Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A wonderful story set to brilliant music proves that Rahul daCunha8217;s Jesus Christ Superstar is a potent voice for the future of musicals, says Sanjukta Sharma
Strung together on the lines that touch a chord, in the old and the young alike, Rahul daCunha8217;s Jesus Christ Superstar 8212; arguably his most ambitious project 8212; sizzles with musical montage. And a dream-come-true quality. Which it is for the director, whose love affair with this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice original began when he was 13. quot;My aunt got us an old record of the music. I was completely taken by it. I finally got to see it in Broadway in 1979. The music had been adapted to the pot-smoking rock generation. It later adapted itself to the 8217;80s. Here was a play which could be adapted to the melodic styles of each musical era, yet adhering to its core,8217; I thought to myself.quot;
Performed in 22 countries around the world, this is the second production of the musical in India. Alyque Padamsee8217;s production of the early 8217;70s was a rage as well. quot;I have a faint memory of it, but I gather it was wonderful,quot; says daCunha. This version a Rage and Marzaban Patel production 8212; is close to the 1996 adaptation, quot;which was more polished, more contemporaryquot;.
And the music, the sets and the cast speak volumes on that choice. Kartik Chintamani who plays Jesus Christ, was the lead vocalist of the former Delhi-based rock band Gravy Train, while Vishal, the lead vocalist of Mumbai8217;s popular rock act Pentagram, plays Judas. Vivienne Pocha, the first vocalist to have sung unplugged8217; in Mumbai, is Mary Magdalene, Christ8217;s friend and confidante. The result: a potent and stirring collectivevoice that completes the spectacle with lively choreography, exquisite yet modern costumes and seemingly expensive sets.
The director had his work chalked out from the time he started rehearsing in September 1998. quot;I worked toward a young audience. It might have been difficult to draw a young, pop-fed audience into a choir-dominated musical. The story of Jesus Christ would appeal to the old, but perhaps not the young.quot; And so the journey began. Kicking off with copyright hurdles.
quot;I went to Singapore to get permission. They were hesitant. In fact, they even thought I was going to direct it in Hindi!quot; Not for Christ8217;s sake! Though directing a musical was unchartered territory for the director of I8217;m Not Bajirao, and Love Letters. quot;The scale is grand and lavish. There are hundred and one nitty gritties. But the team saw me through.quot; A rather large team at that 8212; including Rajit Kapoor, as production controller, Zubin Balaporia, as music director and Fali Unwalla as set designer. At the end of it though,the cast dazzled. Particularly Kartik Chintamani, an executive producer with Sony TV.
While he began his stint in theatre with Lilette Dubey8217;s hit musical Me and My Girl, in Delhi, his big break in Mumbai came with a cameo role in Man of La Mancha. quot;I wanted a break from the monotony of work. Given my background in music and the short stint with theatre, musicals seemed to be the perfect medium for me. It8217;s a whole lot of fun,quot; says Kartik. But serious business for daCunha who found Jesus eluding him, till Kartik walked in to his office to audition for the choir! quot;I looked at him and I knew I had found my Jesus. His looks and powerful vocals spun the magic of the silent king8217;.quot;
The full-throated voices of Vivienne Pocha and Vishal, and Boman Irani8217;s mocking song-and-dance flicks are sure to keep the audience on its toes. But none of this would8217;ve been possible without Balaporia, who faced a Herculian task when daCunha approached him a year ago for the music. quot;The tunes were sacrosanct. But since JesusChrist 8230; is primarily a rock opera, we moulded the raw, guitar-oriented arrangement to suit the times.
Initially, we toyed with the idea of adapting it to an Indian audience in more Indian8217; ways, but then it would have killed the production.quot; The sets, which involve a golden revolving platform for The Last Supper8217;, the palace gates and numerous other props, including Jesus8217; cross, were equally challenging for set designer Unwalla 8212; who has collaborated with daCunha on several productions, including Going Solo and Love Letters. quot;We completed the sets in 20 days. It isn8217;t a wildly exorbitant budget, but a lot more could have been done. Due to certain constraints, we had to stick to cliches. Like the fibre glass background. Hopefully we8217;ll improvise in the coming productions at least by 25 per cent.quot;
But at the end of it all, the director is a happy man. quot;On the day of the last rehearsal, I could actually be objective about my own work for the first time in my career. And I was happy with thework.quot;
Backed by a high budget, Jesus Christ Superstar makes for enthused performances and a pulsating stage. For the ordinary theatre-goer at least, pure entertainment is far from over.
