JESUS CHRIST PART II
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland
27/11/2015 - 20/12/2015
Production Details
CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM?
TO CRUCIFY OR NOT TO CRUCIFY – THE AUDIENCE DECIDES
The Basement Theatre’s 7th Annual Christmas Show
Lock up the heathens and exorcise your demons – He’s back again, and this time it’s theatrical! The 7th Annual Christmas Show returns to The Basement Theatre with JESUS CHRIST PART II November 27th – 19th December. Featuring a different incarnation of Jesus Christ from local stars of NZ telly and theatre; Antonia Prebble, Kura Forrester, Jamie Bowen, Rhys Mathewson, Nic Sampson, Olivia Tennet, Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery, Kimberley Crossman, Amanda Billing, Rose Matafeo, Hamish Parkinson, Joel Tobeck, Jacquie Brown, Lucy Lawless, Eli Matthewson, Brynley Stent, Ryan Richards, Harry McNaughton and more to be announced, this year’s festive tale is the second coming of Jesus, but this time, just like girls, he just wants to have fun!
Basement has stolen the creative team behind last year’s JC Superstar, to bring you a very different kind of Christmas musical. This is the second coming that you never saw coming. In a last ditch to save humanity, God sends Jesus back for another go at it. This time Jesus is determined to nail it, without getting nailed. Will he succeed? Each night the audience will decide…
In a modern world of tinder, selfies and laser surgery JESUS CHRIST PART II seeks morality and truth asking “What would Jesus do?” then answering from The Lords perspective! Well close enough – complete with song, dance and improvisation and featuring a random celebrity Jesus each night, the mule tide show is sure to leave you feeling positively reborn!
Devised by some of the best comedic, theatre, dance and musical geniuses in NZ; Tom Sainsbury (SuperCity) Lara Fischel-Chisholm (Terror Highway) along with the oddball Basement Theatre Team, this year’s Basement Christmas show, directed by Oliver Driver (director of the 2014 ATC Jesus Christ Superstar production), and is a sure fire way to kick start the festive season.
Featuring Gareth Williams, founder of the short form entertainment website Squiz and actor from Sparticus, Coverband and the Lonesome Buckwhips; Hayley Sproull, who has won awards for her comedy shows, recently toured with Live Live Cinema Little Shop of Horrors, and is left handed; Victoria Abbott who has been in Ash Vs Evil Dead, All Your Wants And Needs Fulfilled Forever, and sometimes pretends to be a caterpillar; Julian Wilson from numerous theatre and TV shows, and joined by musical director Jason Smith, composer for television, film and theatre, along with a new Jesus each night.
The Annual Basement Theatre Christmas show reaches its 7th year, with 7 swans a swimming, bringing Christmas cheer and mirth to Aucklanders down for a good time! Prepare to sing, dance and laugh as Jesus makes a comeback – and remember you decide to crucify or not to crucify? Make sure this is the first stop on your Advent calendar, and book early as the season sells out every year!
FEATURING A ROTATING CAST OF 22
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, ON NO PARTICULAR PERFORMANCE DATE):
Antonia Prebble, Kura Forrester, Jamie Bowen, Rhys Mathewson, Nic Sampson, Olivia Tennet, Chris Parker, Guy Montgomery, Kimberley Crossman, Amanda Billing, Rose Matafeo, Hamish Parkinson, Joel Tobeck, Jacquie Brown, Lucy Lawless, Eli Matthewson, Brynley Stent, Ryan Richards, Harry McNaughton and more yet to be announced.
JESUS CHRIST PART II plays
Dates: 27 November – 20 December 2015
Times: 7:00pm Monday, 8:30pm Tuesday – Saturday
Early Show: 6:00pm Friday and Saturday
Venue: The Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland CBD
Tickets: $30 – $35, SANTA UPGRADE (Guaranteed Table Seating): $50.00
Bookings: www.iticket.co.nz // 0508 iTICKET (484 253)
Christmas party functions are available for large groups, for more details click here or enquire at christmas@basementtheatre.co.nz
Theatre , Musical ,
What will Jesus Do?
Review by Matt Baker 02nd Dec 2015
Director Oliver Driver’s programme quote may be a great pun, but it also makes perfect sense. Based on an original concept by Driver, choreographer Lara Fischel-Chisholm, script coordinator and lyricist Thomas Sainsbury, performer Gareth Williams, and Elise Sterbeck, Gabrielle Vincent, and Sam Snedden of the Basement Theatre staff, Jesus Christ Part II, like Jesus Christ Superstar, is a product of its era.
The core cast of Julian Wilson, Victoria Abbott, Gareth Williams, and Hayley Sproull, as God, the Virgin Mary, Judas, and Mary Magdalene deliver one of the best pieces of ensemble work this year. While necessarily comedically extreme in performance, each bring their own unique subtleties to their respective characters, so much so that their individual flair is incomparable. [More]
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Rollicking good fun
Review by Heidi North 28th Nov 2015
The creative team behind ATCs 2014 Christmas musical Jesus Christ Superstar (Dir. Oliver Driver and Choreographer Lala Fischel-Chisom)have landed atThe Basement this Christmas. Add to the mix Composer/Musical director Jason Smith, and they bring us a revamped version of the musical quite unlike any other.
Directed by Oliver Driver, with assistance from Sam Snedden and a great deal of writing by Thomas Sainsbury, the show is devised along with Elise Sterbeck, Gabrielle Vincent and the cast.
With clever lyrics, perfectly timed jazz hands and the actors struggling to keep the smiles off their faces, the production swiftly reminds us we’re in silly season. It’s rollicking good fun.
In Jesus Christ Part II capitalism is hot and generosity is not, as we follow Jesus on his/her second coming. Spawned fully formed by an impatient God to lesbian parents, Jesus II is here to… well, Jesus II isn’t quite sure what he/she’s here to do, exactly. And that’s the fun of it.
Supported by a wonderful and wildly talented ensemble cast (Hayley Sproull, Gareth Williams, Victoria Abbott and Julian Wilson), Jesus II is played by a different celebrity actor each night who has no idea what’s in store for them as the show unfolds.
Will the world be saved from the Rapture cast down by a vengeful God and will Jesus II be crucified all over again? It’s up to the audience to decide each night.
The show may have run a tad long on opening night, but we forgive them because it ends in tickertape. Jesus Christ Part II a glorious way to sooth your end-of-year stresses and finish your theatre-going year on a high.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Comments
Make a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Make a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Comments