The stars of ’75
As Jesus Christ Superstar opens to a packed Wendt, the group who staged the first production of this epic rock musical in Sri Lanka looks back
As enthusiastic crowds throng the Lionel Wendt for the newlyopened ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, there comes the ‘news flash’ wrapped up in nostalgia -- this is not the first.
Wind the clock back to 1975, 38 long years ago, when some of the cast members of the current production “were not even born”. Scene: Navarangahala Dates: September 6 & 7 Tickets: Rs. 15, 7.50 and 5 ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, Sri Lanka’s first home-grown production opens to a full-house, with a newspaper of the time screaming through a headline, ‘Muslim plays Jesus’ and a few nuns protesting outside.
This was a production done by a bunch of youngsters only after hearing over-and-over-again the “ground-breaking” rock double-album with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber but not even getting a glimpse of its Broadway debut in New York.
Just out of school, veering towards the hippie-way, in their denim jackets, bell-bottom pants, chains with the P-sign and bandanas wrapped around their heads, creativity had drawn them together.
“Starting off with a record album, we found the
A Muslim playing Jesus was a honour. Being a Malay, I had no problems with my parents or relations. My parents were proud of me! Most of our closest friends were from different communities.
What was special to me was that we, the cast, were like a large family, with all the encouragement and support from Nimal and Senaka. I still reminisce……..it was a highlight in my musical career. 20 years old -- dying to get on stage -- and invited to join the chorus, my cup was full to the brim and running over. But fate, with a helping hand from Nimal and Senaka, had more delightful surprises for me. Marie, who was to play Mary Magdalene had to pull out at the last minute and after a few weeks of ‘filling in’, since I was probably the only ‘ Wannabe’ who knew all the words and all the moves, Nimal called to say that they had decided to let me have the role. Mainly, I suspect, because time was running out and they couldn’t find anyone else!
To say I was in raptures is probably an understatement. For the next few months, I was walking on air, loving every bit of the exciting rehearsals, soaking up the live performances and just living for the wonderful moments when I did my solos.
Looking back I think I hammed the role (just a bit!) and given another chance I would probably hold back some of the raw emotion. potential to turn it into a theatre production. We listened to the album and worked it off,” says Co-Director Nimal Gunewardena (who now heads the Bates public relations agency), while Co-Director Senaka de Silva, a choreographer and crafts and fashion designer adds, “It was experimental. We developed a story line to go with the album. It was no fancy thing. It was very minimalistic.”
The main cast comprised -- Reza Deane of Amazing Grace as Jesus; Tony de Silva of Amazing Grace with his fuzzy hair making him look “sinister” as Judas; Radha de Mel (nee Fernando) as Mary Magdalene; Ishan Bahar of the Jetliners as Herod; Geoffrey Alagaratnam as Pontius Pilate; Ramani Corea (nee Fernando) as Pilate’s wife; Kumar Eliyathamby as Caiaphas, Ravi Prakash as Annas, Lakshman Gunasekera as the Third Priest, Akushla Sellayah as Maid by the Fire and Ralph de Silva Wickrematileke as Peter.
Music was by Amazing Grace and Gobbledegook which included Nimal, Niraj Wickremasinghe and Joe Tambimuttu, while the choral work was by the St. Mary’s Church, Bambalapitiya, Youth Choir which was re-christened ‘Children of God’.
While practising was only for a couple of months and that too in the evenings and weekends on flat rooftops or spacious homes of cast members, “Sri Lankan touches” were added on the go. Mary Magdalene carried a kala-gediya and the other women kullas and woven baskets.
As Nimal and Senaka go down memory lane on Wednesday, re-living the excitement of a time long gone, the nostalgia is tangible. It was Nimal who as an American Field Service (AFS) scholar from St. Joseph’s College who had brought back the ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ record album in the early ’70s. Back in Sri Lanka, at St. Joseph’s, the visionary Rector Fr. W.L.A. Don Peter got the senior boys to listen to the record.
By 1974, Nimal and a group of friends began experimenting and produced ‘Life!’ Sri Lanka’s first original rock opera, with the music being written by Nimal and the production being codirected by him and Salinda Perera.
It was, as its very name denotes, about life. The frustrations of youth, the pace of life, people running from pillar to post, were all there.
Coming on the heels of the Janatha Vimukthu Peramuna (JVP) insurrection and with tinges of Communist ideas, the authorities became suspicious. When photos of bearded youth with clenched, upraised fists were splashed across the ‘Weekend’ (the Sunday paper of the now-defunct Independent Newspapers Limited which also published the ‘Sun’), the newspapers ended on the table of then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s Cabinet meeting.
“We almost got locked up,” laughs Nimal, explaining that it was M.S. Alif, then Cabinet Secretary and father of Interact President of the time, Zaki Alif (now a Director of Stassens), who assured the government that there was “nothing subversive” – just some young people “doing their thing”.
It was in the glow of the success of ‘Life’ that their thoughts turned towards ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
“None were professionals,” Senaka who also doubled up as the Choreographer says of the majority of the cast members, “but some found a sense of rhythm.
Please turn to page 7