A new production of controversial classic Jesus Christ Superstar, by the Musical Youth Company of Oxford, aims to bring modern relevance to the story of Jesus. “We’ve tried to make it timeless, because it’s a timeless story,” says director Robin Martin-Oliver. “We’ve also tried to make it relevant, because a lot of people think Jesus Christ is irrelevant now, and that the church has lost a lot of its relevance.

“But we’ve been guided by the libretto, and it makes it very modern in the sense that Jesus is not just the Son of God – he’s a very real person. So we’ve tried to make him very human, very vulnerable at times, sometimes completely overwhelmed by other people’s needs.”

Jesus Christ Superstar doesn’t offer as many opportunities for big dance numbers as other shows, but Robin sees that as a plus. “I think there’s only two big dance numbers in this, but in a way I think that makes it more interesting, because dance numbers can be a bit predictable. I think we’ve made the show very dramatic, very intense.

“There’s even some humour in it – there’s obviously not a lot of humour in the story, but we tried to put a bit of humour in there, particularly in the scene with the apostles.”

Robin was also keen to involve the chorus as much as possible. “I think sometimes in the chorus you can feel a bit left out, but if you haven’t got a good chorus in a show, you haven’t got a show. There’s a lot of chorus in this, and they’re onstage a lot. Even when they’re not doing anything they’re onstage as bodies. So we’ve made the chorus a big part of the show.”

Coming to MYCO for the first time, Robin was impressed by the standard achieved by the cast, most of whom are aged 16 to 18. “They’re really talented,” he says. “It’s good music, we’ve got a good cast and they sing it well. They should be on Britain’s Got Talent!”

With a cast of 50 energetic teenagers, this promises to be an irresistibly lively and toe-tapping production. Jesus Christ Superstar is at The Theatre, Headington, from Tuesday to Saturday, April 11. For tickets, call 01865 759138, email boxoffice@headington.org or visit www.headington.org/theatre.For more information about the Musical Youth Company of Oxford, visit www.myco.org.uk