I wanted to but couldn't!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I never went to see this show at the theatre, didn't get the opportunity, but knew the music and saw snatches on TV over the years.I watched the Arena Tour on TV - what a truly wonderful experience. I couldn't take my eyes off. It was now a proper rock musical - I haven't been so enthralled or impressed since I went to see Hair in 1969, but this surpassed that by miles. Well done, a wonderful show with excellent performances; Tim Minchin was just superb, as was Mel C, and Ben Forster was so powerful at times it hurt. The ensemble cast were wonderful too.Changing the time worked very well, there are parallels with today which you cannot ignore and which made it even more dramatic. The set design was superb, the costume quite stunning.Yes, I enjoyed it! I just wanted to be there soaking it all up!

This is surely the best attempt at rejuvenating Lloyd Webber and Rice's under appreciated work since the 1973 movie featuring Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. It does however fall into similar traps from previous productions, in so much as, directors incessantly feel the need to modernise or set it in some kind of wacky environment, sometimes at the expense of logic. The most bizarre example being Ponteous Pilate doing push up's after tennis, whilst pondering Christ's fate. This production is for arenas and stadiums only; A gift to the awesome array of session musicians, who smash their way through the big numbers with aplomb, whilst still providing tenderness where needed. The cast also benefit from the size and scope of this production, but for different reasons. As a paying member of a 40,000 strong audience, one can imagine being swept away with Mel C's Magdeline, as would her voice have been swept away with reverb, and bolstered by the awesome accompaniment. But on TV, listening to the direct feed from the desk, her interpretation lacks all subtlety, and is harsh on the ears. No doubt her brief stint in the west end production of Blood Brothers, entertained Lloyd Webber's sensibilities both Musical Theatre, and commercial. Sadly, Ben Forster as Christ also disappoints due to a lack of rock authenticity. He seems to have the range (although he does seem to split his long held high note at the end of Everything's Alright - did that go unnoticed in post production? Or was it the 'warts and all' approach to editing live events?) but the higher notes are reached not unlike a choir boy. The 'screams' of Ted Neely and Ian Gillan are here replaced with a dulcet falsetto. And there is a lack of anger: Tim Rice's interpretation of Christ in his final days is as impatient and angry, as would any real man's mentality be. Forster however, is a whimpering victim, failing to find the good stuff needed for The Temple scene, and only marginally improving for Gethsemanie. Tim Minchin, however is a ray of light. There is no doubt that he delivers vocally in his big numbers, but that's where his focus seems to be, and not on the smaller moments where his voice is quite thin, and glassy. But due to the benefit of close up telly, his complete and utter emotional investment in the character, and what's at stake are undeniable. Whilst I'm not a massive fan of his tone, It's a great performance, with little attempt at hiding or covering up his own stylings, putting his own stamp on the character - a rock 'n' roll hallmark. Chris Moyles is adequate as Herod. This is to Superstar what Master Of The House is to Les Miserables, and is much loved, a lot of fun, and therefore, hard to get wrong. The 'wacky' re-imagining DOES work here, presenting the song as a live 'phone-in' /Jerry Springer-esque telethon of some kind. Bringing us round to design. It's done really well, with a huge screen covering various on stage moments, as well as providing storyline background ideas, atop a huge staircase. of which some steps retract or move. On the whole, it's great to see Superstar given the treatment it finally deserves, and as a fan of the show, musician, and actor, my hat goes off to the rollicking band, and energetic supporting cast. Superstar rocks, again!

JCS is on of the real classics. I've been listening it as a kid and imagining the ancient Jerusalem. Of course i'm talking about the 1970 version with Ian Gillan as JC. Then came the movie with Ted Neeley brilliantly playing JC. These two are classics are a real challenge for new versions to compete with. Now speaking of the Live Arena. We have brilliant Tim Minchin as Judas, incredible Mel C as Mary Magdalane and arguably a black horse Ben Forster as JC. We also have Chris Moyles as King Herod, probably a best man for the role. But the surroundings are really modernized. No priests in white clothings! Instead we have gentlemen in gray suits as Annas and Caiaphas and some punk-looking youth as JC's surroundings. And it works out! JSC have always been sorta 'look from our time' thing, and this modern scenery perfectly fits. Alexander Hanson who plays Pontius Pilate add some classical theatre touch to the vivid palette of the show. Now about the main three characters. As i've mentioned Judas played by Tim Minchin is brilliant, it's really the top performance of Judas. Mel C is perfect in the role of Mary Magdalane. To tell the truth i've never liked Spice Girls, but this show opened my eyes of Mel C's talent! As for Ben Forster.... well really he's not the best out-here. Ian Gillan is more passionate and truthful even though we don't see him! I'm not saying that Ben is bad! He's OK! But i've HEARD better JC! And even Ben's advantage of performing on stage can't overcome that. However i won't lower my vote 10/10. It's a classic and if these shows added at least a handful of new fans than it's worth it!

Simply Spectacular! Very well done, much better than the older versions, even though the inimitable Tim Minchin is in it, and is always worth watching, the other cast members really pull their weight, he doesn't 'overpower' it, which, I admit, I was worried about as he's just so good.It's well balanced, very good mix of action, dramatic shots and comedy (particularly when Herod arrives - he's hilarious).As a rule, I don't really like arena shows* but this one, somehow, is much better than the norm, it's got a lot of acting as well. OK, the 'set' doesn't change, the backdrop does, which alters the feel a lot, though. You almost don't even notice there isn't any furniture or props.I do, however, wonder how many people watching it really understood what Andrew Lloyd Webber was trying to say. I wonder if people really saw it as 'the story of Christ', or whether they saw it as the story of a man who was made into a 'superstar' by the public and the hype surrounding him built him into a 'god'. (There are quite a few very interesting interviews on YouTube with Lloyd-Webber and Minchin, if you're interested).One really silly thing, though, is, when Mary Magdalene takes off her jacket, and shows a massive Crucifix tattoo on her left arm. My son looks at it and says "Mum, why does she have a crucifix on her arm when Jesus hasn't been crucified yet?" Which I thought was a really good point - but then I looked it up and, apparently, it's not part of the show, it's actually Mel C's tattoo. I still think it's silly, they should have covered it up.The only thing I was disappointed about was that it finished, I could have happily have listened to another hour or two of that singing!!! L.PS: There's a fantastic surprise at the end! LOVED IT! <3*An Arena Show is where there are no, or minimal, props and furniture, the songs tell the story.