Jesus Christ Superstar is returning to London’s West End, and it’s got a pretty starry name attached

British singer songwriter and social media personality Sam Ryder, runner up in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest performing live on stage at Victorious Festival. Photo by Dawn Fletcher-Park/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

(Image credit: Dawn Fletcher-Park / Getty Images)

published 7 November 2025

London is home to some pretty impressive triple threat divas, from the new Paddington to the classic Kinky Boots and literally hundreds more. Now, another classic is resurfacing from the faded glitter graveyard and razzle-dazzling its way back into the London Palladium next year.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Biblical musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, will be taking over the Palladium’s coveted 2026 summer slot, and Sam Ryder will be taking on the lead role as Jesus Christ - which is sort of fitting considering he was the closet the UK ever got to winning Eurovision which makes him akin to a god, right? And with those luscious locks, he’s probably won’t have to do too much wardrobe wise to complete the transformation. This performance will mark Ryder’s theatre debut.

If you’re not familiar with the musical, it’s basically a quirky rock concert adaptation of the story of the Last Supper and Crucifixon. It follows the last days of the life as Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. The score is legendary, including hits like I Don’t Know How to Love HIm, Gethsemane, and the iconic title number, Superstar. We don’t have any further casting announcements yet.

Lloyd Webber is undeniably on a bit of a hot streak at the moment, with Jamie Lloyd’s Evita (starring the Rachel Zegler) being the most talked about theatre of this year, plus a UK-first with the revival of Cats announced, as well as his Sunset Boulevard revival scooping up Emmys across the pond.

This production of Jesus Christ Superstar isn’t just old revival, it’s a fresh tour from Tim Sheader’s 2016 Open Air Theatre production which transferred to the Barbican three years later.

Jesus Christ Superstar will play at the London Palladium, Jun 20-Sep 5 2026. Tickets go on sale Nov 26 or sign up for the Nov 25 pre-sale here. Ticket prices are yet to be confirmed.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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