Revived ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ still a big draw

It will be staged at regular intervals over the next six months.

When ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (JCS) premiered in 1974, art critic and writer Gnyaneshwar Nadkarni called the musical “a heady, inebriating experience”. Alyque Padamsee’s path-breaking production cut across the generational divide of the time. The youth, who were just discovering the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, were captivated by the show and the older lot saw it as a spiritual experience. Nuns and priests were often spotted praying fervently during the crucifixion scene.

Four decades later, and after nine months of rehearsals, Padamsee has revived JCS to sold out shows since it opened in December last year. The play, which now has two interpretations of the Tim Rice musical, is being performed by two parallel casts. It will be staged at regular intervals over the next six months.

It was by chance that Padamsee decided to stage two versions of the musical. “When we were auditioning, we found two very good ‘Jesuses, Judases and Marys’. The productions evolved organically,” says Padamsee. Deveika Bhojwani is the only member of the original cast who is part of the new production. “When Alyque called me to audition, it was like going back in time,” says Bhojwani, who shares a special bond with JCS. “My husband (singer Suresh Bhojwani) saw me on stage as Virgin Mary and fell in love with me.”

Like the original cast, 90 per cent of the cast in the new productions are non-actors who have made their name as singers. “It’s easier to teach acting. I remember this instance when ‘Jesus’ (played by Khurshed N Mogrelia) was struggling to emote while singing the beautiful song, ‘Gethsemane’. I told him to sit on a chair and started pulling his hair hard. I slapped him a few times,” says Padamsee. To get that ‘original rock’ sound, Padamsee made his musicians listen to the recording from 1974.

When Padamsee went about casting for the original play, the late Nandu Bhende (who played Judas) and Madhukar Chandra Dhas (who played Jesus) were budding artistes in Mumbai’s rock scene. Searching for ‘Jesus’, Padamsee landed up at Slip Disc in Colaba.

Dhas’s band, Atomic Forest, was a regular at the club. His parents, who lived in (then) Madras were very religious.

“Churchgoers told my parents I was going to die and rot in hell if I played ‘Christ’,” he says in an email interview. “I used to pray before every show.” However, once on stage, Dhas embodied Jesus. People were so enamoured by his performance that they would approach him with pure devotion in their eyes.

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Incidentally, the director found his new ‘Judas’ during a memorial concert organised for Bhende at Bluefrog in April 2014. “I sang and as luck would have it, Alyque was in attendance,” says Tirthankar Poddar. who plays ‘Judas’.

For Padamsee, JCS is more than just staging a momentous production that ruled the theatre scene in the ’70s. He says it was and still is an “exhilarating experience”.

meenakshi.iyer@expressindia.com

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