Acting and singing from a young age, she had earned raves for her performance as The Lady in the Lake in Spamalot, which she debuted in London before performing on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar is a radical retelling of the Gospel stories of the ‘Passion’ that feature operatic rock music, noted anachronisms, and a dramatic interpretation of the confrontation between Jesus of Nazareth and Judas. The 1996 production that Waddingham saw, performed at the Lyceum Theatre, was directed by Gale Edwards and featured Steve Balsamo in the role of Jesus, with Varla portraying Judas. While he was a relative unknown at the time, Varla was able to give even more power to the part, which Jesus Christ Superstar depicts as a tragic character, akin to Milton’s Paradise Lost. Although there have been various revivals over the years, it’s somewhat surprising that Broadway or Hollywood hasn’t tried a more modernised revamp of Jesus Christ Superstar recently, as it’s certainly one of the best-written shows that Webber is responsible for.