New production of Jesus Christ Superstar hits the stage in Sudbury

Brendan Connor · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 10:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 9

Musical theatre fans successful Sudbury, Ont., volition person a caller offering from the YES Theatre Company this week, arsenic the radical is acceptable to motorboat its large summertime production. 

It's a staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, the modern instrumentality connected the biblical communicative of Christ and his Apostles and followers, and their struggles against the Roman Empire. 

It's a philharmonic that has drawn immense audiences for decades since it archetypal deed Broadway in1971.

A erstwhile accumulation was staged by YES Theatre in 2013. 

This latest iteration is being directed and choreographed by respective veterans of YES Theatre, on with a rising young Sudbury performer and, successful this case, co-director, Gaia Dhatt.

"Directing is simply a precise collaborative experience. Everybody is portion of the process and everyone has things to say, and we're moving with truthful galore superb originative people, it's been lovely," said Dhatt.

Co-directing with YES Theatre's laminitis and creator director, Alessandro Costantini, 18-year aged Dhatt said some of the bold casting volition assistance enactment a unsocial rotation connected this production.

"We person truthful galore antithetic radical taking connected roles that they haven't tried before, and I deliberation that successful itself is precise special, conscionable to spot wholly caller radical construe these roles and instrumentality connected the publication arsenic they want," she said.

"For example, Tafari Anthony is our 'Jesus.' He was successful the archetypal accumulation this institution did implicit 10 years ago, but helium was playing the relation of Simon Zealot. Since then, he's done a lot, has had albums released, he's been to the Junos. He's a fantastic vocalist and an unthinkable artist."

Also imported for this accumulation is Broadway actor Sam Primack in the relation of Judas. He and Costantini met portion some were successful the formed of a North American touring institution that was performing Dear Evan Hansen.

Another Sudbury performer, Ruthie Nkut, backmost from a stint astatine the Shaw Festival successful Niagara-on-the-Lake, is acting and singing the relation of Mary Magdalene.

"It's been a agelong clip since we archetypal did this accumulation astatine YES Theatre implicit 10 years ago — I was successful that production," said Nkut. "It was my archetypal YES Theatre show, truthful it means a batch to me. It was my archetypal nonrecreational philharmonic that I was ever in. So playing this part, which is my imagination role, is huge, it's precise exciting."

'Rich arts culture'

Nkut said that with hugely palmy productions implicit the past fewer summers, and with absorbing enactment being staged, Sudbury is getting connected the radar of the nonrecreational theatre community, which was 1 of the group's goals erstwhile it started up.

"It's breathtaking to beryllium successful a café in New York and speech to radical that I've ne'er truly met before, and recognize that they person heard astir and cognize astir Sudbury and the enactment we are doing here."

Also successful the amusement arsenic portion of the ensemble cast is longtime YES Theatre performer and erstwhile CTV northern Ontario upwind presenter Katie Behun, who has returned to Sudbury from much than a twelvemonth distant successful British Columbia.

"I missed it. I was retired successful the Squamish and Whistler country [of B.C.], just chasing my escapade dream, and getting to the apical of arsenic galore mountains arsenic I could. However, retired there, determination is simply a batch little of a theatre community. Sudbury is truthful peculiar to person specified a affluent arts civilization here," said Behun.

"I felt a hole, conscionable missing being connected signifier and enjoying the vigor of a unrecorded audience, and conscionable singing and dancing. I've ever kept successful touch, arsenic these radical astatine YES Theatre are my friends. So erstwhile they sent maine an connection to beryllium successful Jesus Christ Superstar, I said 'yes,' I tin marque it work, and travel location and spot my family, and sing and creation a small bit."

Jesus Christ Superstar is presently scheduled to tally astatine the Sudbury Theatre Centre until Aug. 16.