TADCASTER Theatre Company's staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar is running at the Riley Smith Hall, Tadcaster, until Saturday.

"This is a very ambitious project for Tadcaster," says committee member Lesley Jones. "I always said I wanted to see us 'push the boat out' in our choice of shows, so I pulled out all the stops in my committee role and succeeded in obtaining the licence ahead of the show's re-release as a professional production next year.

"The important factor is to be able to produce a plethora of strong male vocal talent, combining all voice ranges, together with a strong young female to play Mary, and we've done that."

York Press:

Kelly Bolland as Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar. Picture: Liam James Pullen, Tech 247

Many of the Yorkshire company sang in Bev Jones's Penny Millionaire in York in early January. Chris Hagyard, from York, plays Judas; West Yorkshireman Nathan Winn stars as Jesus; Terry Ford, from Leeds, is Pilate; Martin Harvey, from York, Caiaphas; Richard Goodall, from West Yorkshire, Herod; Steven Jobson, from York, Peter, and Kelly Bolland, from Tadcaster, Mary.

The production is directed by Iain Harvey, fresh from his directorial debut in Penny Millionaire, and musical director James Rodgers has an 11-piece rock orchestra in the pit. "He's at home with this rock musical as it's his favourite genre, and it shows," says Lesley. "The rehearsals were brought alive by his musicianship."

Harvey's production is traditional in style, a decision agreed by all involved. "There's not a single piece of PVC or plastic in sight," says Lesley. Tickets for the 7.30pm evening shows and 2.30pm Saturday matinee can be booked at ticketsource.co.uk/tadcastertheatrecompany or on 0333 666 3366.