Jesus Christ Superstar - CAP Syosset | 5.17.26

Photo Credit: Emily Hartmann @photosxbyem

The Cultural Arts Playhouse in Syosset is currently producing the internationally acclaimed rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” from May 2nd to June 7th. The show is a dramatization of the last days of Jesus Christ (albeit with some creative liberties) and features a dynamic score from songwriting team Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. This particular production is directed by Bruce Grossman, who presents a truly unique take on the show - with attempts at modernizing certain points to make moments seem more relatable to a younger generation.

Anthony Orellana.

Photo Credit: Emily Hartmann @photosxbyem

The roles here are double (and in some cases triple) cast, but the leads that I saw understood the assignment and executed. Leading the charge as Jesus and Judas were Anthony Orellana and Shiloh Bennett, respectively. Both brought their own flavor to the roles, but gave me everything I was looking for. This was my first time seeing Orellana perform and he did not disappoint. He played Jesus with the gentle, calm, and endearing demeanor you would expect yet emphatically led numbers like “What’s the Buzz” and “The Last Supper” - but wowed every one of us with his rendition of “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) in Act 2. Anyone in the world of theater knows that this is one of the most challenging songs to sing and Orellana did so seemingly effortlessly. His falsetto is strong, with a tone that is so rich it makes you sit back in amazement. I can’t say enough good things! Bennett knocked it out of the park (as I expected…this was not my first time seeing him) and will blow your mind early on with “Heaven on Their Minds.” There’s simply no other way to put it - this man’s voice is sick.

After that, I knew I was in for a treat as the show progressed.

Bennett continues to impress with “Damned for All Time/Blood Money” and “Judas’ Death” - but I want to mention a smaller moment that I noticed. Anyone familiar with the show (or overall story) knows that Judas was the apostle destined to betray Jesus, and you see the build up to this throughout the show. There are moments we see Judas becoming increasingly frustrated with the decisions that Jesus is making and during Act 1’s “Everything’s Alright” he is having a moment, struggling with seeing how Jesus is interacting with Mary Magdalene (played in this performance by Nicole Gonzalez) and while a crowd is huddled around Jesus, about 2 or 3 ensemble members took notice. I *loved* this. Yes, people would have been hyper focused on Jesus but with Judas outwardly struggling, people would have noticed that even if they didn’t act on it and these ensemble members got that.

It’s little moments like this that I love to see - a director once told me that you should never assume that an audience member isn’t watching you…because they are and *I am*!

Joey Colavolpe, Nicole Gonzalez.

Photo Credit: Emily Hartmann @photosxbyem

Gonzalez was fantastic as Mary. She played the role with subtle confidence and her rendition of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” was lovely and exceeded my expectations; it is easily one of the most recognizable songs from the show and she sang it phenomenally, even adding some little runs and touches here and there to put her own flair on it. I quite enjoyed it! In Act 2 she sang “Could We Start Again Please?” with Peter, played by Joey Colavolpe which was another standout. I was impressed with Colavolpe’s voice and how well it blended with Gonzalez - it’s a shame the song is so short. I would have loved to hear more!

Spencer DeStefano, Shiloh Bennett, Zach Levy.

Photo Credit: Emily Hartmann @photosxbyem

Zach Levy is also back on the CAP stage as Caiaphas and seriously wowed me. I have known Levy for nearly 20 years and he was in my very first Long Island theater production - so seeing him in this role was super exciting for me on a personal level, but I loved his performance.

Oftentimes when casting Caiaphas, people get the role simply because they can hit the low notes but Levy did more than hit them - he crushed them while presenting an intimidating presence whenever he was on stage. Spencer DeStefano as Annas and Brendan Noble as the 3rd Priest complemented him nicely and the three of them sounded great together during “This Jesus Must Die.”

Another intimidating presence came from Pontious Pilate, played by Jay Braiman. He has a captivating energy on stage and is hard to look away from, even when there is so much going on during “Trial Before Pilate.” In this performance there were also two swings on - Liam Marsigliano as King Herod who sang “King Herod’s Song” nicely while Andrew J. Koehler stepped into the role of Simon with only a few minutes notice. Impressive! The show must go on, right? This is what camaraderie in theater looks like and it's refreshing to see.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” is a timeless musical with some of the best music ever heard (in my quite humble opinion) and you’ll enjoy hearing these songs for the first time or the 138th, like myself. Performances continue until June 7th and can be purchased in person at the box office or via their website at cap.booktix.com.

Full company.

Photo Credit: Emily Hartmann @photosxbyem

Cast:

Jesus Christ - Anthony Orellana, Chris Russo

Judas Iscariot - Shiloh Bennett, Sean Ryan, Taneisha Corbin

Mary Magdalene - Nicole Gonzalez, Faith Bentivegna

Pontious Pilate - Jay Braiman, Stephen Anastasia, Rich Martino

King Herod - Joe Thomas, Sean MArtin

Caiaphas - Zachary LEvy, Andrew J. Koehler

Annas - Spencer DeStefano

3rd Priest - Brendan Noble, Joseph D. Marchione

Simon Zealotes - Taneisha Corbin, Michael Garcia

Peter - Joey Colavolpe, Vinny Marra

Apostles - Kaileen Barreto, KAra Burke, Rylee Dabreo, Taahtyana Desir, Sandy Durst, Jasmin Hadley, Jordan Iglio, Sarah Klaum, JAke Kubic, Pat Marcelin, Josephine Mitchell, Sammy Morton, Jessica Nunez, Megan Reis, David Seide, Liz Spencer, Zac Tell, Chris WAlker

ID Dancers - Leigh Corrado, Summer Cohen, Maria Cutaia, Kristen Greek, Nicole Gonzalez, Melanie Henderson, Jessica Pecorella

Maid By The Fire - Megan Reis, Sarah Klaum

Ensemble - Tyler Asadurian, Michael Colberg, Meg Kirk, Michaela Rattansingh

Creative Team:

Director - Bruce Grossman

Choreographer - Natalie Baquet

Music Directors - Shiloh Bennett, Rich Giordano

Stage Manager - Andrew J. Koehler

Production Assistant - Taneisha Corbin

Costume Design - Samantha Eagle

Band:

Conductor/Keyboard - Rich Giordano

Sub Conductor/Keyboard - Daniel Halbstein

Guitar - Joey Sheehan

Bass - Shiori Chazono

Drums - Jared Grossman