'Jesus Christ Superstar' at The Boiler Room Theatre

Intense and incisive, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar remains amazingly relevant in its latest incarnation at Franklin's Boiler Room Theatre, where its run continues through September 19. Co-directed by Jamey Green and Billy Ditty, both remarkable talents in their own right who become a theatrical juggernaut of creativity with this brilliant collaboration, Jesus Christ Superstar challenges the imagination while it entertains the heart.

Green has long been heralded as one of the region's finest music directors, while Ditty has gained a justifiably stellar reputation as one of the best choreographers around. With this production, which exemplifies the term "all-singing, all-dancing," it's apropos then that the two would share the directing credit. Obviously, from the first notes of the overture to the final tormented moments of Jesus Christ's death on the cross, the shared vision of the two men is vividly portrayed and stunningly realized. The work, widely considered the first "rock opera," is movingly exhilarating, taking audiences on a veritable rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and lows.

Webber's religious training as a boy is strongly evident in Jesus Christ Superstar (as one would expect given its subject matter), but when considered as part of the canon that includes the flashily theatrical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the less successful but equally messianic Whistle Down the Wind, and the exquisitely beautiful Requiem, it becomes even more hauntingly compelling. Further, its consideration of our society's fascination with the cult of the personality and the culture of celebrity, makes it accessible for audiences, perhaps even more so today than when it was first written and produced. Place it in the line with his other shows about personality/celebrity--Evita and Sunset Boulevard come to mind--and it creates an intriguing trilogy that reflects our never-ending fascination with famous people. In fact, Jesus Christ Superstar may prove to be Webber's most notable, and perhaps most enduring, musical legacy.

The Green/Ditty collaboration results in an elegantly refined production (kudos to scenic designer Anthony Popolo for his effective set, Corbin Green's superb lighting design and Melissa Cannon's unparalleled, wonderfully executed costume designs) that is exceedingly well-acted and which may be as well-sung as anything we've ever experienced. Particularly notable are the production's three nominal stars (although this is a cast filled with star-making performances): Ciaran McCarthy as Judas Iscariot, Ben Van Diepen as Jesus Christ and JoAnn Coleman as Mary Magdalene.

McCarthy's Judas is broodingly sexy, sung with a mixture of bravado and sensitivity. With his Judas, McCarthy gives a tour de force performance that is at once robustly athletic and achingly tortured (perhaps best exemplified by "Damned for All Time/Blood Money" and his dramatic death scene)--it's impossible not to be moved by him. His performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar" is one of the production's best moments. 

Van Diepen matches him note-for-note with a startling clarity that makes Christ's ultimate undoing all the more agonizing. He resists every notion to overact, particularly during the crucifixion scene, and thereby keeps his character earthbound and genuine all the while making him divinely inspiring. His "Gethsemane" is a beautiful paean to his humanity and the very real sweetness that he conveys throughout his performance makes it near impossible for even the most rigid non-believer to leave without questions in his heart.

Coleman is a revelation. Despite some distracting nervous tics in the beginning of the piece, she grows in intensity, displaying a dramatic heft that is necessary to make her later anguish believable and real. Both of her best-known arias are exquisitely performed: "Everything's Alright" is frankly sensual yet reassuringly soothing, and "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is heart-wrenchingly melancholic, effectively skirting any melodramatic overtones.

The three are given exceptional support by a company of players who give terrific performances, including Alan Lee as Pontius Pilate, Scott Rice as King Herod (he very nearly steals the show with his rollicking, fiercely theatrical performance of "King Herod's Song"), W. Scott Stewart as Caiaphas, Devin Clevenger as Simon Zealotes, Will Sevier as Peter and Justin Bourdet as Annas.

To be quite honest, I could write pages upon pages about the wealth of talent to be found in this cast, but I only have so much time and space for this review. There are no real weaknesses to be found here, except for a few minor quibbles that seem unimportant in the overall impact of the production and certainly, they didn't detract enough to sway my opinion of the quality of this show.

Green's onstage musicians perform the score with vigor, sounding like so much more than the sum of their parts. Ditty's choreography is sublime, resulting in some of the best dancing we've seen in a local musical production. That he is able to use the postage-stamp size space of the Boiler Room stage to such effect is testament to his artistry.

--Jesus Christ Superstar. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Presented by The Boiler Room Theatre. Directed by Jamey Green and Billy Ditty. Musical direction by Jamey Green. Choregraphy by Billy Ditty. Through September 19. For reservations, call (615) 794-7744; for further details, visit the website at www.BoilerRoomTheatre.com