The latest production of Jesus Christ Superstar is a rollercoaster ride of love, loss and betrayal, but at times it felt a little rushed.
This reimagined version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's hit show won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival after a run at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London.
The UK tour has now arrived at Norwich Theatre Royal and I headed along to watch on opening night.
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It follows the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ (Ian McIntosh), as seen through the eyes of Judas (Shem Omari James), and it features a rock-infused score.
Both leads had heavenly vocals and wowed particularly in Heaven on their Minds and Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say), respectively.
Hannah Richardson as Mary Magdalene also gave an impressive and heartfelt rendition of I Don't Know How to Love Him, though, through no fault of her own, the character felt underdeveloped.
This was also the case with some of the other characters, including the disciples.
If it wasn't a universally known plot then I would have been quite lost with what happened in act one.
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This was not helped by the loud instrumental accompanying some of the songs, making it hard to understand the lyrics at points.
Fortunately, the second act was much better with particularly strong performances from Ryan O'Donnell as Pontius Pilate and Timo Tatzber was wonderfully flamboyant as King Herod.
Jesus' final moments were poignantly delivered and the giant crucifix was cleverly used throughout the show - from a stage to the last supper table to the final crescendo.
The ending was met with a standing ovation from most of the audience, many I expect have seen the show several times and know the lyrics well.
As a first-timer seeing it on stage, though I have seen the 1973 film, I didn't quite spring to my feet but the show still lifted my spirits.
Jesus Christ Superstar runs until April 13 - book at norwichtheatre.org
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