This Philly actor got a hoagie and a dream role in a Wawa

Maybe it was some kind of miracle. Actor Jack Hopewell received a phone call at a Wawa, the first stop on a drive west. He was driving to Michigan, to play Jesus in a production of Godspell.

“I was grabbing a hoagie and I got some pretty good news,” said Hopewell, a 2022 University of the Arts graduate.

The phone call was from the Broadway touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar telling Hopewell that he had been cast in the title role. The show will open in Philadelphia on May 2, the day after Hopewell turns 23.

A casting agent had come to the University of the Arts in March 2022 and noticed the actor as he was preparing his senior showcase.

“He had seen me singing and playing guitar with my long hair,” Hopewell said. “The role called for a Jesus who plays guitar, so I fit the part there.”

The Godspell Jesus, Hopewell said, “is more like a clown figure. He’s there to bring light, levity, and joy until he doesn’t. I love Godspell with all my heart, but I think Jesus Christ Superstar is definitely my favorite. The Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar is just so human and flawed.”

Hopewell says his faith was nurtured by his grandparents, whom he thinks of every night before the show. “They taught me to believe in this human Jesus who is compassionate to everyone.”

He describes himself as a “salad bar Catholic,” picking among the doctrines for what feels right, while never forgetting both Jesus’ humanity and holiness.

“Sometimes organized faith gets away from one of the most important tenets of Christianity, that Jesus is and was human as much as he was God,” said Hopewell. “I think there’s a concept of Jesus as the impenetrable godly figure that we can’t even begin to compare ourselves us to.” But like us humans, Hopewell added, “He had thoughts. He had fears. He had doubts, while also being a savior of humanity.”

For mentoring, Hopewell turns to one of his best friends in the cast — Elvie Ellis, who plays Judas, the disciple whose betrayal of Jesus leads to Christ’s crucifixion.

Hopewell says Ellis is a talented and seasoned pro willing to teach all the ropes of touring, acting, and sustaining a show over a long run. “He has been indispensable to me,” he said, particularly since Hopewell got this role at this level right out of college.

Hopewell and Temple University graduate Kodiak Thompson (who plays Annas, the high priest) are eager to show off Philadelphia to the rest of the cast. On Hopewell’s list are hiking in the Wissahickon, the Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market, Reading Terminal, the Bok Bar, and a chicken cutlet caprese sandwich from Vincenzo’s Deli on South Ninth Street.

When they finish sightseeing, Hopewell, Thompson, and the rest of the cast will make sure they get back to the Miller Theater in time for a preshow “nondenominational” prayer that has become a ritual.

“You can ask God or the universe to give us the ability to tell the story and go out there and do our absolute best,” he said. “And we thank Him or whatever else for allowing us to do this every night.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” runs May 2-7 at the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Miller Theater, 250 S. Broad St., Phila., 215-893-1999 or kimmelculturalcampus.org. Check with the theater for COVID-19 protocols.

For information on other local events, visit inquirer.com/things-to-do-philly.