The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
MORE STRINGS ATTACHED
‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ getting especially lush musical treatment during Playhouse Square engagement
After spending the majority of last decade working as a Broadway director, conductor, arranger and pianist, Shawn Gough said there was one national tour appealing enough to get him back on the road: “Jesus Christ Superstar.” ¶ Growing up in a rural town in central Illinois, Gough — whose Broadway resume includes everything from “Aladdin” and “Annie Get Your Gun” to “The Lion King” and “Something Rotten” — said as a child he listened incessantly to the Tony Award-winning production’s score, which features iconic songs “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane” and “Superstar.” ¶ Now he’s the music director of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which, as part of the KeyBank Broadway Series, returns to Cleveland’s Playhouse Square with a run March 10 through 29 at the Connor Palace.
“I’ve loved this record since I was kid,” said Gough, calling from Hartford, Connecticut. “During the ‘70s, I would barricade myself with my record player and listen to the album. There’s a reason people go back and listen to this score. I have friends who don’t like theater who listen to this album. We’re drawn to the intensity of the music.
“I’ve just always wanted to lead this show — that’s why I’m out on the road. This production is really incredible. It came over from London and really captures something very unique. I can guarantee it’s like nothing people have seen before. It’s really something.”
Despite the fact such grandiose statements are common in the musicaltheater world, Gough’s hype may not be hyperbole.
Coming on the heels of NBC’s spring 2018 airing of “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” which attracted more than 9.6 million viewers and received the highest critical ranking of any live musical event on network TV, interest in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s groundbreaking rock opera continues to soar.
Now nearly 10 years after its last major tour in the US, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is back. Reimagined for its 50th-anniversary tour, the London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production is a one-act, 90-minute affair that appears to be a mustsee show for fans.
“We have an incredible cast that is reproducing the album,” Gough said. “It’s quite impressive. The vocal quality of this show is topnotch. And in Cleveland, we’re adding additional strings, which will be unique to our run there.”
Yes Playhouse Square and Work Light Productions are presenting the “Jesus Christ Superstar” national tour in live theatrical surround sound exclusively for Cleveland audiences.
Further, an additional 22 Northeast Ohio string players will combine with the 11-piece ensemble of touring musicians to create a 33-piece orchestra for the Northeast Ohio stint.
“We’re busting at the seams to get there,” Gough said. “The whole band is excited to play Playhouse Square, which asked for this to happen. Early on, they came out to our New York City rehearsal. Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s own staff in London did the orchestrations. “Playhouse Square knows how to get things done by inspiring the actual composer to be interested in what’s going on. This is very high-profile. I can’t wait to see it all come together. Clearly, they love theater there in Cleveland.”