The amazing timing of the meeting on Easter Sunday and being just a few weeks away from the company’s performance was warmly welcomed by Southern Light:

Sara Whelan: “It’s not every day you get to meet the person who wrote the show we are currently rehearsing for so it was a special moment for us as individuals as well as Southern Light as a company.”

Colin Sutherland: “I would say it was a real stars-aligned kind of day. Lucky enough to be playing Jesus and meeting Tim Rice on Easter Sunday! Not to mention, he’s an absolute gent.

And a few of the ensemble describe the wonderful meeting with their hero:

Diane Scougall: “As a Jesus Christ Superstar fan for fifty years, it was a delight and a privilege to meet and chat with Sir Tim Rice. They say “never meet your heroes”, but he was affable, charming and funny. He answered our questions about lyric changes over the years, and shared his memories of getting the show from concept album to stage show back in 1971. His show in the evening was fantastic too – with the added excitement of knowing I would be on that stage in my favourite show in a couple of weeks!”

Charles Leeson-Payne: “Some people are worried about meeting their heroes. There was no need with Sir Tim Rice. A brief photoshoot turned into a marvellous private history tutorial and a personal company workshop for our production, like he’d known us for years. A Superstar, no less.”