures taken from the theatre website.
