The Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice rock opera is getting a new revival, via a staging from Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
By Logan Culwell-Block
Jesus Christ Superstar is getting another West End revival, and it will provide a West End stage debut for singer-songwriter and TikTok sensation Sam Ryder, due to star in the title role. The Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice rock opera will play an 11-week limited season at the London Palladium June 20-September 5, 2026, officially opening July 7.
The revival will be a new mounting of director Tim Sheader and choreographer Drew McOnie‘s 2016 production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which has become one of the most frequently mounted Jesus Christ Superstars in recent years. Since its premiere, the staging has returned to Regent’s Park, played London’s West End, and toured both the U.S. and U.K. The production features design by Tony and Olivier winner Tom Scutt (Cabaret).
The work debuted in 1970 as a concept album, giving a rock edge to the Biblical Passion story of Jesus. The work put Lloyd Webber and Rice on the map, and continues to be one of their most beloved and produced works. In just the last few years, NBC mounted a live concert broadcast featuring John Legend, Sara Barellies, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Alice Cooper; while an all-star Hollywood Bowl staging recently starred Cynthia Erivo, Adam Lambert, and Phillipa Soo. The score includes such favorites as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane,” and the rousing title song.
