An Interview with The Director
We sat down with the Director and Music Director of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Joe Murphy, to ask him for his vision of the show, how he and his team cast the production, and working with Woodside Musical Theatre.
PART 2 of 3
working with woodside...
What makes Woodside Musical Theatre a special company to work with?
JM: Woodside Musical Theater has a wonderful blend of tradition as well as new talent, board members and ideas. The people running the theater grew up in theaters with very high expectations. I feel that we all have a very high standard and level that we believe in. We are working hard to be one of the highest quality theater companies in the Bay Area, attracting the best talent and putting on really amazing shows.
Why do you think WMT chose Jesus Christ Superstar for this season?
JM: I'm not privy to WHY the board chose JCS, but I do remember HOW we brought it to them. I had signed on to Music Direct THE WEDDING SINGER with WMT last year. The Director of WEDDING SINGER, Nancy Fitzgerald, and I were brainstorming show ideas for the future seasons while working one day inside the music room at Serra High School. Nancy looked on the wall where I have a Jesus Christ Superstar album cover and she said, "What about Jesus Christ Superstar?" I've never gotten my hopes up about doing this show because there always seems to be more reasons not to do it than to do it and most theater companies won't take it on. We both agreed that it was not a good show for the Fall 2026 but we realized it may be a great option to do in concert in the Spring of 2026 to help WMT grow to a 2-show season. The board decided to go ahead with the project in October 2025 after WEDDING SINGER closed and here we are!
How does this production reflect the mission or evolution of the company?
JM: This production is expanding our reach for talent and musicians as well as our broad view of shows WMT can attempt and pull off. It's tough when you're used to only doing one show a year. With that model, you need to do something BIG and flashy so you get a large audience to show up. When you do multiple shows in a season, they don't all have to sell out and they don't all have to have 65 people on stage. And I imagine that adding an "in concert" production is a smart way to expand the season, while still keeping production costs manageable. I think it's a smart decision.
What does it mean to you to create ambitious work in a community theater setting?
JM: This one is tough! Jesus Christ Superstar is not normally a show you do without at least a couple professional contracts. But as a community theater, we have none. Finding a 40+ person orchestra is also not something community theaters usually try to pull off. But we've been able to recruit people who want to play this score. By all means, this is honestly unchartered territory for WMT (and really, any of the community theaters I know in the area.) While some theater companies are sadly folding due to financial concerns, we've been able to get actors and musicians to rally around the vision for this show in a way I've never seen. It's very special. We hope audiences will agree and join in to support us.
How does working with volunteer artists shape the energy of the production?
JM: Everyone at rehearsal is there for the right reasons...the art. They love the show. They love what they do. We enjoy each other's company and we enjoy the material. The energy is amazing! We can't wait to share that energy with the audiences!
relevance, impact & community...
Why do you think Jesus Christ Superstar still matters more than 50 years after it was written?
JM: There are many views of Jesus and Christianity floating around these days. The story of an outsider being accepted outside his community is one that we deal with everyday. Stories of love and acceptance also ring true today. This show has reminded me that everyone, even those we vilify, have their stories and their backgrounds and there are reasons for everything.
What do you think this show offers that audiences might not expect?
JM: I'm really trying to bring together the crowd of people who love the musical itself for it's musical reasons and the crowd who love the story of the Passion. I want to bring biblical canon into the musical so that those who really know the story of the Passion see their faith carried out on stage.
How does community theater differ from professional theater in terms of emotional impact?
JM: To me, the only difference between professional theater and community theater is the budget and the time committed to the show. Community players have all the passion and drive that the professionals do. Many pros are trained significantly more than community players but that doesn't always lead to a better production. I've seen community versions of musicals that I would gladly watch again over a National Tour of the same show. Sometimes it's the setting. Sometimes it's the timing of when you see a show to what's going on in the world. There's something about watching your friends rock it on stage that makes going out to see community theater that much more exciting.
What do audiences gain by supporting local artists rather than big commercial productions?
JM: We are living in an area and a time in society where we're eliminating interactive recreation. We complain that kids are too tied to their phones, computers and video games. But when we take away theater, symphonies, mini-golf, go-cart racing, bowling alleys, batting cages, etc...we don't leave people with much to do other than watch screens all day. We NEED theater. We NEED our local symphonies. We NEED recreational activities where we interact face-to-face with people we know, and new friends we make in the process. It's good for our soul. It gives us human connection. It gives us things to ponder and opportunities to share joy with the people we know in our own community.