Two openings draw on the Book of Exodus, one as a Hollywood cash cow, the other as a spark igniting an edgy and visceral show

Theatrical productions based on the Book of Exodus seem to follow the alleged pattern of London buses – no sooner does the musical, The Prince of Egypt, arrive in the capital than Pass Over, a play drawing on the same story, follows close behind.

There is some scriptural justification for a sung show about Moses because, in Exodus 15, after the Red Sea has parted to let through the Hebrews but closed again over the pursuing Egyptians, the escapees and their leader sing a song to God.

As there must have been a large volume of freed slaves, it’s just possible that their celebratory hymn on the safe far shore approached the astonishing volume of the numbers in The Prince of Egypt, performed by actors who wear visible wireless head mics of the sort used by pop stars. This is a necessity because the score, though played by a live orchestra, is amplified to fill the West End’s 2,000-seater Dominion Theatre, a venue the size of a rock arena.