Jenna Roberts in the role of Mary Magdalene… “I am eternally fascinated by the story of Magdalene.” Photo by Andrew Campbell
Roberts plays Mary Magdalene in the coming production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and, with a Ph.D. in ecotoxicology behind her, she’s been turning her sharp mind to the story of that “very strong lady”, to her, “the greatest story never told”.
She’ll be up on the enormous stage at the AIS Arena with professional stars Luke Kennedy, as Jesus, and Michael Falzon, as Judas, but the girl from Wodonga is no stranger to fame herself. Though she admits that, unlike conductor Ian McLean and lighting designer Chris Neal, “both used to dealing with humongous bands on humongous stages”, she has never done anything like it.
Luckily, she now has a normal job in the public service and a more-or-less normal life, “which is lovely”, as she tells “CityNews”.
But having theatre as a hobby in Canberra is “something else… here there are big pro-am shows and, now, this arena show – this is big time”.
Roberts has been around the theatrical traps in Canberra for about 11 years since arriving here in 2004 to study science, but she was a novice.
She took singing lessons from local teacher Brian White then, imagining it might be classical, auditioned for “Oklahoma”.
Roberts was shocked when director Anne Somes gave her the lead role of Laurie. For the first time Roberts met the musical-theatre crowd, including her partner, Dave Evans, who played Curly.
“Dave was doing all the musicals, but I didn’t know him from a bar of soap,” she admits.
She followed with Roxie Hart in “Chicago” for Free Rain and “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” for Stephen Pike, who’s directing “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Next she got Paulette the hairdresser in “Legally Blonde”.
Now, with the role of Mary in the arena facing her, she is sustained by the fact that she has “a deep, enduring love of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’,” having listened to the soundtrack and sung the biggest hit, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” during recess with her best friend Shannon at Wodonga High School. She couldn’t wait to phone Shannon to tell she’d got the part.
“It’s a spine-tingling, killer soundtrack,” Roberts says, and even though the music gets updated these days, she likes the old LP – “it has this Hendrixie folkie, ‘70s vibe, which I love.”
“We have a big task ahead in revealing the complexity, the beauty and the tragedy of the greatest story ever told, with not even a single spoken word, but we’re up for it,” she says.
As for the role of Mary Magdalene, she says: “I’m not an especially religious person myself, but I am eternally fascinated by the story of Magdalene.”
Caught in the triangular tensions between Mary and Judas, Judas and Jesus and Mary and Jesus, Roberts believes she is pivotal. She also gets to sing three famous songs – two well-covered solos and “Could We Start Again Please?” with Peter.
She and director Pike concur that Mary’s significance was probably downplayed after the death of Christ, and are faced with the fact that in the musical she is depicted as a reformed prostitute, perceived by Judas as having an inappropriately close relationship to Jesus. That’s what created the most scandal in the ‘70s, offending some believers because it intimates a romantic, sexual relationship. Roberts rejects that idea.
To Roberts, “Jesus Christ Superstar” as a musical has always been different, because the show started out as a concert album and not a theatrical production.
“Traditional staging is great, but the arena staging at the AIS will be quite true to the original conception,” she says.
“I’m rather glad I’ve done Carols by Candlelight to a big audience, but this is a whole new ball game.”
“Jesus Christ Superstar”, AIS Arena, June 2-6, matinees June 6 and 7, bookings to ticketek.com.au or 132849.
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