URP presents Jesus Christ Superstar, Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 at Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. Tickets $44/$36/$28 at centennialtheatre.com.
A cast of characters that calls for 13 men and one woman doesn’t leave much room for female theatrical talent.
Such is the case with Jesus Christ Superstar, the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in which Mary Magdalene is the only female role. The gender imbalance isn’t surprising considering the source material (the Bible), but it does reflect a reality in the theatre world where there tend to be fewer parts for women than men – and fewer substantial parts at that.
URP theatre company has staged Jesus Christ Superstar twice, in 1995 and 2004, both times sticking to traditional casting. In a contemporary twist, the company’s upcoming rendition of the musical at Centennial Theatre is the product of a gender-blind casting approach.
“We just wanted to put together the best possible cast we could and there’s so many talented women out there and so few meaty roles for them,” says director Richard Berg.
The company held open auditions and chose the best person for each part, regardless of gender.
“We looked at what we could do with it and decided that we could tell the story very effectively and entertain people without sticking to the traditional casting genders.”
The result is that Jesus and Mary will be played by a man and a woman, respectively, and the remainder of the performers are mixed. Judas, Pilate and Herod, all traditionally male parts, will be portrayed by women.
The 14-person cast is relatively small compared to other productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, so all the principal performers also double as members of the chorus.
“Everyone is on (stage) all the time and it really feels like a communal ensemble effort to put this show on,” Berg says. “I think it results in a much tighter production and the overall talent level is higher because it’s harder to get really talented people that want to just be in the chorus.”
Jesus Christ Superstarmade its Broadway debut in 1971, though it was originally written as a concept album. The show is unique in that it is sung through, with no spoken dialogue. Loosely based on the Gospels, the story follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life, from his arrival in Jerusalem to his Crucifixion. It focuses on Jesus’s relationships with Mary and Judas, the details of which are not described in the Bible.
Berg says audiences don’t need to be familiar with the Bible to enjoy the musical and shouldn’t feel intimidated by the religious narrative.
“The show is exciting and entertaining regardless of knowing anything about the piece ahead of time,” he says. “While it’s true, for the most part, to its source material in that it tells the Passion story of Christ, it does not do it in a preachy way and it does not require any religious background at all.”
Berg has a soft spot for Jesus Christ Superstar. It was the first show URP ever produced and he’s always been drawn to its driving pace and sheer performance value.
“It’s a show that suits this production company well. We tend to excel at shows that have young, energetic casts that play more towards rock and pop music than traditional theatre music.”
This staging highlights the “rock” in rock opera, Berg says, explaining why he decided against using an orchestra.
“We’ve stripped it down to a four-piece rock band,” he says. “It gives it more of a raw rock feel and less of a symphonic feel, which I think will suit the way we’re approaching this production.”
Meanwhile, he says the lighting and set design will evoke a rock ’n’ roll feel.
“The whole show will feel very presentational, very theatre-meets-rock-concert.”
