“There are no small parts, only small actors,” modern theatre innovator Konstantin Stanislavski once said.
With a variety of meaty roles behind him, Gisborne actor/singer Andrew Stevens is certainly no small actor — but for an upcoming production of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar he has taken on a relatively small part.
Cast as Pontius Pilate, Stevens appears onstage only three times but he relishes the complexity he finds in his character.
“Pilate’s one of those secondary characters, but is a lynchpin in the process of Jesus’ death,” says Stevens.
“He’s not the main player, but he is one of those significant characters who turn the tide of the show. It’s quite a challenging role in that you feel the weight on Pilate’s shoulders.”
As governor of the Roman province of Judea, Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his crucifixion. But Pilate was always an ambiguous figure.
“In texts from the Eastern Roman Empire, Pilate was portrayed as a positive figure. He and his wife are portrayed as Christian converts and sometimes martyrs,” says a Wikipedia entry.
“In Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain.”
A dream devised for Jesus Christ Superstar by librettist Tim Rice, points to Pilate’s part in condemning Jesus to death. In the dream, Pilate meets a Galilean and then receives the blame for the man’s violent death at the hands of a mob.
“The first time you see Pilate, he’s revealing what he saw in his dream, but it’s vague,” says Stevens.
“In the dream he witnesses these profound moments, but at the time he doesn’t understand the significance. When Jesus is captured and sent to Pilate, Pilate says ‘who are you?’. He still doesn’t see the significance of the dream. He doesn’t think he should be dealing with Jesus, so he sends him to Herod.”
When Jesus ignores the king of Judea’s demand to prove his divinity by performing miracles, Herod sends him back to Pilate.
“Pilate is, ‘what the hell? What’s going on?’,” says Stevens.
“Pilate is reluctant to execute an innocent man to satisfy the baying mob, and pleads with Jesus to defend himself, but Jesus says everything has been determined by God.
“The crowd turns on Jesus, and at that moment Pilate realises he’s seeing what he saw in his dream. The sheer amount of personal conflict in the show reflects how we go through life,” says Stevens. “You feel the power when it all comes together,” he says of ensemble harmonies in the rock opera.
“We have our individual roles, but in ensemble harmony you become one.”
Jesus Christ Superstar, War Memorial Theatre, April 27 to May 6. Tickets $27.50 to $40+bf. Opening night special, $33+bf.
Available from Gisborne iSite or online from Ticketek at tinyurl.com/4c8z72hp