The stars...

Others had a bad sense of timing and they were co-opted for simple movements like kneeling and doing something with their hands”.

The eyes of both Nimal and Senaka light up though when they talk of dancer Akushla who was a glamorous model.

An early challenge was jazz singer Marie Rozairo opting out of the crucial role of Mary Magdalene and Radha stepping into her sandals by chance. “We didn’t know too much about Radha but we got her to take on the role and she was brilliant,” says Nimal, adding that the “hot group” at that time was Amazing Grace performing at the ‘Little Hut’ in Mount Lavinia where these youngsters would “hang out”. It was then that they asked Reza to join them on stage, for “he was a great singer”.

For, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, there was only a shoe- string budget. Senaka who was working parttime under Vipula Dharmawardena whose name was synonymous with batiks approached him and was given some cloth for the costumes.

Word was also passed around and cast members looked long and hard into the closets of their mothers and grandmothers, gathering sarees and costume jewellery including bead chains.

“We would sit on the ground in a circle around whatever we had collected and come up with the costumes, sewing waistcoats for the men and graceful Roman drapes from Georgette sarees for Mary