Sam Ryder broke the internet. I went on stage with him during Jesus Christ Superstar to find out why
What’s the buzz? I tell you what’s happening from my onstage view
Last week, I made my West End debut at the London Palladium. Well, kind of. I was on stage in a scaffold cage with around 74 other members of the audience of Jesus Christ Superstar watching Sam Ryder making his West End debut as Jesus.
Many Londoners know Sam Ryder as 'that long-haired guy in the spangly suit who almost won us Eurovision'. Now, the Brit-nominated singer-songwriter is hitting the headlines in the lead role of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera, which tells the story of the last days of Jesus’ life through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.
It’s been highly anticipated. After performing the show’s iconic song Gethsemane on the BBC’s Big Night of Musicals, Ryder 'broke the internet' (not in a Kimmy K kinda way, I should add). So many people flocked to grab a ticket that the booking site crashed momentarily.
There’s also been a buzz about the show’s immersive on-stage standing tickets and lots of people have been wondering what it’s like to see the show from behind the cast. I got my hot little hands on a pair to find out.
Joining the mob — and leaving time behind
Firstly, the logistics. Because I would be onstage, I got an email beforehand with key information: wear dark clothing without large logos, don’t bring big bags (you can’t take anything with you onto the stage) and arrive in plenty of time (an hour before the show starts and no later than 40 minutes before – if you’re not there on time, you’ll have to miss the first half as they won’t let you in until the interval). Thankfully, I’m an early bird by nature and there was no chance I’d miss the first half.
I had to join a separate queue specifically for those with onstage standing tickets. It was clearly signed but the snake of all-black outfits was an immediate clue. Once the doors opened, we shuffled through the security process: being scanned with metal detector wands, adorned with scarlet wristbands and locking phones and smartwatches into Yondr pouches that we couldn’t open until after the show.
After all this, the staff asked us to be back by the doors by 7pm to be let onstage and there was some consternation as we realised we had no way of telling time. Apart from two of the 75 onstage audience members with analogue watches, we had all just sealed our only time-telling devices securely into the locked phone pouch.
The guidance to dress in dark, plain clothes is taken seriously – one lady was asked to remove her striking necklace of large, colourful stars in case it glinted in the stage lights and distracted the seated audience. After more security checks, we were each given a bottle of water and escorted past several props – including the iconic crown of thorns – to our place under the scaffolding.
No singing, no touching
A member of the crew – who stayed with us throughout the show – briefed us on how to behave and reminded us not to sing along. Most importantly, we were not to touch any of the cast. This stern warning sounded slightly silly until the show erupted around us and Sam Ryder was standing so close that I could make out the lace front of his wig (although his own natural hair is pretty perfect for the role of Jesus, this made sense when I saw the amount of blood and glitter plastered to his luscious locks in the second half).
Had I reached out (I didn’t, promise) I would have easily been close enough to touch him, and some of the ensemble even knocked into us at times as they clambered through our enclosure to their position onstage.
One lady had clearly missed the memo that drinks from the bar aren’t allowed onstage and had to chug two glasses of wine at the door.
Being onstage was an assault on the senses. With the orchestra sitting directly above our heads and the cast swirling on all sides, I didn’t know where to look. As well as the action exploding all around, we caught other moments like Ryder whispering with the stage manager just offstage or the superfan in the pink shirt in the second row who sang along to every single word.
At the interval, we had to leave the stage and had just 10 minutes to get to the loo (or bar) and back to start our security checks again. One lady had clearly missed the memo that drinks from the bar aren’t allowed onstage and had to chug two glasses of wine at the door. As we trailed back in like kids on a school trip, we glimpsed the cast preparing for the Last Supper scene that opens the second half.
The highlight of the show was the monumental Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) in which Jesus asks God what is the point of his sacrifice. Even though I could only see the back of Ryder’s head while he nailed every note, it gave me chills. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a standing ovation happen part-way through a show and I was only disappointed I couldn’t be part of it, given that I was already on my feet.
Worthy of a second coming
I wanted to ask Ryder what it was like taking on this epic role with such demanding vocals. I figured our instructions not to touch the cast also extended to not subjecting the cast to spontaneous onstage interviews so I loitered around the stage door afterwards to try to nab a word. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one. The street was choked with fans hoping for a signature or a selfie and I realised I’d been far closer to the star onstage all evening than I had any chance of getting at the stage door.
My attempts to ask Ryder few questions via his PR team were also foiled (he’s a very busy man these days!) but he shared a few thoughts on Instagram about how grateful he is to be part of the production – a journey which started in the studio with Lloyd Webber in 2023 when Ryder pushed his luck by asking if they could perform Gethsemane together. “He said yes and proceeded to play it up a tone from the original key (imagine the fear) but I guess that was my audition,” he writes.
His joy at being part of such a prestigious production is palpable during the (second) standing ovation as the show closes. “I think I’ve been searching for the last six years for the feeling that I got when I sang Gethsemane for the first time,” he says in one Instagram video. “I guess I am trying to follow the breadcrumbs as to where I can make that happen more.”
Although I can't really count treading the boards at the Palladium as my West End debut, 15 of the cast can. “There’s something absolutely beautiful about a show that celebrates a legendary piece of theatre with 56 years of history and heritage while simultaneously welcoming so many new voices onto such a prestigious stage for the very first time,” Ryder writes.
By the time we were led back out to the foyer and unlocked our phone pouches, I had decided that I only want to see musicals from onstage from now on. But when Johan Persson’s incredible press photos came out, they were so spectacular that I felt a bit sad that I hadn't been in the audience to see the extravaganza from the front. The only solution, I suppose, is that I’ll have to go back.
Sam Ryder is starring as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at The London Palladium until Saturday 5 September 2026, and at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from Friday 16 October 2026 to Saturday 9 January 2027. The show goes on its UK tour from 11 February to 23 October 2027. Tickets are available via london.jesuschristsuperstar.com and uktour.jesuschristsuperstar.com.
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