All about the voice

The Soul Girls, clockwise from bottom, Brittany Reinholz, Dawn Durkin, Jenni Walkowiak and Jessica Fisher, sing as Jesus, played by Gilbert Sanchez, carries his cross near Judas, played by Eric Trujillo, in Musical Theatre Southwest’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” (Marla Brose/Journal)

Heading into auditions of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Laura Nuzum was searching for two male leads who would be, as she put it, “powerhouse singers with a rock edge to their voices.”

Nuzum, the director of Musical Theatre Southwest’s upcoming production of the rock opera, believes she found what she was looking for: Gilbert Sanchez was cast as Jesus and Eric Trujillo as Judas Iscariot.

“I always thought that my voice had an edge to it,” Sanchez said.

	If you go WHAT: “Jesus Christ Superstar” WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, Saturday, Oct. 20, and 4 p.m. Oct. 21. Repeats Oct. 25-28, Nov. 1-4 and Nov. 8-11 WHERE: Musical Theatre Southwest’s Black Box Performance Space, 6320 Domingo NE. (From Central, go north on San Pedro two blocks to Domingo, then east on Domingo) HOW MUCH: $22 general public, $20 seniors and students. For reservations call 265-9119. Tickets at the door if available

“I recently went through a transition. I have a new voice teacher, Delreen Hafenrichter, who was teaching me a different way of singing. It enabled me to sing higher and healthier but keep that edge I had before. It means more breath support, correct placement of the voice.”

Trujillo said he’s been doing more soul, pop and rock singing in the past few years, which has given his voice an edginess.

“I don’t really enjoy songbooks of traditional musical theater, like ‘Oklahoma!’ So I try to look for shows that are more suited for telling stories that allow for a little bit more modern singing. That’s why I gravitated to ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ” he explained.

Trujillo said the Bible paints Judas as a villain but never says why he was Jesus’ best friend. Sanchez added that the rock opera creates Jesus and Judas as real people.

This musical, Trujillo said, is a chance for him to make Judas three-dimensional in “a story of a beautiful friendship and some of the possible turmoil Judas may have had in turning in his best friend. Obviously, it weighed heavily on his heart.”

Mary Magdalene, played by Kathryn Harrell, sings to Jesus, played by Gilbert Sanchez, in a scene from “Jesus Christ Superstar.” (Marla Brose/Journal)

Trujillo thinks the vocal demands of the part, particularly singing in the upper range, make the role of Judas one of the most demanding for a male voice in musical theater.

For the role of Mary Magdalene, Nuzum cast Kathryn Harrell. Even before the auditions, the director thought it would be a challenging part to fill. Nuzum should know. She sang the part of Mary in the Albuquerque Civic Light Opera production some years ago.

“I wasn’t sure what I was looking for in Mary,” Nuzum said. “I told myself when I see it and when I hear it, I will know. And Kathryn at her auditions made me cry, in a good way. And I knew right away that she was Mary.”

Harrell had been researching the part and began taking voice lessons in the summer with John Gallegos, who is the production’s music director.

“John knows the voice so well, and he has you do what looks like strange, out-of-the-ordinary exercises, but it’s the most helpful thing,” Harrell said.

While she’s practicing singing, she said, Gallegos has her punch his hands or push her hands against his.

The apostles listen to Jesus, top center, played by Gilbert Sanchez, during the Last Supper. The rock opera opens Friday, Oct. 19. (Marla Brose/Journal)

“It gives you energy, and that energy goes into your voice. It’s about focusing on your body to help the song,” said Harrell, a senior at the University of New Mexico, who is majoring in communications and minoring in theater.

She has her own connection to the rock opera. Back when she was a freshman at Santa Fe High School, she was in the ensemble in a school production of “Superstar.” Harrell also had leads in other high school shows. Playing Mary is the biggest community theater role she’s ever had.

Nuzum has set “Superstar” in a back alley of an unnamed city in the present.

“As I read the story of ‘Superstar’ and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s view of the show, it was the best setting I could think of that would work for the entire storyline that was not what people were expecting,” she said, referring to a biblical setting. Webber wrote the story and the music, and Tim Rice the lyrics.

“Superstar” is loosely based on the Gospels’ account of the last week of Jesus’ life. The original Broadway production was nominated for five Tony awards in 1972, including Best Original Score. The score includes the songs “I Don’t How to Love Him” and “Superstar.”