WWJCSD?

We all have our guilty pleasures. In fact, more often than not, it’s the crappy albums that link people most directly to their youth. Rush, Neil Diamond, even Green Day — when it comes to nostalgia, nothing’s shocking. But sometimes you meet someone whose early favorite is so random and just … weird that it blows you away.

Prime example: Jesus Christ Superstar.

Apparently, the original 1970 recording, a heavily melodic and driving guitar-and-drum-based romp featuring the gaping range of Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan as Jesus, has more than a few fans in the area. This week, the culmination of a yearlong effort by a group of local musicians will bring the rock opera to stages in Lawrence and Kansas City. Random, yes — but ambitious.

Kory Willis (the Midday Ramblers) conceived of the idea with Bret Dillingham (the Shebangs) last winter after the two discovered a mutual love of the album. “Most of us involved [with the project] grew up with the original record,” Willis says. “We call it the Brown Album.” Willis and Dillingham began recruiting other local talent for a weekly basement practice, and the group eventually grew to 15 musicians, including members of Split Lip Rayfield, the What Gives, the Midday Ramblers, Drakkar Sauna, Tenderloin and the Shebangs.

Loyal to the motivation behind the original recording, which was written as a concept album and not intended for the stage, the ensemble won’t wear costumes or indulge in Broadway bravado and Christian proselytizing. According to Jesus himself, played by Eric Mardis (Split Lip Rayfield), “We don’t have an agenda — we’re just kind of doing this rock opera. There’s no blasphemy and no extreme reverence, either. It’s just rock and roll.”

Ashlee Broome, the only member of the ensemble to have performed in staged JCS productions, agrees. “It’s just a full-out rock show,” she says. “Our rehearsals are about going and drinking beer and us getting in Jesus Christ Superstar mode. Everyone who’s in this just loves the music.”

And all this love is spilling over. The group intends to donate the proceeds of its four shows — in Lawrence to LINK and the Humane Society; and in Kansas City to Harvesters. Some of the proceeds also will benefit Kirk Rundstrom, singer for Split Lip Rayfield, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last year.

“It’s nice not worry about who’s going to get 20 bucks,” Mardis says. “It’s really been a labor of love. Plus, if Andrew Lloyd Webber tries to sue us, we’ve got something to say.”