Arvid's holy order

Arvid Larsen, aged 31, is the new Jesus Christ Superstar and will be appearing at Manchester as part of a tour of Britain.

He comes to the part having taken the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Although he says he has no illusions of grandeur, he did admit: "It is a bit odd playing the part of Jesus. If you think about the religious aspect of it all, it is a daunting part to take on.

"He is certainly a character everyone has an opinion about -- even down to how he should look.

"But looking at the script and music, I approach the character strictly as the human being behind the biblical character.

"I am trying to give him something that makes people want to follow him, to make them leave their homes because of their faith in him. He gave a downtrodden national a feeling of self worth, so he must have had something very special."

Appearing as Jesus is a long way from Arvid's early days dabbling in amateur dramatics back in his native Norway as a teenager.

He said: "I always dreamed of being a professional actor but never dared think I would. I did a little bit of amateur dramatics when I was 16 or 17 just for fun. I never thought I would end up doing it professionally. But everyone said I should give it a try."

Eventually Arvid embarked on a one year course in Norway, before deciding he wanted to move into musicals.

He said: "For that I had to move abroad and I chose England."

He trained at the Guildford School of Acting, and since that time has appeared not only as Joseph on tour with the Technicolour Dreamcoat, but also in various musicals which have travelled abroad to Germany and Norway.

In the six years since he left college, he has been kept very busy. He puts his success down to "a mixture of very hard work and also being available at the right time".

He said: "A lot of the time parts can come up when you are busy doing something else. Lucky for me they were looking for Jesus at the right time. They know what they are looking for and when they see you know almost immediately if you are it. Luckily I got this part which gives me a great chance to prove myself.

"This has always been a dream role. It has been one of those parts that I have looked at and thought, I could do that. And now to be able to prove I can is fantastic.

" I have done a lot of musicals now and this role is the highlight of my career so far. It is a fantastic show to be a part of. I have done a lot of musicals now and this role is the highlight of my career so far. It is a fantastic show to be a part of."

But what about the transition from Norway to appearing in lead roles in stage musicals?

Arvid said: "I spoke pretty good English before I came, having started to learn the language from the age of 10. On television in Norway there are subtitles and I suppose although you read them, you are subconsciously hearing the English. Now speaking English comes second nature to me, I do not even think about it."

What could be the next step up from playing Jesus? God perhaps?

Arvid smiled: "I have done a few musicals so I would like to move on a little. I would like to try straight acting and television drama. Not that I am saying I will never do a musical again if I got the chance. But my dream now would be to appear in a period drama."

But, for the time being, Arvid is happy remaining on tour. He said: "Touring is hard work in one way, but it also gives a show new freshness as opposed to staying in one place.

"This way you have an opening night every three or four weeks which gives it a new kick."

Jesus Christ Superstar comes to Manchester's Opera House on October 23 to November 17. Tickets are from 0161 242 2524.

The BEN has three pairs of tickets for Tuesday, October 23, to give away in a competition. Answer the question below and send entries to Beverly Greenberg, Guide Competition, Editorial Dept, Newspaper House, Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1DE. Deadline is Thursday, October 18.

Question: Where is Arvid Larsen from? MEET Jesus Christ. He is a young man from Norway who has worked his way up from being Joseph!

Arvid Larsen, aged 31, is the new Jesus Christ Superstar and will be appearing at Manchester as part of a tour of Britain.

He comes to the part having taken the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Although he says he has no illusions of grandeur, he did admit: "It is a bit odd playing the part of Jesus. If you think about the religious aspect of it all, it is a daunting part to take on.

"He is certainly a character everyone has an opinion about -- even down to how he should look.

"But looking at the script and music, I approach the character strictly as the human being behind the biblical character.

"I am trying to give him something that makes people want to follow him, to make them leave their homes because of their faith in him. He gave a downtrodden nation a feeling of self worth, so he must have had something very special."

Appearing as Jesus is a long way from Arvid's early days dabbling in amateur dramatics back in his native Norway as a teenager.

He said: "I always dreamed of being a professional actor but never dared think I would. I did a little bit of amateur dramatics when I was 16 or 17 just for fun. I never thought I would end up doing it professionally. But everyone said I should give it a try."

Eventually Arvid embarked on a one year course in Norway, before deciding he wanted to move into musicals.

He said: "For that I had to move abroad and I chose England."

He trained at the Guildford School of Acting, and since that time has appeared not only as Joseph on tour with the Technicolour Dreamcoat, but also in various musicals which have travelled abroad to Germany and Norway.

In the six years since he left college, he has been kept very busy. He puts his success down to "a mixture of very hard work and also being available at the right time".

He said: "A lot of the time parts can come up when you are busy doing something else. Lucky for me they were looking for Jesus at the right time. They know what they are looking for and when they see you know almost immediately if you are it. Luckily I got this part which gives me a great chance to prove myself.

"This has always been a dream role. It has been one of those parts that I have looked at and thought, I could do that. And now to be able to prove I can is fantastic.

" I have done a lot of musicals now and this role is the highlight of my career so far. It is a fantastic show to be a part of.

But wh at about the transition from Norway to appearing in lead roles in stage musicals?

Arvid said: "I spoke pretty good English before I came, having started to learn the language from the age of 10. On television in Norway there are subtitles and I suppose although you read them, you are subconsciously hearing the English. Now speaking English comes second nature to me, I do not even think about it."

What could be the next step up from playing Jesus? God perhaps?

Arvid smiled: "I have done a few musicals so I would like to move on a little. I would like to try straight acting and television drama. Not that I am saying I will never do a musical again if I got the chance. But my dream now would be to appear in a period drama."

But, for the time being, Arvid is happy remaining on tour. He said: "Touring is hard work in one way, but it also gives a show new freshness as opposed to staying in one place.

"This way you have an opening night every three or four weeks which gives it a new kick."

Jesus Christ Superstar comes to Manchester's Opera House on October 23 to November 17. Tickets are from 0161 242 2524.

The BEN has three pairs of tickets for Tuesday, October 23, to give away in a competition. Answer the question below and send entries to Beverly Greenberg, Guide Competition, Editorial Dept, Newspaper House, Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1DE. Deadline is Thursday, October 18.

Question: Where is Arvid Larsen from?