West End musicals weren't really on my radar when I lived in London.
They never seemed to be a proper part of the theatrical fabric of the city, just another London highlight to tick off. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Phantom Of The Opera. Tick, tick, tick. Earlier this week, however, seats were booked for a holiday visit to The Wizard Of Oz at the Palladium. I'll be the tourist this time, and I'll have a five-year-old in tow.
I'm secretly looking forward to seeing Dorothy and friends on stage because we recently enjoyed a family trip to Oliver! at the Playhouse in Edinburgh. I was spellbound by the stage mechanics of a genuine West End touring production; my daughter, for her part, was able to add Where Is Love and Food, Glorious Food to the Vegas cabaret-style repertoire she belts out in bed every night in the space between parental night-nights and finally closing her eyes.
I'd been thinking about West End musicals anyway, as I had recently been sent the digitally remastered edition of Jesus Christ Superstar – the original album that spawned the stage show and film. The thrill of hearing Ian Gillan's voice transported me back to teenage evenings in front of the bedroom mirror, silent-screaming along to Deep Purple's Child In Time. Along with Godspell and Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar always seemed the most hippy of musicals ("Hey JC, JC, you're all right by me"), but listening to the album, I wonder if it shouldn't be reconsidered for classic rock status, particularly for its psychedelic breaks and electric-fried soul. Not to mention the Broadway showstoppers, music hall pastiches and, at one point, literally lashings of funk.
It's not, really, a show I imagined would be first in line for a fully staged revival, given its particular blend of religion, politics and sexual tension. But, lo and behold, Andrew Lloyd Webber has it lined up for his next reality TV show, Superstar, following on from competitions to cast lead roles in Joseph, The Sound Of Music, Oliver! and The Wizard Of Oz.
An arena tour will follow, starring some unknown bod who's been invading your living on a weekly basis as Jesus, Tim Minchin as Judas, Melanie C as Mary Magdalene and Chris Moyles as Herod. Compare that to the original album – Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and Manfred Mann's Mike d'Abo in those roles -– and consider how far we've slipped. I know these things are expensive to produce, but the reality-show casting format has surely lost its gimmicky star-is-born sheen, while the rest of the line-up seems to rate celebrity status above dramatic credibility (although I've got hopes for the former Sporty Spice).
It seems that, in this day and age, even Lloyd Webber won't risk writing a new show when he can revive an old one. Then again, I know at least one five-year-old who'll soon be adding Somewhere Over The Rainbow to her nightly bag of tricks. I'm a bit worried about I Don't Know How To Love Him, though.
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