Westmoreland Performing Arts to bring ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ to the Palace Theatre
The cast of the Westmoreland Performing Arts production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg on March 17 and 18.
Anthony Marino as Jesus and the cast of the Westmoreland Performing Arts production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg on March 17 and 18.
The Westmoreland Performing Arts will present “Jesus Christ Superstar” at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg for two shows.
The musical is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, and it debuted on Broadway in 1971.
The show is loosely based on the Gospels of the New Testament.
The upcoming production is directed by Tony Marino, who has taken part in the show for the past 30 years and has a great deal of affection for it.
Marino credits Pittsburgh Musical Theatre’s Dr. Ken Gargaro for bestowing to him what Marino thinks is the correct artistic ethos for the show.
“It’s a story that is always relevant,” Marino said. “It’s your job to make that happen in your production. Meaning, it’s a living breathing thing, it doesn’t matter what you believe religiously, we can all benefit from this story. That’s the challenge.”
Marino said, in their production, they are examining the idea of belief — how hard is it to believe in something and how hard is it to make people believe in someone.
“We live in a world where false narratives and lies have an easy time gaining traction and hurting people,” he said. “This story is about a person who suffered the ultimate cost of that but still spoke the truth. Plus, the music rocks! There is no doubt if you love this show, you’ll love the community that has gathered to produce it.”
Featured in the cast are Anthony Marino Jr. (CLO’s A Musical Christmas Carol) as Jesus, Zoe Abuyuan as Mary Magdalene, Tony Marino as Judas, Renata Marino as King Herod, John Noble as Caiaphas, Kevin O’Leary as Pilate, Cory Sigler as Annas, Alex Podolinski as Peter and introducing Ben Federico as Simon Zealotes. Eric Barchiesi is the music director.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” is produced by Westmoreland Performing Arts and will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, at The Palace Theatre, 21 West Otterman St., Greensburg.
For tickets, call The Palace Theatre Box Office at 724-836-8000 or visit their website at www.thepalacetheatre.org.
For more information on the Westmoreland Performing Arts, visit www.westmorelandperformingarts.com or call 724-672-3322.