Sam Ryder to star in Jesus Christ Superstar at The London Palladium

Hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar will be returning to London next summer, with vocal powerhouse Sam Ryder leading the company as Jesus.

The musical will be staged at The London Palladium and will run for a limited 11-week season from June 20 to September 5, 2026. This follows on from the 2025 summer run of Evita starring Rachel Zegler at the Palladium, which received rave reviews from critics.

Sam, who rose to fame after representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2022, will be making his West End debut in the role of Jesus. Speaking about this news, he said: “I’m so excited to be part of one of the biggest institutions in musical theatre the world’s ever known, at The London Palladium in the West End! I’m honoured to take on this responsibility as I follow in the footsteps of rock vocal titans like Ian Gillan and John Farnham. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the word of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2026.”

Producer Michael Harrison said: “It is thrilling to be bringing this astounding creative team from the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production back together, and I am excited to see them create Jesus Christ Superstar specially for The London Palladium. In Sam we have a true superstar to play the iconic title role, and I look forward to sharing further announcements about the production in the coming months.”

With lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera musical which was first released as a concept album in 1970. Featuring songs such as ‘Gethsemane’, ‘Heaven on their Minds’, and ‘I Don’t Know How To Love Him’, the musical tells the story of Jesus’ final weeks of life, from the perspective of Judas.

First released as a concept album in 1970, the show received its Broadway premiere in 1971 before debuting in the West End the following year. The 2026 London Palladium production will be directed by Tim Sheader, who previously presented the show at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2016 and 2017.

He will be joined by creatives designer Tom Scutt, choreographer Drew McOnie, musical supervisor Tom Deering, lighting designer Lee Curran, sound designer Adam Fisher, fight director Kate Waters  and BAFTA Award-winning casting director David Grindrod.

Tickets for Jesus Christ Superstar go on presale on Tuesday November 25, 2025 at 10am and general sale on Wednesday November 26 at 10am.

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