Falkirk Bohemians are true superstars with their latest production

And rightly so as they smashed this iconic biblical rock musical at Grangemouth Town Hall.

Having first started in the 1970s, this musical which tells the story of Jesus’ last seven days on Earth has had many renditions but this local theatre company’s performance shone among them.

Despite the name, you don’t have to be religious to enjoy this fantastic piece of theatre.

With music by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, this production, directed by Calum Campbell, feels up to date and modern, despite its long time ago setting.

Alex Wheeler had some rather large shoes to fill taking on the role of Jesus and some extremely high notes to hit which he managed to great (and hugely deserved) applause. His portrayal of the ‘new messiah’ was outstanding – it was powerful, emotional and moving.

He played the character well – showing his vulnerability at times as he followed God’s instructions. One highlight had to be Alex’s incredibly emotional delivery of Gethsemane as he sang of his struggles to complete the mission he had been given.

Judas Iscariot (Paul Allison) appears in complete contrast to Jesus. The disciple has become concerned about what he sees as Jesus continues to attract followers and he fears his actions will bring harm to their people.

He tries to warn them, but no one listens and he ultimately betrays Jesus to Caiaphas and Annas who are plotting to remove Jesus as they seem him as a dangerous, disruptive threat.

Paul is another performer with an incredibly powerful voice which is shown in his renditions of Heaven on their Minds; Damned for All Time and the well known Superstar.

Throughout the show, Mary Magdalene (Hannah Parsons) is depicted as a calming, soothing character for Jesus, despite her reputation as a prostitute. There’s a chemistry between Mary and Jesus which shows her warmth and caring for him as we learn she’s struggling with her own feelings towards him through a beautiful, heartfelt performance of I Don’t know how to love him.

Graeme Scott as disciple Peter who denies Jesus – as he said he would – was another fantastic emotional performance.

Jamie Montieth as Caiaphas and Kirstin Campbell as Annas alongside the priests commanded the stage as ‘the bad guys’ plotting to kill Jesus, while Pilate (Michael Coyne) had a strong stage presence.

A lot of the subject matter in Jesus Christ Superstar is by its vary nature serious, however there was certainly some light relief as King Herod (Kenny Walker) took to the stage.

Herod’s Song is known by musical fans for its comedy – and Kenny’s performance nailed it wonderfully. The upbeat singing and dancing – with a lot of laughter – certainly brought many a smile to those in the audience on Tuesday evening.

The ensemble play a vital role in the telling of this story as without them – and their adoration for JC – there would be no reason for Judas to be concerned.

With a basic, scaffolding-esque set the company made very clever use of the whole auditorium to make the audience feel a part of the story.

And whatever direction you looked on stage, there was always something going on as the ensemble worked hard to convey the story and messages without any speech through their movement and dance.

A great job from choreographer Natalie Tedesco in storytelling without any dialogue in the whole show, just song.

Live musicians brought the rock score to life under the watchful eye of musical director Crawford Moyes.

To some the name of the musical may put them off, but please don’t let that be the case. This is a brilliant piece of musical theatre from the Bohemians and you’d be a fool to miss it.

» Falkirk Bohemians perform Jesus Christ Superstar at Grangemouth Town Hall until Saturday. Shows at 7.30pm each night, and a 2.30pm Saturday matinee.

Cast: Jesus – Alex Wheeler; Judas – Paul Allison; Mary – Hannah Parsons; Pilate – Michael Coyne; Herod – Kenny Walker; Peter – Graeme Scott; Simon – Andrew McAteer; Caiaphas – Jamie Montieth; Annas – Kirstin Campbell; Apostles – Danny Anderson, Stephanie Campbell, Sam Dolan, Olivia Donnet, Chloe Gallacher, Rebecca Hardie, Amy Sutherland, Eddie Webster, Darren Wilson; Priests – David Young, Dan Rous, Colin Fawkes; Soul Girls – Kirsty Meikle, Ceara McAteer, Laura Stewart; Ensemble – Kimberley Black, Emma Christie, Emma Davidson, Roslyn Fricker, Victoria Fulton, Emma Gilmour, Becky Hardie, Marianne Heron, Gemma McDonald, Shelley McLaren, Leigh Ann Struthers. Musicians – David Morrow, Alistair Neally, James Goodenough, Cal Gardiner, Nicola Kendall, David Thomson, David Barry, Lesley Easton, Robert Menzies, Michael Allan, Crawford Moyes.