Superstar

Despite no longer having a flat in Chester, we still love going to Venue Cymru in Llandudno to see shows. But, not being sure about undertaking a three hour drive back to Kendal at eleven o’clock, we booked to see a matinee performance of the touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
One of the drawbacks of the midweek matinee is that you tend to get the lead roles played by the alternates, and today was no exception. This meant that I would not see Julian Clary performing the role of Herod, but wasn’t too bothered as he’s not one of my favourite performers. There is also a danger that having a “celebrity cameo” in a show might detract from the rest of the performance.
And that performance was superb! I don’t care whether the actors I saw were the main leads or not, they all gave one of the most energetic and lively interpretations of this show that I have ever seen. The costumes managed to be both modern and biblical at the same time, the set was sparse but able to be used in many different ways and the orchestra were set among it. The lines between cast and band were further blurred by several of the characters accompanying themselves on guitar for certain numbers.
A very emotional show that earned a well deserved standing ovation. Definitely no hint whatsoever of a cast just going through the motions because “it’s only a Wednesday matinee” - quite the opposite in fact.
So I’m happy that matinee performances are not lesser quality than evening ones, but I’m not entirely convinced from the travelling point of view. It feels like we’ve spent most of the day driving up and down the M6 with a short break to see a musical in the middle!
I think we’ll continue to see shows there, but stick to evening performances. That way we don’t have to leave Kendal until after lunch, but still arrive in time for a leisurely tea before the show. Yes, we won’t be home until well gone midnight, but at least traffic should be light at that time of night.