What's the Buzz? Jesus Christ Superstar is Happening!
Wendy Spurgeon
“I am stretching my musical wings,” says Gaye Rock, owner/operator of the Rock Center on Bullard, “Wendy Spurgeon asked me to get involved as Vocal Director, and I accepted what has been both a challenge and a definite reward. I love to tell this story, and I think music tells it better than plain old words every time.”
The story of Jesus Christ Superstar is loosely based on the Gospel accounts of the last week of Jesus’ life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. It depicts political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus that are not present in the Bible . This local presentation is an adaptation of the original score, with some songs cut down or out by Music Director Bryce Wooton, and narrations added by Father Paul Moore to streamline the storytelling.
Auditions for the Jesus Christ Superstar adaptation commenced in late January, as a collaboration between Silver City United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. “Father Paul Moore and I have been scheming about this for over a year as a 3/30 Good Friday noon service at the Episcopal Church on 7th & Texas St.” says Wendy Spurgeon, the SCUCC lay leader doubles as project producer and sings Mary Magdalene, “but the story takes place over the whole last week of Jesus’ earthly life, so we collaborated with Terraza’s Funeral Chapel in Santa Clara to offer a 3/25 Palm Sunday 2:00, and 1st Presbyterian Church on Swan St. to offer a 4/1 Easter 2:00 matinee.”
As an ensemble piece, everyone sings in the chorus. “The Crowd” is an important character in the story and all voices are on deck to portray the complex spiritual, social and political dynamics of a time not so different from our own. Out of the chorus emerge soloists for the supporting characters of the Jesus story. Not many men showed up for auditions, so luckily Wooton was open to gender-blind casting from the start. For the role of Judas, he tapped a powerful young voice in Snell student, Keanna Huerta. Simon is sung with beautiful conviction by his wife, Sherry Wooton, and Kimber Etheredge sings Peter. The ensemble is rounded out by accompanist Jeanie Locicero, chorus members Gaye Rock, Mika, Ted Pressler, John Berry, Doug Abbott, Wendy Spurgeon, and featuring Bryce Wooton as Herod. Dustin Hamman plays the title role.
“The message is fabulous” says Etheredge. A natural performer, Kimber recently returned to the stage after a long hiatus precipitated by the challenges of single motherhood and self-doubt. “I’ve always really enjoyed the storyline and music. My partner in crime said you can do this, you were meant to do this, you go be that star that you are supposed to be. Such a blessing. If people see other people up there performing and sharing a positive message, maybe this will inspire others to push their comfort zone to send their message out there.” As she has been inspired, Kimber hopes others will be inspired and say to themselves, “Hey I can do that too.”
“If you do not know the story of Jesus, JCS is a great telling of the story,” says Gaye Rock. “Dustin Hamman's portrayal of Jesus is very moving, as are many of the performances throughout the show.”
“We are so lucky that Dustin decided to audition. He walked in, started singing, and our heads exploded”, says Spurgeon. “Who knew Jesus was right here in Silver City? He’s got the look, the voice, and the stage presence of a 1st century rock star. Thanks be to God for nudging him through the door, we’d have no show without him.”
Hamman seems to take on the challenge with grace and humility. “For the past several years I've mostly been touring as a musician and performer so right now I'm taking a break from that... I'm mostly working on projects that have been too long neglected and spending time with my family while I'm around. I'm also recording a new album with my band, Run On Sentence. So when that's done, it'll be time to hit the road again. I've always wanted to do some sort of theater but I'm never home long enough to get involved. Being home for the spring has given me a rare chance to dig into something new. Also, Gaye asked me to audition and it seemed like a fun, but manageable challenge.”
Local actor Doug Abbott agrees, “It’s a great story. I haven’t done a lot of singing on stage and I thought here’s an opportunity to do something interesting and stretch myself as actor. I found the character of Pilate was pretty interesting. He’s conflicted. I see Pilate as the designated stuck-ee. Nobody wants to take responsibility for executing Jesus so it falls to him… and being a Good Roman, he followed orders even though he didn’t feel good about it.”
When asked why everyone should see this show, Hamman is reflective, “I always thought this was a musical made by religious fanatics for other religious fanatics. I'm neither, so it never really appealed to me. But when I finally gave it a chance, I realized that this story is for everyone and the way it's written has no sense of proselytizing. I honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if some "Christians" actually took offense to it just because of the way it's presented, but when you get into it and really see the struggles that the characters are going through, it just seems like a story about humanity to me. For example, when I first heard Gethsemane, I realized I had never really thought too much about the struggles that Jesus himself may have gone through as a man. And when I first sang the simple but iconic line, "why should I die?" I realized that this is the question we've all been asking quietly since we first understood what death was. Each of us at least has to face that one sealed fate and the deeper we dig, the more we realize we share so many others as well. We've all been a Judas, a Mary, a Caiaphas, a Pilate and a Jesus. We have condemned and been condemned and as such we're all very much the same and we all have to bear many of the same burdens. We can obsess over opposing that reality and experience hell on earth or we can accept that reality and choose to see ourselves and God in everything around us. To me, this is the true teaching of Christ, and of most religious ideologies when stripped down to their core. It's a good guide for navigating the human experience and I really feel that every time we do the show.”
Stretch your wings, come experience the Jesus Christ Superstar project with free Holy Week concerts:
3/25 Palm Sunday 2:00 @ Terrazas Funeral Chapel (intersection of Hwy 180 & Ft. Bayard Rd)
3/30 Good Friday Noon @ The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd (615 N. Texas St.)
4/1 Easter Sunday 2:00 @ 1st Presbyterian Church (1915 N. Swan St.)
--