The musical premiered under the title
Jesus Christ Revolution at the
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne on 8 January 1972. The cast included Steve Anthony as Jesus, Erl Dalby as Judas and Una Valli as Mary (as well as a young
John Paul Young). It closed after three weeks due to weak audience demand. The name was changed to
Man of Sorrows for a subsequent Sydney production, which opened at the
Pitt Street Congregational Centre on 6 June 1972. The cast included Ron Stevens as Jesus, Erl Dalby (from the Melbourne production) as Judas, Jennifer Bailey as Mother Mary and Janet Roberts as Mary Magdalene. A 1973 New Zealand production featured
Rob Guest as Jesus. A studio recording of the songs "Hail All Hail" performed by Neil Williams,
Kerrie Biddell and chorus and "My Boy's Different" performed by Biddell was released in May 1972. == References ==