Jesus Christ Superstar set for summer return season in Regent’s Park

Following government approval of outdoor performances, the hit musical returns as a concert version in August.

Jesus Christ Superstar, Timothy Sheader's bold revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1970s musical, will make a return to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in August. The season follows last week's go-ahead for outdoor performances as part of further lifting of restrictions around Covid-19.

Restaged as a 90-minute concert version without an interval, the show will perform for six weeks from 14 August. To comply with social distancing requirements, it will play in front of a reduced-capacity audience of 390 people, a significant reduction from the theatre's usual 1200 seat capacity. Additional protocols will include compulsory masks for the audience and temperature checks, in addition to one-way traffic and cashless retail systems.

The production was first seen at the theatre in 2016, returning in 2017, and playing a further season at the Barbican in 2019. Tyrone Huntley garnered accolades and awards in the role Judas. Casting for the new concert version has not been announced.

Timothy Sheader, the show's director and artistic director of the theatre said: "It has been, and continues to be, an incredibly challenging time for everyone working in the theatre industry. While the arts sector awaits details of how the government's support package will be disseminated, I'm heartened that we have been able to start work again with a number of our colleagues and to employ over 140 people, including 70 performers and freelancers, at least for a brief period this summer."

The theatre will also host a series of comedy shows each Monday of the season, with comedy stars including Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr lined up appear. Mischief Theatre, the theatre company who created The Play That Goes Wrong is also set to perform an improvised show on one of the Monday evenings.

Tickets for Jesus Christ Superstar will go on sale on Tuesday 21 July.