Jesus Christ Superstar rocks hard and rises again, but the message is a little fuzzy

But most people come for the hits, which are delivered with power and passion. Mahalia Barnes as Mary Magdalene gives I Don’t Know How to Love Him a wonderful Aretha-ish soulful spin; show-stealing drag sensation Reuben Kaye is so wickedly campy as Herod he might have wandered across from Fringe World; and Elliot Baker and John O’Hara, with their washboard stomachs and Matrix-inspired eyewear, inject a deliciously sinister chic.

And Sheader delivers several stunning theatrical moments, such as Christ being whipped with glitter (sounds silly, I know, but it works marvellously), the last supper played out around a collapsed crucifix, and the suicide of Judas taking place both on top of the metal structure and stunningly echoed underneath (it’s both tasteful and impactful).

While Jesus Christ Superstar is seen by most as a souped-up version of the familiar New Testament tale – albeit one that entwines Jesus and Judas in a philosophically and politically fascinating bromance – watching the story that has fuelled antisemitism over the centuries is disturbing, especially at this combustible moment. Sometimes shows from the past speak to us in unexpected and unsettling ways.

Then again, a musical centred on a suicide and a crucifixion is always going to be kind of weird, especially when Sunday night’s audience cheered at the exact moment of Jesus’ death on the cross. It’s a WTF moment that makes for very interesting theatre.

Jesus Christ Superstar is on until March 8.