Some careers are built over decades. Others are shaped by a single leap of faith. For Desmonda Cathabel, that leap took her from Indonesia to the UK in 2021 with no formal musical theatre training, armed only with belief in her talent and a determination to pursue a dream that had no clear blueprint. Five years later, she is making history as the first Indonesian national to lead a West End production, stepping into the iconic role of Mary Magdalene in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar.
It is a role that carries immense history. Mary Magdalene has been portrayed by some of musical theatre’s most celebrated performers, yet this new production offers a fresh perspective. Inspired by the folk sensibilities of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, Desmonda’s Mary becomes a quiet centre of compassion amidst the show’s explosive rock score. Rather than competing with the chaos around her, she softens it, embodying a character whose strength comes through stillness, faith and unwavering love.
That sense of quiet conviction mirrors Desmonda’s own journey. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, she has quickly established herself as one of the West End’s most exciting new voices, earning acclaim in Hadestown, Aladdin and Miss Saigon. Yet beneath the growing list of credits remains an artist who speaks candidly about community, representation and the courage it takes to carve out a path where none previously existed.
Now starring opposite Sam Ryder in one of musical theatre’s most enduring works, Desmonda is not only adding her name to the remarkable legacy of Mary Magdalene, she is redefining what that legacy can look like for a new generation. House of Solo sits down with the trailblazing performer to discuss faith, identity, finding stillness in the middle of chaos, and why following her own joy has become the greatest act of resistance.
Desmonda, you are about to play Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium. What was your first emotional reaction when you found out the role was yours?
I couldn’t believe it. This is just the biggest thing I’ve ever been involved in so far. My audition process was kind of last minute, so I really didn’t even consider the possibility of being involved. I’m so grateful the stars aligned, and here we are.
Mary Magdalene has been played by some extraordinary performers over the years. How do you approach a role with such a rich legacy while still making her feel completely your own?
The legacy of the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar is what the creatives are strongly referring back to. So it’s my homework to study Yvonne Elliman and the original ’60s and ’70s musical references for Mary Magdalene, while also adding my own musical sensibilities and my own understanding of the character.
This production imagines Mary with a Joni Mitchell and Carole King inspired energy, bringing a softer, folk driven presence into a world of rock intensity. How did that influence the way you found her voice and emotional rhythm?
Andrew Lloyd Webber has so cleverly composed Mary’s musical motifs as exactly that: the softer, folk sound to counter all the chaos around her. I love that I’m able to tap into a really folk-inspired sound with my voice in this role because we don’t have a lot of that in musical theatre. Tone and phrasing are so much more important in this style, and I love that I can channel my favourite vocalists through it, like Karen Carpenter and Joni Mitchell in particular. Our musical supervisor, Tom Deering, even sat us all down to listen to Joni Mitchell’s Sire of Sorrow one day in rehearsal for that reason.
Mary often sits at the centre of love, compassion and stillness within the chaos of Jesus Christ Superstar. What do you think she understands about Jesus that others around him do not?
One of the things I remember our director, Tim Sheader, saying about Mary is that, in this piece, she is, in a way, the first true Christian. The first one to fully find peace, love and surrender in the faith of Jesus’ teaching. She understands it so much more than everyone else. She has no doubts, no fears, no wants. She is someone who has been truly changed by her faith. Her stillness comes from being unshakable in her enlightenment.
The musical is famously told through the eyes of Judas, but Mary carries a very different kind of emotional truth. How do you see her role within the story?
Riffing from the previous answer, her role is to show what peace and love look like. She is also the only lead female character in this show, so I’d like to think she is showing us all how it could’ve been if we listened to the women instead. Haha.
“I Don’t Know How to Love Him” is one of musical theatre’s most iconic songs. How do you prepare to sing something that audiences already know so deeply, while still making it feel intimate and new?
Our musical supervisor, Tom Deering, is really strict about the vibe being rooted in the original 1969 album’s style, which means we are definitely not doing a “new” musical interpretation of the song for modern audiences. What I find through that is my big task is, of course, finding a fresh acting interpretation, but mainly discovering how to deliver that through phrasing and tone because that’s what makes the same melody feel different. Not doing more, belting louder, opting up or riffing, but finding it in the restraint. Actually, that’s pretty hard to do on a stage as big as the Palladium!
You will be starring opposite Sam Ryder as Jesus. What has the chemistry between the two of you brought to the rehearsal room?
Sam Ryder is the most generous and kind person I’ve ever met, and it shows in his work on stage. Even in his acting debut, it’s easy to build chemistry with him because he is so open and malleable to everything around him, and that’s all you need as an actor. I think we’ve found a gentle, intensely loving chemistry between his Jesus and my Mary, and I hope the audience feels it too.
The production brings together rock, theatre, spirituality and spectacle. Where do you personally find the humanity inside such a large scale piece?
This whole musical is about humanising a story that has seemed so mythical and larger than all of us for thousands of years. Knowing that we are telling a different side of this story is how we find the humanity. We are just playing regular people in extraordinary circumstances.
You came to the UK in 2021 without formal training and went on to win a place at the Royal Academy of Music. When you look back at that version of yourself, what do you feel most proud of?
I am so proud of her for taking the blind leap of faith, driven by her soul and happiness, and nothing else.
You are now being recognised as the first Indonesian woman to lead on the West End. What does that milestone mean to you personally, and what do you hope it means for other Asian women watching your journey?
I am actually the first Indonesian national ever to lead on the West End, man or woman. It means that, coming from a society where traditional conservative expectations of being a woman are still highly regarded, I am showing there is an alternative. I came here on my own with no help other than from my friends and community around me. I had absolutely no other plan than to pursue my dreams, and I am so fulfilled because of it. I didn’t need to conform to anything as an Indonesian woman, and I can pave my own way towards seemingly impossible things. I hope it means that any Asian woman who sees me knows there are so many other ways to live our lives free from familial and societal pressures.
Did you ever feel there was a blueprint for someone like you in British musical theatre, or have you had to create that path for yourself?
Every Southeast Asian and East Asian woman on stage has paved the way for me. Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada, the original Mary Magdalene Yvonne Elliman, the 1996 London Mary Magdalene Jo Ampil, and many more. I’ve had to create my own path as an Indonesian woman in musical theatre, for sure, but my Southeast Asian queens had already made the first strike against that glass ceiling for me.
From Hadestown to Aladdin, Miss Saigon and now Jesus Christ Superstar, your career has already crossed very different musical worlds. What has each role taught you about yourself as a performer?
I think doing all of these completely different worlds and characters on stage has taught me that versatility is key, and versatility can be found in being truthful within your character’s world every time. I don’t go into these characters thinking I have to switch things up and play certain tropes. Instead, being truthful and multidimensional in the moment gets you there. Being open, playful and generous with everyone around you on stage, while fully living in that world, is what gives you versatility.
Your recent role as Eurydice in Hadestown also centred on love, loss and mythic storytelling. Did that experience shape how you approached Mary Magdalene?
Yes, but in the way that all my past experiences always help shape my future ones. I learned a lot as Eurydice about how to sustain myself in a very emotionally demanding and heartbreaking show while also remaining vulnerable and raw for the audience. Jesus Christ Superstar is also a show that demands that. Even when I’m not at the forefront of the action, it requires everyone involved to be emotionally available for it to work.
You have been described as a trailblazer, but trailblazing often comes with pressure. How do you protect your joy while carrying that responsibility?
By not thinking that I am a trailblazer. Haha. In my mind, I really am not, and not in a fake humble way. Truthfully, the reason I’m on this path is to find my own joy. It just so happens I’m trudging new trails in the process. So doing what I’m doing right now is joy for me. I’m glad some trails are being blazed because of it, but that isn’t my main concern.
As both an actress and singer, how do you balance technical control with emotional honesty when performing such vocally demanding material?
I’m definitely not the first person to say this, but the goal with technique is that you practise until it becomes so deeply embedded in your body that it turns into muscle memory. Then all you have left to do on stage is trust that it will deliver what your emotional honesty requires in that very moment. In short, I prioritise being present in the story rather than thinking about my technique on stage.
The London Palladium is one of the most historic stages in British theatre. What does it mean to bring your story, your voice and your heritage onto that stage?
It means everything. To be so visibly Brown, Southeast Asian, on the biggest and most historic stage in British theatre always feels like an act of resistance in a country that is increasingly racist and divided. Here I am, an immigrant, existing, working hard and being celebrated.
Looking ahead, what do you hope this role opens up, not just for your own career, but for wider representation in West End theatre?
I hope it opens up more opportunities for alto voices and for voices that are not strictly musical theatre in style, because they belong here just as much. And, of course, I hope it opens more doors for Brown Asians to stand on the biggest stages and be part of the biggest projects.
Book your tickets here
Photography – Mark Cant
Styling – Catherine Rasanto
Hair & Make Up – Selen Hurer
