Jesus Christ Superstar: A conversation with Jared Robinson

Okee dokee folks… The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River is branching out a bit and bringing in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar for two nights only! I interviewed Jared Robinson of The Little Theatre of Fall River who is presenting this production of the musical.

John Fuzek (Motif): Tell me about the group presenting Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jared Robinson (The Little Theatre): Jesus Christ Superstar is presented by Little Theatre of Fall River, celebrating its 90th season with this special first time event at The Narrows Center for the Arts. The 20+ person cast is a mix of incredibly skilled performers with various backgrounds in the arts. Some folks have trained at Boston Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, others have toured around the country in the music scene, and several have 30+ years of teaching experience. Ages range from 19 – 70.

JF: What kind of production will this be? More of a concert or theatrical? Any scenery/props?

JR: While this production is taking place in a concert setting, audiences can certainly expect plenty of action. This will be an in-your-face, interactive experience.

JF: Will you be sticking to the traditional presentation or modifying it?

JR: There will certainly be elements that most JCS fans are familiar with, but the story we’re presenting reflects the pressures today’s up-and-coming artists face in a cut-throat music industry. The props and set piece will be largely made up of music and touring equipment.

JF: Will there be a band or recorded tracks? If a band, what are the pieces?

JR: We have a 4-piece band along with several musicians in the cast who will provide auxiliary parts. This will be live and raw!

JF: Is this being presented anywhere else-are there more shows at other venues?

JR: Currently, there isn’t anything planned past this weekend. 

JF: What made you decide to present this show at The Narrows?

JR: The Narrows is one of the premier venues for live music in New England and it’s right down the street from our home, The Firebarn. It’s an amazing space that really captures the spirit of an historic, blue-collar mill town. The conversation of a collaboration started back in 2020 when we were trying to think of unique and safe ways to present live theater as COVID restrictions started to loosen up. I followed up last year with their executive director, Patrick Norton, and we were able to get this done.

JF: Did you have to make production concessions due to the size limitations of the Narrows stage?

JR: We’ve certainly had to get creative with our staging and adjust to a non-traditional theatre space, but ultimately, we’re still going to tell the story the best way we can. The Narrows has a full lighting rig, great sound, and several elevated spaces that we can utilize. It’s our first time in this space, so I’m expecting many organic moments and perhaps even some surprises over the 2-performance run.

JF: Tell me about the main cast – Jesus, Mary, Pilate, Herod.

JR:
Mary, Jillian Zucco Ledogar

Jillian is excited to return to the LTFR stage, having played Linda in Blood Brothers, Texas in Cabaret, and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. She is a former Miss Massachusetts and competed for Miss America, earning awards for her STEM career, community service, and talent at the state and national level. She has sung at iconic venues such as TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, the American Airlines Arena, and Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Jillian is pumped to join this cast stacked with talent.

Jesus, Adam McDermott

Adam is thrilled to make his debut at LTFR as Jesus! He played the role of Annas in 2019, which was also his first musical. Adam is a former Berklee student, and is now studying business at Quincy College. He continues to pursue his passion for music by writing and performing covers and original music under the name ‘DJ and Adam. Adam is super excited to share the stage with an extremely talented cast!

Judas, Kyle Cabral

Kyle is excited to join the Little Theatre of Fall River as Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar,â€? and return to his first musical role in almost a decade. An active member of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, he enjoys the stage and the challenges, and sense of family that comes along with performance. Kyle is excited to collaborate with such a talented cast and looks forward to sharing this experience with the audience.

Pilate, Nick Kozak

Nick is thrilled to be in the LTFR production of JCS. It is his favorite show, which he has been in twice before as Jesus. His last role on stage was as Stacee Jaxx in LTFR production of Rock of Ages. Nick is a highly active and well respected real estate agent in the local community and enjoys producing comedy sketches and music videos as promotional marketing where he can continue to act and sing regularly.

Herod, Ryan Connearney

Ryan is Fall River-born, a Durfee graduate (Class of 2010), and Durfee Theater Company alum (RENT and Once on This Island). A musician, Ryan has toured with CJ Solar, a Nashville-based songwriter. Ryan is currently working on his first full-length album with John Mailloux of Bongo Beach Productions.

JF: Have you personally seen this onstage elsewhere? If so where/when

JR: I’e been in the show three times, twice as Jesus with David Tessier at Wilbury Theatre Group and Mixed Magic Theatre, and once as Simon with Marquee Theatre Productions. I saw the early 2000s production at Little Theatre of Fall River, and MANY recorded versions online. One of my favorite versions is a live version starring Drew Sarich as Judas out in Austria from 2005 – wish I could have seen it in person!

JF: Have you seen the film?

JR: I’ve seen the 1973 Ted Neeley/Carl Anderson film numerous times, it’s legendary. I love the following, the fan base is incredible. I love that Ted and Yvonne (and several other cast members) are still out there playing live, meeting fans. I always loved movie musical adaptations from the 70s, there’s something about that kind of storytelling that is so special. I know it wasn’t the most popular, but I like a lot of the elements from the 2000 film version as well. 

JF: Why did you choose to produce this show?

JR: Well, I’ve been in it several times and it’s just one of those universally loved (and sometimes hated) shows. You have folks with no theater background who grew up listening to the brown album with Ian Gillan mixing with hardcore Andrew Lloyd Webber theater lovers — it’s cool to look out into that crowd. I thought it was the perfect choice to unite our audience with The Narrows audience.

JF: What other productions have you done?

JR: I’ve recently directed productions of Fun Home and Spring Awakening at Little Theatre of Fall River. I’ve assistant directed and acted in numerous productions throughout New England for the last 15 years. Some of my favorite roles have been Harold Bride in Titanic, Drew in Rock of Ages, and Not Dead Fred in Spamalot.

Jesus Christ Superstar will be at the Narrows in Fall River on May 3 & 4. At press time the shows have sold out but you should check for ticket additions. To find out “What’s The Buzz” get to: littletheatre.net/jcs or narrowscenter.org

That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at: 

motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast. You can also find my concert photographs at 

motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening. johnfuzek.com