Welcome to the creative retelling of the most important story of all time! Jesus Christ Superstar narrates the account of the last seven days of Jesus Christ leading up to his crucifixion as seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, this award-winning musical has become a phenomenon with its modern reimagining of the story we are all familiar with. More than fifty years after its original production, Jesus Christ Superstar is still as impactful as it was five decades ago. With epic songs like “Heaven on Their Minds,” “Everything’s Alright,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane,” and “Superstar,” the sung-through rock opera has crept into our pop culture. Now, the Broadway production is back on the road for its 50th Anniversary Tour. It will hit Durham Performing Arts Center this June 14 – 19, 2022. Book your tickets now and prepare to witness this legendary production.
“One of the greatest pieces of live theater I’ve ever seen.” – Austin American Statesman
“Sprinkling of genius sends stylish ‘Superstar’ soaring. Timothy Sheader offers some of the most stylish direction I’ve seen all year, sculpting each segment into something distinct and vivid and compelling.” – Evening Standard
“Hallelujah! An almighty revelation.” – The Daily Telegraph
In its 50th Anniversary, Jesus Christ Superstar has a new mesmerizing production to hit North American cities this summer and fall. The production will be directed by the Tony-award-winning Timothy Sheader, the director for hit musicals like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Crazy for You,” “Into the Woods,” and “Romeo and Juliet,” among several others. Winning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, Jesus Christ Superstar promises audiences nothing but a superb, must-see production.
The original production of this controversial musical can be dated back to October 12, 1971. Directed by Tom O’Horgan and starring Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, the production was nominated for five Tony Awards. Lloyd Webber won a Drama Desk Award as “Most Promising Composer”, and Ben Vereen (the one who played Judas) won a Theatre World Award. After 711 performances, the show closed on June 30, 1973. Jesus Christ Superstar’s rave reviews foreshadowed the show’s longevity for the years to come.
Several foreign productions adapted the show in the years that followed, including The UK, Sweden, France, Mexico, Australia, Yugoslavia, Russia, and Canada, among many others. Over the years, the musical has been revived many times. Its West End revival in 1997 earned a Laurence Olivier Award nod for Best Musical Revival, and the Broadway revival in 2000 also garnered a Best Revival of a Musical nomination from the Tony Award. The 2012 Broadway revival was also a success and earned nominations from Tony Awards and Drama Desk, and won a Theatre World Award. The 2016 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre revival received the same success, having earned awards and nominations for Evening Standard Theatre Award and the Laurence Olivier Award.
This year, the Jesus Christ Superstar was happy to announce that it would resume its production after the COVID restrictions were lifted. After it was temporarily suspended in March 2020, the US tour resumed performances on September 28, 2021, at the Keller Auditorium. Starring Aaron Lavigne as Jesus and Omar Lopez-Cepero as Judas, the Timothy Sheader-directed touring production will stop at Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina from June 14-19, 2022.
Jesus Christ Superstar Review – a gorgeous, thrilling, heavenly musical
It might not qualify as a miracle, but with help from choreographer Drew McOnie, designer Tom Scutt and a first-rate cast, director Timothy Sheader is turning water into top-quality wine with his revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice rock musical, originally released as a concept album.
After the unforgivable sins of the ill-conceived 2012 touring version, this pared-back second coming is frequently heavenly, on one level a simple retelling of a familiar story, but on others, a biting examination of religious and political fanaticism. In McOnie’s choreography, Declan Bennett’s quietly impressive Jesus, wearing a baffled frown, seems depressed by his followers, who often appear like the jerking inmates of a mental asylum. As the evening moves towards its increasingly dramatic and thrilling finale, it becomes apparent that a mob is always a mob, whichever side it supports.
… the ensemble is terrific, and there’s not a weak link in the named cast. Tyrone Huntley is brilliant as Judas, a young fanatic who is watchful and isolated right from the start, Bennett’s restrained Jesus has an unforced charisma, and Anouskha Lucas is a soulful Mary Magdalen. An expected and considerable pleasure that really rocks.
An Expert from the Review of The Guardian
“Timothy Sheader’s adrenaline-pumping production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” is ardently, honestly sincere. I haven’t had so much fun listening to Mr. Lloyd Webber’s score, his finest, and Mr. Rice’s lyrics, his cheekiest, since I bought the concept album as a teenager.” – New York Times
Don’t miss Jesus Christ Superstar live at the Durham Performing Arts Center this June 14 – 19, 2022. Choose a perfect date to watch it with all your friends. Book your tickets today by clicking the “Get Tickets” button.