By Addison Burke, Sports Editor

Jesus Christ was spotted in the Gallagher Student Center theater eight times over the past two weeks. 

Just kidding. It was actually Xavier Theatre’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The well-known story of Jesus’s last week of life was adapted into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in 1971 and has been a hit ever since. Instead of having Jesus as the main focus, the show predominantly follows Judas, one of the 12 Apostles who ultimately betrayed Jesus. 

Xavier Theatre brought the show to life in a new way by setting the show in the round, meaning the audience was surrounded by the entire set and ultiziling the actors’ aisle space and spaces behind the audience. This helped the audience to feel as though they were a part of the story.

Senior musical theater and actuarial science double major Matthew Callas played the titluar role of Jesus, bringing Christ back to life through his raw emotions and immense vocal and acting talent. Callas portrayal of Jesus left many audience members in awe by the end of the show, some even leaving after shedding a few tears because of how beautifully the Crucifixion scenes and the ending were executed. 

Sophomore musical theatre major Jamie Swisshelm played Judas and gave the audience a performance they will never forget with their powerful vocal range and clever acting choices. Swisshelm said that their favorite moment to perform in the show was Judas’ death scene. 

“I loved getting to explore and experiment with how we could best execute this scene. Taking on a death scene regularly is a thrilling experience, but this show takes it to a whole new level,” Swisshelm said. 

They also mentioned how the show has helped them to learn to never limit themselves and their abilities.

 “There is always room for experimentation, improvement and fun if you allow yourself the privilege to grow. It helps being surrounded by an incredibly supportive cast and production team as well,” Swisshelm said.

Senior musical theatre major Tierra London Rush played Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel, at the time of Jesus’s ministry and was one of the leading forces in Jesus’s death. Rush’s vocal range really made her performance of Caiaphas captivating, and her stage presence made it feel as though Caiaphas was mad at me directly as an audience member. The character Caiaphas is typically played by a male actor. 

“I have never had the opportunity to do something like that and was pleasantly surprised at the relief I felt by not being burdened by gender,” Rush said.

“I think that my femininity accentuated the ferocity of Caiaphas, and by having Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas played by women, I think it provided an interesting take on power and expanded the capacity for all the roles,” Rush said. 

Senior musical theatre major Maria Zierolf, who played Pilate, also really enjoyed getting to play around with the gender roles of the story and getting to examine how this would change the narrative. 

“It created a nice power dynamic that explored the different variations in female rage, helplessness and determination,” Zierolf said.

In discussing the challenges of the show, Zierolf mentioned having to find Pilate’s arc offstage. 

“Pilate has a wild transition between Act I and Act II that I get to explore offstage, which was a fun challenge to tackle. Pilate’s story also doesn’t start until about halfway through act one, which provides me with the challenge of having Pilate be Pilate and not affected by the previous songs in the show,” Zierolf said.

While I haven’t had the opportunity to see all of the musicals that have been put on during my time at Xavier, Jesus Christ Superstar is, with no doubt, my favorite. From the incredible talent of all the performers in the show to the unique setup and usage of the stage, I was captivated by every second of the show. The immense talent of all the members of Xavier Theatre was on full display when I saw the show, and I truly left the show in awe.