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Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice celebrate 50 years of Jesus Christ Superstar in Regent's Park

The show’s concept album was released half a century ago

Alex Wood
London
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice attend a socially distanced performance of Jesus Christ Superstar: The Concert at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre on Tuesday 1 September 2020, meeting the cast post show. 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album, originally released September 1970.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice attend a socially distanced performance of Jesus Christ Superstar: The Concert at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre on Tuesday 1 September 2020, meeting the cast post show.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album, originally released September 1970.
© David Jensen

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice headed to the great outdoors to mark 50 years since they first released Jesus Christ Superstar.

The show's concept album first debuted in September 1970 and, half a century on, the piece is being presented at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in a socially-distanced revival.

Featuring songs including "Heaven on Their Minds" and "Gethsemane", the musical is considered one of Lloyd Webber and Rice's finest, with the pair also collaborating on Joseph, Evita and more.

© David Jensen

Many roles in the open-air production are shared with different performers taking on different dates. Declan Bennett and Pepe Nufrio share the part of Jesus, with Ricardo Afonso and Tyrone Huntley as Judas. They are joined by Maimuna Memon and Anoushka Lucas as Mary, David Thaxton (Pilate), Shaq Taylor (Herod), Ivan De Freitas (Caiaphas), Nathan Amzi (Annas), Phil King (Peter), Cedric Neal (Simon), and Genesis Lynea, Rosa O'Reilly, Elliotte Williams-N'Dure as the Soul Singers.

Completing the cast are Daniel Bailey, Dale Evans, Rosie Fletcher, Josh Hawkins, Stevie Hutchinson, Billy Nevers, Charlotte Riby, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, Barnaby Thompson and Tara Young.

The creative team features Will Burton CDG and David Grindrod CDG (casting), Lee Curran (lighting design), Tom Deering (musical supervisor), Barbara Houseman (associate director, voice and text), Drew McOnie (choreography), Nick Lidster for Autograph (sound design), Tom Scutt (design), Timothy Sheader (director), Kate Waters (fight director) and Denzel Westley-Sanderson (co-director).

Watch our interviews with the cast here: