Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors
10/09/2016, 23:45
KARYN
Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors southlondontheatre.co.uk Updated Sep 10th, 2016
Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/1593e6b7-…F%3AE%3D1571649cbac%3AS%3D4dee0924499b6540627d4f4d87e0ad39
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Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors
10/09/2016, 23:45
Director Bryon Fear and Musical Director Gerard Johnson talk about their love for this enduring musical, which they’re bringing to life from August 23 in the Main Hall at Stanley Halls. Bryon – it’s been said recently that this show was ripe for revival and you evidently felt the same?
For SLT it was an accidental revival. We couldn’t get the rights for either the small play I’d opted to direct for this year’s season, or our scheduled musical. I thought it would be a real shame not to have a musical this year, so I started to research small cast musicals that we could stage at Stanley Halls. During that process I kept going back and listening to one of my favourite musicals of all time, and dared to ask if the rights were available. When I was told they were, I just had to try and get it off the ground. That’s when I approached Gerard Johnson. What’s so special about it for you both? With a show this big, you need to work with people who are passionate about the project because it inevitably becomes allconsuming. I knew Gerard particularly loved this show and that was my first piece of great luck. He is immensely talented and I could not have done this show without him, or without Anna Callendar my choreographer, I don’t have the words to express how brilliant I think they are, or the respect that I have for them both! Gerard – you’ve done several musicals with SLT in the past, but this is a show with which you’ve had a long personal history – how’s that felt?
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Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors
10/09/2016, 23:45
Well, for a start that’s why I’m doing it! Bryon originally asked me whether I was free to MD an unspecified musical in August, and I said “no, I’m going on holiday”. When he said it was Superstar, I realised I had to rearrange my whole summer. I’ve wanted to do this show for nearly four decades – I saw the original West End production a dozen times, and I learned to play the piano by bashing out the songs from it over and over. So to actually do the work on it – getting inside the music, working with our wonderful cast to bring the songs to life – has been fantastic. It’s another item ticked off the bucket list for me. Bryon – what are the challenges of directing a musical like this? Scale is definitely one of them. The whole premise of the show is epic … you don’t get more epic than the story of Christ’s last days before his crucifixion. On a theatrical scale of 1-10, most musicals are a ten, but this one goes to 11. What’s the best part of your job as director?
It’s definitely the collaborative creative process of bringing an artistic vision to life. As a director you get to dream up a vision of what you would like the end product to be, and then you get to work with all the incredibly talented people on your creative team who make it happen. SLT has a history of https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/1593e6b7-…F%3AE%3D1571649cbac%3AS%3D4dee0924499b6540627d4f4d87e0ad39
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Jesus Christ Superstar – Talking With The Directors
10/09/2016, 23:45
your creative team who make it happen. SLT has a history of producing high quality shows, so as a director you always tend to aim high. In this instance I’ve had such great luck with a cast who’ve worked tirelessly to be the very best they can be, and they are astonishing; a crew who have made everything so jaw-droppingly impressive, and a band who have exceeded all expectations. The short answer to the question is people, who make the magic happen. What do you think the appeal of this show is for our audience? I think what makes this show special is that it’s so accessible, with the most gorgeous type of rock-pop music that will appeal to most people. Regardless of who the characters are, at the core of the story is friendship, love and betrayal – all things that we’ve probably experienced or at least can relate to, and in the context of this story it becomes incredibly moving. Tell us a little about your enormous cast.
They’re a truly talented group of individuals who’ve come from many different places (even continents). Many are new to SLT and will be better known for their work with other theatres across London, so I’m delighted that they’ve joined our company to stage this show. We also have SLT members who haven’t been on stage for years, and others that thought they wouldn’t tread the boards again, but are doing so magnificently. Everyone has been so lovely and professional; it’s rare, even when working on a small scale show, to have a happy harmonious team – but when it happens with a cast and crew of 45, it’s really quite humbling and you can’t help but feel blessed! Photos © RubyLdn Directed by Bryon Fear with Musical Direction by Gerard Johnson Jesus Christ Superstar plays in the Main Hall Tuesday, August 23 – Saturday, August 27 at 8pm with an additional matinee https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/1593e6b7-…F%3AE%3D1571649cbac%3AS%3D4dee0924499b6540627d4f4d87e0ad39
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective
10/09/2016, 23:45
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/e0762b48-f…2F%3AE%3D157164e32c7%3AS%3Dc60f7924b0c2ab946f94f934f77199f3
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective
10/09/2016, 23:45
Yesterday we published an interview with the directors – today we chat to some of the cast about their characters and experience of working on SLT’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar which opens on Tuesday, August 23 in the Main Hall at Stanley Halls. Dan Goad – Judas Iscariot Dan has been involved with several musicals but this is his first with SLT.
“Musicals take their inspiration from many different sources, but few have source material as ubiquitous as the life of Jesus. I’m sure all of the audience will be familiar with the roles of the key players in Jesus Christ Superstar, including Judas, and will have some pre-conceived notions about them. In performing a role you try to separate your portrayal from previous performers, and when it comes to Superstar you not only have other versions of the same musical, but countless other representations. https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/e0762b48-f…F%3AE%3D157164e32c7%3AS%3Dc60f7924b0c2ab946f94f934f77199f3
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective
10/09/2016, 23:45
History and popular culture – from Dante to Mel Gibson – have offered various interpretations of Judas, but in general his name has become a byword for treachery. There’s a temptation to make him into an outright villain, motivated by greed, jealousy or general unpleasantness. The more challenging approach is to portray him as a real person. His motivations and actions are not black and white, but there are shades of grey; so it’s been a challenge to show this inner conflict as well as singing some of the hardest songs in musical theatre!” Sean Mullaney – Jesus Christ Sean has just moved here from the USA where he also played the role of Jesus Christ.
“Having just hopped off the plane and jumped into the rehearsal process has made this beloved show and more specifically the role of Jesus feel like my safe haven. The familiarity has helped with the shift of scenery, and this cast and production team has made the life-changing event as smooth as could be. The show’s process has been refreshing and professional compared to the work I’ve done in the USA, as the theatre scene where I’m from was all too competitive and quick to tear you down. Here I feel the communal aspect and driving force of the show is to stage the best production for the audience. It’s great to see such a kind, supportive and talented group of artists coming together to put on this fantastic production for the community, and it’s set a high standard for my expectations of theatre here in future.” Alley Bilodeau – Mary Magdalene This is also Alley’s first SLT show. Here she examines the role of her character in the production.
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/e0762b48-f…F%3AE%3D157164e32c7%3AS%3Dc60f7924b0c2ab946f94f934f77199f3
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective
10/09/2016, 23:45
“Mary is a controversial figure a I think most people immediately recall her biblical ties with prostitution so she’s seen as nothing more than her profession, or as Judas puts it “a woman of her kind.” I wanted to portray a more human side to her rather than focus on that, so to fully connect with her character I had to delve deeper. Through my research, I found that she was one of Christ’s most devoted followers, and was believed to be there during his crucifixion and resurrection. Despite her label of being an outcast or unworthy, she found a great acceptance from Christ and his teachings of redemption and forgiveness and during the last few days of his life she is dealing with an emotional crisis. The song ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ shows Mary acknowledging her inner conflict of not knowing how to cope with her emotions whilst foreseeing the end. From Bryon’s direction, we also see that Mary and Judas are on opposite sides of a love triangle with Jesus.” Claire Moffat – Member of the Ensemble Claire has worked behind the scenes on two previous SLT shows, but this is her first as a performer.
“When I heard that SLT was putting on Jesus Christ Superstar, I knew I wanted to be involved. I’m usually more of a backstage person, but I love singing and am a massive fan of this show, so I thought I’d give it a go and audition for the ensemble. The experience has been so much more than I thought it https://www.evernote.com/shard/s668/nl/124040893/e0762b48-f…F%3AE%3D157164e32c7%3AS%3Dc60f7924b0c2ab946f94f934f77199f3
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Jesus Christ Superstar – The Cast’s Perspective
10/09/2016, 23:45
ensemble. The experience has been so much more than I thought it would be. I’ve been introduced to so many lovely people that I might never have met, and have been impressed at everyone’s talent. This production that Bryon, Gerard and Anna are creating is very special. They are so great at what they do that I feel really lucky to be a part of it. As we approach opening night, it’s exciting to see everything coming together. It’s going to be amazing!”
Read our interview with the directors here Photos © RubyLdn Jesus Christ Superstar plays in the Main Hall Tuesday, August 23 – Saturday, August 27 at 8pm with an additional matinee at 2pm on the Saturday.
10:24 am , August 18, 2016
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