North Bay students prepare to perform a smash Broadway musical

Jesus Christ Superstar to open at North Bay high school Students in West Ferris Secondary School’s production of the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar are ready for the curtain to rise.

The students at West Ferris Secondary School in North Bay who make up the cast and crew of the school’s production of the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar say they are ready for the curtain to rise.

Almost 70 students are participating in the production either on stage or behind the scenes – the most the school said it has ever had as part of one of its shows.

The musical follows the final days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and death on the cross from the perspective of the disciple who betrayed him, Judas.

The show’s program can be found here.

The play will also be the last big production for drama teacher Allan MacAskill. MacAskill is set to retire at the end of this year after teaching for 25 years and being involved in nearly 40 stage productions.

"I’ve had some wonderful years," the retiring drama teacher said.

"Almost all of them. I must say that this year has been incredibly special."

Student Efrem Hyatt, who is playing the role of Pontius Pilate, told CTV News that the show is going to be fantastic.

"(It is) way better than past productions I’ve been in," he said.

"This past month, we’ve just been running the show and running it because we have everything all together and we’re beyond performance-ready."

"I’ve got a wonderful cohort of students that love theatre just as much as I do, if not more," MacAskill said.

The show will run in the school’s auditorium on Marshall Park Drive from Feb. 29 to March 2 at 7 p.m. each evening.

Tickets to each performance are $15 and can be purchased online or at the door.