Full casting announced for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Watermill Theatre
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
The full cast and creative team has been announced for The Watermill’s exhilarating summer musical Jesus Christ Superstar, which plays at the venue from 24 June-21 September.
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extraordinary rock opera spills out of the theatre into the gardens, immersing audiences into the heart of this epic musical with an ensemble cast of actor-musicians.
This timeless work is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events but seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.
Spilling out of the theatre into the gardens, be immersed into the heart of this epic rock score, with an incredible cast of actor-musicians seamlessly fusing these classic roles with iconic music including "Superstar", "Gethsemane" and "I Don’t Know How to Love Him"
The cast includes Michael Kholwadia (Les Misérables, West End) as Jesus, Max Alexander-Taylor (Cable Street, Southwark Playhouse) as Judas, Parisa Shahmir (Fisherman’s Friends, UK tour) as Mary, Michali Dantes (First Date, Old Joint Stock Theatre) as Simon, Seb Harwood (Becoming Nancy, Birmingham Rep) as Peter, Christian Edwards (The Sound of Music, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Pilate, Samuel Morgan-Grahame (Amélie, West End/UK Tour/Watermill Theatre) as Herod, Olugbenga Adelekan (The Choir of Man, West End) as Caiaphas, and Alexander Zane (Beautiful, UK Tour) as Annas.
The ensemble includes Jordan Eskeisa (Just My Imagination, International Tour), Maisie Mandley, Hazel Monaghan (Piaf, Watermill Theatre), Tasha Chu (Romeo & Juliet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures), Lily Françoise, Trisha Kumar, Alex Anthony Fevrier (Peter Pan, Tyne Theatre & Opera House), Sebastian Hugo, and Finan McKinney (The Wonderful World Tour, West End/International Tour), who is cover Jesus.
Thanks to funding from Greenham Trust, six members of the ensemble are recently graduating musical theatre students who are being given a unique opportunity to learn and work alongside an experienced team on a large-scale regional production.
Joint CEO's Artistic Director Paul Hart and Executive Director Claire Murray said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to announce full casting for our epic new production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Following on from The Lord of Rings and Barnum, taking over our stunning grounds in recent years, this is going to be another massive summer at the Watermill.”
Hart added: “Following an extensive search of some of the UK’s most talented performers we’re so thrilled to have found Michael, Max, and Parisa who will bring a thrilling new perspective to these iconic parts, alongside a wonderful cast of multi-skilled performers. We can’t wait to bring this epic new production to life which retells the most famous story ever told.
“Audiences can expect this to be a production like no other, as we blast the ceiling off the theatre and spill out into our very own Garden of Gethsemane. I have always admired this bold and brilliant retelling by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the chance to explore the intimacy of the piece in this setting as well as the rockstar heights of it feels particularly exciting. This story continues to reverberate through the ages.”
The production is directed by Paul Hart, with choreography by Anjali Mehra, and lighting by Rory Beaton (all three reuniting after working together on The Lord of the Rings, which has subsequently transferred worldwide). It also features set and costume design by David Woodhead, musical supervision by Stuart Morley, sound by Tom Marshall, video design by D.T. Denton, and musical direction by Rebecca Kelly.