Photo: @pepenufrio on Instagram.
Pepe Nufrio recalls his favorite backstage moment on the Jesus Christ Superstar national tour was hearing the band play for the first time.
“It’s one thing when you’re in the rehearsal space and you’re performing with a piano and drums. It’s a completely different story when you get on stage and you sing for the first time with the whole orchestra,” he said.
Nufrio describes hearing the opening notes of Andrew Loyd Webber’s iconic musical as magical. In fact, he’s currently fulfilling a dream role by performing as Jesus and Judas.
As an understudy, he has to be prepared to go onstage within a moment’s notice. He remembers a time when he only had 10 minutes before the show to get ready. He ran to his dressing room, switched from the ensemble costume to Jesus, and vocalized while changing.
Nufrio isn’t fazed by the challenge. Sometimes, he plays the role of Jesus in the morning and Judas at night. In those instances, if he portrays Jesus in the morning, he is reading over Judas’ lines for the night performance and at night if he’s playing Judas, he reviews the Jesus track.
“Oftentimes when you have a lot of time to think about the preparation, you overthink. So when you have to get into the shoes and perform it, it’s so fresh. Everything is happening and it’s very natural,” he said.
In this show, he notes the ensemble portrays “the mob.” The mob is a group of people that go from chanting Jesus name in bliss and euphoria to crucifying him. Jesus, Judas and Mary are the three leads. The ensemble is a force and in many ways serves as the fourth lead.
He recommends during the show to pick anybody from the ensemble to watch and you’ll notice how unique and talented they are.
Nufrio has been performing this show for two years, so he is very familiar with his respective characters. When he first booked the role, his preparation as an understudy involved a long process.
“It was not only learning how to sing these parts which are very demanding but also being comfortable with both acting and singing. It takes a while to embody the characters, but once you know it, then it’s just a ride,” he said.
As for what he personally brings to the role of Jesus and Judas, he mentions the humanity of it and individuality. He points out that it's impossible to set out and act like Jesus or Judas who are huge biblical characters of history. Instead, the director asks the actors to be themselves in their interpretation of the characters and be as truthful with the material as possible.
Nufrio has two moments that stand out to him during the show. The first is the last supper between Jesus, Judas and all the apostles because "there’s such a fight." According to him, the fight happens because of love and Judas wanting the best for Jesus. While Jesus ultimately wants the best for everyone and that’s he's reasoning for his actions.
The other stand out scene is the moments between Pilate and Christ. If he had to choose any other role to play, it would be Pilate because of the character’s complexity. Despite only having fifteen minutes on stage, Pilate’s presence is vivid and strong.
Pilate is desperately trying to help Jesus and Jesus refuses saying Pilate really can’t stop the events that transpire because it’s already written. To Nufrio, every single interaction between Jesus and Pilate is powerful.
As for the most difficult song to perform, he says it is Jesus’s “Gethsemane” because of its varied range.
The message of Jesus Christ Superstar is love and humanity. Through Jesus’ actions in the show you see his love for everyone and he ultimately sacrifices himself for it. The show teaches you to be a better person, because the characters did everything for each other.
Nufrio also had the opportunity to perform as Jesus in the Regency Park London production and it was a powerful experience that he will never forget. At the time, Jesus Christ Superstar was the only show open in London during the pandemic.
“People were so excited to see any show. For it to be this show that talks about love and the story of Jesus Christ was incredible. The show would start. We would go on stage with masks and would take them off to perform as the music was happening and people would start crying from that very first moment,” he said.
He was introduced to musicals by his voice teacher. He initially started taking lessons in high school since he was in a band. His auditioned for the NYC American Musical and Dramatic Academy was in London. He prepared one song and one monologue. Although the audition was high stakes because it involved his future, he remembers the faculty at the audition being very welcoming.
Once he was accepted into AMDA, the most challenging aspect of his move from Spain to New York City was adapting to the city’s culture. Being from a Spanish speaking country, the social aspect of that community is so vivid and present. While New York city is a city that although it is filled with people, it can feel really lonely at times. Therefore, it took time for him to become familiar with the New York City culture.
His audition tip is to do what you love. In particular for students who are auditioning for musical theater colleges, he suggests choosing material that you love because it will be the easiest for them to prepare and present.
“Pick a song that you like, pick a song that suits your personality, your age because that rings true and goes accordingly with your body, your mind. Most of all do what you love, and therefore you’ll have fun and you’ll do a good job,” he said.
Jesus Christ Superstar is playing at the Arsht Center until June 5. Tickets are available starting at $35 on the Adrienne Arsht Center website.
Photo: @pepenufrio on Instagram.
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