This Friday, November 15 at 8 p.m., Jesus is coming to St. Louis—to the Peabody Opera House, in fact. He’s bringing John the Baptist and Judas, too. Actually, John and Judas are the same person, played by the same actor. I mentioned that I’m talking about a musical, right?
Godspell has been touring for several weeks, but before his appearance as Jesus here in St. Louis, 19-year-old actor Jake Stern graciously granted SLM an interview.
Are you excited for the tour to begin?
I am super-duper excited! I get goosebumps thinking about it. I’m really looking forward to the bus rides and the hotel and all the little stuff. And I’m excited to be playing Jesus again. This Jesus is a really fun, youthful, energetic, loving guy.
Were you intimidated to be playing Jesus?
I was. I was still in grade 12 at the time, so I was just 18. I was worried, but it came naturally to me. There was never any pressure.
Was Jesus the role you originally wanted?
I knew the director from when I was in grade 11. When I was 17, I was in a male vocal group. We auditioned for this guy’s show that would be the director of this production of Godspell. And he said, “Jake, I want you to audition for Godspell.” I had no idea he wanted me to audition for Jesus. So I auditioned, thinking it was for a weekend show or community theater, but it was a full-blown, professional, paid show. That was a first for me, getting paid to act and sing.
Is Godspell the only show you’ve done?
For professional musical theater, yes. My family lives in Stratford [Ontario], so when I was in grade 11, I got to be part of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. For 9 months I was just a local jobber, doing the ensemble part, so that was my first professional experience. I live in Toronto now, and in the past year have done a couple movie/TV gigs. For musical theater, though, this is definitely the most professional gig I’ve had.
Was theater always the dream?
No. No, quite opposite, actually. My family was really big into hockey. It was always hockey, hockey, hockey. My dad was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, and he played for their AHL team. I have two other brothers; it’s a guy family so my mom’s the only girl. So it was a lot of sports, a lot of hockey. When I was in grade 8, I was watching TV, I think The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and I thought, “I can do that.” I sat down with my parents and said I’d love to try it and I started doing some children’s theater.
At the time, were you thinking you wanted to do TV?
Yes. When I was in grade 9, I got to do a pilot for a show in Ottawa, and I hated it. I absolutely hated it. I thought it was the worst and I never wanted to do film again. I wanted to just sing or do theater, and all throughout high school that was the plan. Theater, theater, theater, then go to Sheridan, a college here in Canada. Sheridan College is a big musical theater college. And I got into that when I was 18, doing the first Godspell stint. I wanted to do theater. There was no film or TV in my mind at all. Then after I finished Godspell, my director got me an agent and I cancelled school and moved to Toronto, and I love film and TV now. That’s all I do. This year I’ve had 45 film and TV auditions.
So you just had a bad experience back in grade 9 then?
It’s really funny to talk about, but I had a big stutter. When I got nervous, I had a speech impediment. I had to push through that all through high school, and just a few years ago I finally got over it. But with film and TV, I got so nervous that they would have to take fifteen-minute breaks because I kept stuttering. It was a bad experience for me, and I didn’t like it. So I just said no to it, but now I’m back at it and I love it.
Do you think you’ll be doing more film and television in the future then?
I think so. I do love musical theater, but I’m not the biggest dancer. I can move a little and try to fake it. I like singing more, and acting; I love musical theater, and there are certain musicals I like more, Godspell being one of them and Andrew Lloyd Webber, I love his stuff, but film and TV is something I really love to do.
If you could play any role in any show, what would it be?
Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. That musical has been in my life since I—there are home videos of me dancing in my underwear and me and my brothers dancing to that musical.
Is there much dancing in Godspell?
I don’t want to downplay the choreography, because they’ve done a great job, but this show is more about the parables and the movement and watching the ensemble and how we move as a team together. We jump a lot...there is dancing in the show, but it’s not too much. It’s really about the voices and it’s a hilarious show.
Had you seen Godspell before doing the show?
When I was in grade 8 and 9, I was starting to do theater and I was involved in a community theater production, but that was the old version.
Is there anything that this production does differently that you were excited about?
We’re doing the revival version that went on Broadway in 2011. With most shows and musicals, they have to revamp them to make it connect more to the audiences of this time. So Stephen Schwartz, the composer, he revamped it with more pop-rock in the music and the parables have more of a modern twist, whereas the older version was during the hippie revolution. It really moves with time—it’s a timeless show that you can adapt as the times change.
Godspell runs from November 15 through 17. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit peabodyoperahouse.com.
