FULL CASTING AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR AT THE WATERMILL THEATRE

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR RUNS FROM TUESDAY 24 JUNE – SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER AT THE WATERMILL THEATRE

ANNOUNCING MICHAEL KHOLWADIA AS ‘JESUS’; MAX ALEXANDER-TAYLOR AS ‘JUDAS’; AND PARISA SHAHMIR AS ‘MARY’

Joint CEOs Artistic Director Paul Hart and Executive Director Claire Murray, and the whole team at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre are delighted to announce the full cast and creative team for their exhilarating summer musical Jesus Christ Superstar, a Watermill Theatre production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd, playing from Tuesday 24 June to Sunday 21 September, with a national press night on Thursday 3 July.  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 reimagining of these extraordinary and universally known series of events is generously supported by Kindred Partners, with production sponsorship by Horsey Lightly.

The Jesus Christ Superstar cast

Experience the passion, power and devotion of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extraordinary rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.

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"

Michael Kholwadia (Les Misérables, Sondheim Theatre; Pretty Woman, UK tour) will play ‘Jesus’, Max Alexander-Taylor (The Lion at Southwark Playhouse / US Tour; Cable Street at Southwark Playhouse) will play ‘Judas’, Parisa Shahmir (Fisherman’s Friends UK tour; The Snow Queen at Rose Theatre; We Live In Cairo at the American Repertory Theater and The Last Ship with Northern Stage on the UK & Ireland Tour) will play ‘Mary’.

Joining them will be Michali Dantes (First Date, Old Joint Stock Theatre; The Jungle Book, S4K International) as ‘Simon’, Seb Harwood (Becoming Nancy, Birmingham Rep; Heathers: The Musical, The Other Palace) as ‘Peter’, Christian Edwards (The Sound of Music, Pitlochry Festival Theatre; All I See is You, Bolton Octagon, UK and Australia Tour) as ‘Pilate’, Samuel Morgan-Grahame (Amélie, West End/UK Tour/Watermill Theatre; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Birmingham Rep) as ‘Herod’, Olugbenga Adelekan (The Choir of Man, Arts Theatre; bassist for Metronomy) as ‘Caiaphas’, and Alexander Zane (Beautiful, UK Tour; Forever Plaid, Upstairs at the Gatehouse) as ‘Annas’.

The ensemble includes Jordan Eskeisa (Just My Imagination, International Tour), Maisie Mandley, Hazel Monaghan (Piaf, Watermill Theatre; Fisherman’s Friends, UK Tour), Tasha Chu (Dance Captain) (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. The theatre will also be offering a series of free workshops, tickets and cast Q&As to local young people focusing on both on and off-stage career opportunities in the arts.

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 design 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 design by Tom Marshall, and video design by D.T. Denton. The team also includes Layla Madanat (Associate Director), Rebecca Kelly (Musical Director), Vanessa Vince-Pang (Associate Choreographer) and Nicola Crawford (Assistant Lighting Designer). The stage management team are Cat Pewsey (CSM), Emily Stedman (rehearsal SM), Geoff Field (SM), Richard Lodge (DSM), Caitlin Ravenscroft and Natalie Toney (ASMs), and Ellie Smallbone (ASM placement).