Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Paul Hart.

Part of the intrigue in agreeing to review Jesus Christ Superstar was the venue, I know the Watermill Theatre has a smaller stage than most venues and the Musical is known to have large casts and command a larger stage and I wasn’t disappointed.

I was left awestruck by the incredible performances by the eighteen-strong cast members who brought the harrowing biblical musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber to life. Every one of the cast is playing their role with conviction. Many of the cast are doubling up as the orchestra with an explosion of rock music in every scene.

Michael Kholwadia takes on the role of Jesus in this adaptation along with Max Alexander-Taylor as Judas and the hugely talented Parisa Shahmir as Mary. Each of the eighteen cast members deserves a mention and are all accomplished in their roles.

Director Paul Hart uses every part of the Watermill to create a strong and insightful production of Jesus Christ Superstar The dark streets and corners set the scene for the inevitable capture and demise of Jesus the son of God.

Choreography by Anjali Mehra is spectacular. The dance scenes on the stage are tightly synchronised and precise. I can only imagine how much work went into these scenes alone.

The second act starts outside in the back garden of the Theatre. Laid out in around I wondered when I arrived what part in played in the Musical. No spoiler alerts all I will say is be observant while outside as the action takes place all around you as the cast out the biblical scene from the Garden of Gethsemane.

Without much prompting the audience returns to their seats for the final part. We watch on as Jesus takes his fate with a sense of calm and inevitable acceptance although he asks God “why me”.

This version of Jesus Christ Superstar offers raw and powerful performances all round. Each cast member commands their space and the choreography offers a large-scale production “wow” in the limited availability. If you have seen other versions before I urge you to watch this one and if you haven’t seen it before it’s probably the only version you will ever need to see.