With his ascension into rock heaven, playing the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar, Ian McIntosh could be forgiven for developing at least a little Messiah complex.
For more than 50 years the part of Jesus has been one of the most coveted in musical theatre, if not the greatest. Now, McIntosh’s performance is rated at least has highly as previous sons of God, including Paul Nicholas and on the concept album, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillen.
But there isn’t too much chance of Ian McIntosh assuming he can turn water into wine anytime soon. The performer has been around too long. And he’s had to gain experience in a range of musical theatre productions such as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Rock of Ages, Follies, and The Commitments before going on to star in Queen homage, We Will Rock You.
McIntosh rewinds on his career, and lists his gran, who moved from Clydebank to the Midlands, as a key influencer. “When I was young, my gran noticed that I could sing a little bit and she took me to the West End to see a production of Oliver! And it changed my life. There I was sitting in the audience, and I can remember actually saying, ‘I want to be that boy up there on stage.’”
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McIntosh didn’t go on to appear in Oliver. But that didn’t mean he didn’t try to learn his craft in any way he could. “I’d go along to social clubs with my parents, and I got paid a pound to sing songs. My gran really encouraged me.”
Later on, Ian’s gran took him back to the theatre to see the likes of Starlight Express and Les Misérables. And he was entirely mesmerised. But given that Coventry has never been the arts centre of the world, the then 16-year-old auditioned for musical theatre college in Southend. Not only did it go well, McIntosh was so impressive he was offered a full £40k scholarship.
Yet, while he possessed an immensely powerful voice, the young man was far from a musical theatre natural. He couldn’t ‘move on stage’. Having never been to acting classes, McIntosh had no idea what to do with his body. “At my graduation show I was set up to sing Barry Manilow’s Mandy. But I couldn’t walk around naturally and sing at the same time. Someone eventually got me a stool to sit on.”
He failed an early audition, to be an understudy, for We Will Rock You. The nerves simply got the better of him. But McIntosh was prepared to work hard, and now gets to announce that he has the best job in rock theatre. “It’s more the reaction in people’s faces when you say you play Jesus Christ,” he says, smiling.
What this production does is offer audiences a ‘relatable’ Jesus Christ. Taking the musical theatre story back to its early Seventies origins we see Jesus as the lead singer in a band. “And we look at the superstardom of this man, rather than the religious superstardom, although we hint at that with the robes and sandals. There is this hybrid story going on and what you try to do is tell a story about a person who is suffering, yet you can make that completely personal to you.”
The story fuses the Biblical and the Modern. The outfits on stage at the beginning of the show indicate Rock Star. But by the end the cast are wearing open toes. Jesus Christ Superstar, in this lean, mean production, takes a refreshed look at the struggles faced by Jesus himself and Judas Iscariot, using political themes and issues not explored in the Bible. (Judas is seen here as more of a tragic anti-hero dissatisfied with how Jesus is leading and spreading the Word of God).
However, McIntosh says the show’s current success matches anything to date. “Every show has been a standing ovation,” he says in serious voice, “I’ve been in the business for 15 years and I’ve never experienced that. What I think Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice have done brilliantly is to tell this story in such a way that it stuns people.
“You know, I’ve had people tell me they’ve been driving home after seeing the show and not being able to speak.”
It's a measure of how far Ian McIntosh has travelled - and how hard he has worked – that he had to make just one audition for the role of Jesus. “I was working on tour with We Will Rock You at the time and I came in and was offered the job straight away.”
When you see Ian McIntosh on stage as Jesus that’s hardly a surprise at all.
Jesus Christ Superstar, The King’s Theatre, Glasgow, July 29-August 3
Don’t Miss:
So Young, Douglas Maxwell’s play tells of old friends coming together for a night of fun and remembrance, but the evening grows darker on realising what has been lost. The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, July 25-August 25.
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