April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
BROADWAY MUSICAL
Saratoga County parishes stage 'Jesus Christ Superstar'
St. Clement's Church in Saratoga Springs and Corpus Christi in Round Lake will host six performances, this weekend and next, of the rock opera based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus' life. The production will feature cast and crew members from both parishes, and some from St. Edward's parish in Clifton Park.
The directors added a resurrection scene to the show.
"We know from being Catholic that our story continues with the resurrection. It's the next step," said Matt Duclos, who helped direct the musical. He's a part-time music director at Corpus Christi and full-time music teacher at a local high school.
A song called "Alive" by Natalie Grant will be added to the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber repertoire; it will be performed by Karey Hall Trimmings as Mary Magdalene.
Mrs. Hall Trimmings, who is director of youth music at St. Clement's and the other musical director for the production, is trained in theater directing and performing. Also a music teacher at a local elementary school, she said it's been on her "bucket list" to play Mary Magdalene in "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Last year, the production of "Godspell" she directed at St. Clement's raised about $13,000 for the parish's outreach ministry. Proceeds from the "Jesus Christ Superstar" shows at St. Clement's will benefit an organization that builds water wells in Ethiopia; Corpus Christi's share will benefit The Giving Circle of Saratoga, which supports education and medical care in Africa.
But it's not about the money.
"It was really just to bring two faith communities together to tell our story in a way that hasn't been done," Mrs. Hall Trimmings said.
Added Mr. Duclos: "A musical is not something you see every day at church, and it's a unique way of telling the stories of the Gospel. I think it's good for people to see another person's interpretation [of stories]. We get to see them being acted out and portrayed by people.
"They get a lot out of interacting as a cast," he added. "They almost become like a family."
The 25 cast members and 13 musicians include dance teachers, professional musicians and children and teens involved in parish music groups; some have skipped their high school musical in favor of this production.
After mid-September auditions, the parishes held separate rehearsals and then combined ones - which increased to five days a week as opening night approached.
"'Superstar' is no little show," Mrs. Hall Trimmings said. "These people still have lives. [Some are] adults with jobs. It's sounding amazing. By the grace of God, every person who came to audition was meant to be there for those parts."
The sets are minimal; the costumes, modern and urban. Technology will be used to project images to enhance scenes. One challenge the group faces is the difference between the two performance spaces: Corpus Christi has two sections of pews that face each other, while St. Clement's pews face the altar. The cast will enter from different points and the acoustics will be different, so actors and musicians have to adjust.
The directors are confident it will all go off without a hitch.
"I think people are really going to enjoy the music style," Mr. Duclos said. "It's almost like an opera because it's all sung. I think they're going to take away the power of the cast entering through the audience." [[In-content Ad]]
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