'Jesus Christ Superstar' opens July 14, at Triple Locks Theater

COSHOCTON − One of the most awarded and beloved rock operas is being presented by the Coshocton Footlight Players.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" will be at 7:30 p.m. July 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 and 2:30 p.m. July 23 at the Triple Locks Theater, 685 N. Whitewoman St.

The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice is being directed by Ellen Hardesty and Jackie McCune, with Jane Crow as musical director. It's the second play for the Footlight Players directed by Hardesty and McCune, after the comedy "Nana's Naughty Knickers" in March 2022.

The pair started talking about doing the show while working backstage for "Mama Mia" in 2019. Hardesty played Mary Magdalene in a 1979 production, which was the first play McCune saw at the Triple Locks Theater.

"Leading up to auditions in January, we were stressed and worried, because we were asking people to give up their whole summer. And not just their summer, but we started vocals for our principals in February. That's a lot to ask of people," McCune said. "We were worried if anyone was willing to give all that up, but yeah, they were."

"Jesus Christ Superstar" was a originally a concept album as the composers couldn't get backing for a stage production. However, the success of the album led to a Broadway show in 1971. It received five Tony Award nominations, including for best original score and best featured actor in a musical for Ben Vereen, who played Judas. A film version was released in 1973 and earned an Oscar Award nomination for best scoring.

Well-known songs from the show include "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Superstar." The musical tells the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, looking at the betrayal of Judas, Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene, the Last Supper and the roles of Pontius Pilate and King Herod in the matter.

"It's been fun, but challenging," Hardesty said of the production. "We couldn't be any happier with the cast who showed up for auditions.

Along with the cast, McCune and Hardesty said they also feel lucky to have Crow, a veteran of seven productions, as the music director. They don't feel they could do the show without her.

"Everybody has been great to work with and we have such wonderful talent. Some of the names are familiar to people in the community. There are a couple new ones, but they are so talented and work so well together," Crow said. "They like to play off each other and improvise on stage. The gals are great directors, but the people just seem to do so much naturally."

Heath Chaney stars as Jesus. He didn't know the show well prior to auditioning, but knew it's a cast where a lot of men where needed, which can be a challenge for musical theater. "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" is Chaney's favorite song in the play and it's where Jesus talks with God about what is coming for him.

"I'm like this with a lot of musicals, I'd be happy to do any part because the music is so fun to sing," he said. "If you know the show, the reason to come see it is because it's a great show. If you don't know the show or the music, I'd say it's a good exploration of the humanity of Jesus and his human side. In 'Godspell' it's more about the message and here it's more about the man."

Andrew Servais, playing Judas, said "Jesus Christ Superstar" is on of his bucket list shows. It's unique because it's told from the point of view of Judas and humanizes someone who is often seen as a villain. Oddly enough, Servais first appeared for the Footlight Players in a small role as Jesus in "The Putnam County Spelling Bee."

"The show starts out with Judas being like, 'my mind is clearer now. I can see something's just not right.' He's having that doubt, he's saying 'what are we trying to do here? Are we trying to stay alive or trying to make the priests and Romans mad and make us die.' That's his viewpoint," Servais said.

Andre's sister, Samantha Servais Canfield, plays Mary Magdalene, and her husband, Scott Canfield, plays Pontius Pilate. While he sings and plays music with his wife as the duo LoveHook, this is his first play since college.

"It's like a breath of fresh air for me. I remember this process from way back. We have excellent directors and you develop camaraderie among the cast," Scott said. "I'm really the stranger around here. I'm not the guy everybody knows. I feel really at home with this cast and crew."

For more information and tickets, go to footlightplayers.com or call 740-622-2959. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth under 18.

The cast features Graham Beaumont, Scott Canfield, Nick Fischer, Mason Gano, Gabi Haines, Halley Jones, Mattalyn Kiser, Melody Lowe, Andre Servais, Barb Snyder, Jesse Whinnery, Samantha Servais Canfield, Heath Chaney, Sarah Fornara, Stacy Ganz, Lynn Haines, April King, Lana Lawson, Shaun Sees, Sam Scott, Ryan Teti and Jennifer Wilkes.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: 'Jesus Christ Superstar' opens July 14, at Triple Locks Theater