My guess is that Dolf Ramos and Marco Gomez creators of the DOMA Theatre Company are as much in love with this show as anyone, and it that love truly shines in this wonderfully executed show.
There are some very clever interpretations of the story. The vicious and sneaky Sanhedrin were ‘Droog- like’, strange and slightly freaky looking, ‘a la’ Clockwork Orange, which was really interesting. The flock of Jesus’s followers began the show dressed in club clothes and furiously taking selfies with Jesus, who was dressed in an impeccable white suit. Then as the show progressed they seemed to dress down more and more, reverting back to the more traditional garb and colors of the era. Really excellent costume design Lauren Oppelt, and great attention to detail. The set too was interesting and worked well for the show, simple but effective, John Iacovelli was very inventive, I particularly liked the turning side walls, great job!
Pontious Pilot, played superbly by Kelly Brighton, looked just like a typical politician, trying to play both sides, and his soft, lyrical voice handled the songs and his character so brilliantly. Kenny Carranza had a fantastic Gatsbyesque, although all to brief turn as the hilarious Herod, replete with half naked, fawning cabana boys and a fantastic ‘roaring’ Charleston that Busby Berkley himself would have been proud to call his own!
The really excellent ensemble supporting cast really enjoyed his famous “SO this is the Christ, the great Jesus Christ” number. And I have to say, these supporting players were, to a fault, perfection. They commanded the stage, held character, and sang with such harmony and passion, they really made the show in my opinion.
Nate Parker as Jesus was a mesmerizing presence, and eerily Christ like, and boy could he hit those high notes! Judas was well played by Jeremy Saje, his rock voice strong and passionate throughout. Renee Cohen was mournful and tender as Mary Magdalene, and Michelle Holmes was appallingly good as Annas, so easy to hate, which of course was the point after all. I also loved loathing Andrew Diego as Caiaphas and the two of them played off each other so well, they were quite the pair, and I would certainly not want to be on the wrong side of them!
The band was really excellent, in a small venue containing the sound of a rock band without drowning out the vocalists is a mean feat, and one which Chris Raymond, the musical director and band leader, did to perfection. In fact the sound in general, which, let us not forget, is really quite important in a musical, was really well handled, a nod to Julie Ferrin and her excellent sound design here.
The dance sequences were really fun, and with a large cast on an intimate stage with so much story to convey through movement, this was a tall order. But Angela Todaro, the choreographer, did a superb job, a lovely balance of dance and physical interpretation of the story.
This is a truly wonderful adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar. It made me want to revisit all the songs, dust of my vinyl, search Netflix for the movie, and sing “I Don’t Know How to Love him” in the car all the way home, much to my husband’s chagrin.
I highly recommend Jesus Christ Superstar.
The show runs from February 13th to March 3rd, so book your tickets now!
http://www.domatheatre.com
The Doma Theatre Group,
The Met Theatre hollywood.
1089 N. Oxford Avenue
Los Angeles
CA 90029
Cast
Nate Parker as Jesus
Jeremy Saje as Judas
Renee Cohen as Mary Magdalene
Andres Diego as Caiaphas
Kelly Brighton as Pilate
Yenny Carranz as Herod
Michelle Holmes as Annas
Blair Grotbeck as Peter
Graham Kurtz as Simon
Ensemble Cast
Alex AllenJakee Bianchi ,Charles Bostick, Tym Brown, Kevin Corsini, Sandra Diana Cantu, Kaitlyn Fajilan (Mary Understudy),Kendra M Hill, Alison Jakubowski, Welsey Moran, Ashlie Paige, Dekontee Tucrkile, Lauren Tyni, Anthony D Willis.
Creative
Director | MARCO GOMEZ
Musical Director | CHRIS RAYMOND
Choreographer | ANGELA TODARO
Scenic Design | JOHN IACOVELLI
Lighting Design | CHRISTINA SCHWINN
Sound Design | JULIE FERRIN
Costume Design | LAUREN OPPELT
Props Design | HALLIE BARAN
Makeup Design | KAREN SANCHEZ
Projections Designer/Lighting Consultant | JEAN-YVES TESSIER
Production Manager/Stage Manager | GABRIEAL GRIEGO
Assistant Stage Manager | LAURA FORST*
Costume Assistant | JESSICA KUHNS
Wardrobe Assistant | JACKIE GUDGEL
Props Assistant | BRUCE THRONE
Sound Mixer | NOELLE SAMMOUR
Audio 2 | JULIO RODRIGUEZ
Scenic Painter | ORLANDO DE LA PAZ
Scenic Builder | WILLIAM LIDDERDALE
Dance Captain | ALLISON JAKUBOWSKI
Public Relations | LUCY POLLAK
Graphics Designer | DOLF RAMOS
Videographer | TRISH GEIGER
Technical Directors | AARON LYONS
Technical Directors | BRAD BENTZ
Social Media Manager | JOSÉ GONZALEZ
House Manager | ELIZABETH NAM
Controller | JC CHAVEZ
Executive Producer | MARCO GOMEZ
Producer | MARCO GOMEZ
Producer | DOLF RAMOS