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HEAVEN ON HIS MIND

American actor Josh Young, whose first major gig was playing the role of Marius in the third national tour of Les Misérables, began his relationship with Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival two seasons ago when director Gary Griffin was on the search for a Che to fill out his production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita. A few Stratford credits later, Young would take on yet another monumental role — villainous apostle Judas Iscariot — in the Ontario company's 2011 revival of the Lloyd Webber-Rice rock classic Jesus Christ Superstar (playing alongside his earlier Eva Peron, Chilina Kennedy, as Mary Magdalene).

You have such a rich sound quality in your lower register, yet you're hitting these rock countertenor notes with your head voice. Where do you fit? Do you consider yourself a baritenor?
Josh Young: Honestly, I really don't like to put a label on voices. I will sing whatever I'm given to sing. Growing up I would sing anything that I was given. If the choir needed a first tenor, I would sing first tenor. If they needed a bass, I would sing bass. Throughout my life, I just figured out ways to hit notes I needed to hit. I kind of like not being labeled. That's why I love this role because I use every part of my voice possible. If you're coming into it looking at other performers who have performed the role [of Judas], I don't think that I would be a likely choice. I think you need a visionary director like Des [McAnuff] who can think outside the box and see [Jesus Christ Superstar] with a fresh pair of eyes. Luckily, he did. Vocally, I'm much different, and my demeanor is much different than other guys I've known who have played it. I try to make Judas a very sympathetic character and even a hero in the story.

	Young in Jesus Christ Superstar.
	photo by Joan Marcus

Tell me about that first night on Broadway. What was that experience like for you?
JY: Oh, I just couldn't breathe! I couldn't believe I was on Broadway. When I was shaving before the show, I was like, "Oh, my God. Are these Broadway sideburns? Do they need to be higher?" Every note was also like, "Is this good enough for Broadway?" It was ridiculous that I was like that, but I just couldn't believe… ! As I was performing, I was realizing that my dream was coming true. The first couple of shows were like that. I was like, "Stop thinking about it!" That was a hard thing to shake off, but, like I said, our fourth show in, I totally left that behind.

How did you approach the role of Judas?
JY: Two years ago I was doing Che [in Evita at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival], and we approached the role of Che — Gary Griffin and I — as Che Guevara. And, there is a wealth of information about Che — who he was, and I was able to use that. For Judas, I also did all the background research I could. I read every Gospel, every lost Gospel there's ever been, anything that's ever been written about Judas, but I came to find that nothing was written about him before he met Jesus. It's like he just appeared. Obviously, that can't be true. People don't just appear at the age of 30, so I created my own back-story for him. I thought about what would [create] the most drama, and that's the back-story that I'm using.

I think Judas was a very devout religious Jewish person. He realizes that Jews had been persecuted and enslaved for thousands of years, and he wants to keep his people from going through that anymore. That is his driving force in this show. I don't think it has anything to do with the money. And, mixed up in there is that he loves Jesus, and he loves what Jesus stands for — aside from the whole "I'm-the-son-of-God" thing. [Laughs.] I think he loves all the beautiful sentiments that Jesus says to his people. It's just this one thing that he's doing that Judas is worried might offset the balance. [Jesus' following] might make the Romans come down upon our people, so I want to save that from happening. I'll do whatever I can do to save my people. Also, we have Mary thrown in there, and I think Judas might be a little jealous of the affection that Jesus is getting [from Mary] and vice versa.

	Young in Jesus Christ Superstar.
	Photo by Joan Marcus

You said earlier that you see Judas as a hero.
JY: He doesn't see himself as a hero, but what he's doing is heroic. He's trying to save the people. He's even trying to save Jesus. I honestly don't think that Judas knows that by handing over Jesus to Caiaphas it will result in [Jesus'] crucifixion. There was no precedent set that if a man claims to be the Son of God the punishment is crucifixion. He may have gone to jail, and there may have been other punishment, but it was not death. He doesn't know that Jesus is going to die for this; he just wants him out of the picture so that no more trouble comes to his people. He wants to do right by God, first, and then by his people, and then by Jesus and Mary.

He's torn because he wants to please everyone.
JY: Absolutely. He's completely torn, and that eventually leads to what happens at the end of the show. He's absolutely torn apart inside.

Did your religious background play a part in how you approached the role? You're Jewish?
JY: I was raised Jewish. I didn't know anything about Christianity. Of course I knew the fundamentals, but I didn't know the story. I had never read a Gospel. However, I think being raised Jewish and going to a Jewish day-school when I was very young — and then I had Wednesday and Sunday school at my synagogue — I learned a lot about the Old Testament, and that's really all that these people know. Our characters don't know the New Testament, so going in there with a good knowledge of the Old Testament really, I think, serves better than even knowing the New Testament. That is what Judas what have followed — the Old Testament.

Aside from Jesus Christ Superstar and other shows, you've also released two solo albums?
JY: I had an album in 2005 that I co-produced with Brian Lowdermilk. I don't know if you know who he is — he's an up-and-coming composer.

Of the songwriting team Kerrigan-Lowdermilk? I love their music!
JY: Yeah, Kerrigan and Lowdermilk… [Kait Kerrigan, Brian Lowdermilk and I] were very close friends, and we grew up together. We went to middle school and high school together — we did Little Shop of Horrors. Brian was Seymour, Kait was Audrey, and I played the Dentist, so we've been friends since then. He produced that [first album], and I just did another album. While I was rehearsing JCS, I was recording an album, which was a huge mistake! [Laughs.] But we did it! It's called "Still Dreaming of Paradise," and it's got "Heaven on Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar on it. It was produced in Toronto. Brian did all the orchestrations in New York City. We recorded the vocals in Toronto while I was rehearsing at Stratford. There's rock, pop, Broadway and cabaret on it. It's very eclectic.