Exclusive: Andy Abraham and Jade Ewen star in Godspell tour

Former X Factor runner up Andy Abraham will return to the cast of Godspell in Concert later this year for the show's UK tour.

The tour, which follows the show's one-off West End gala last year, opens at Hackney Empire in April.

Abraham, who plays Judas/John the Baptist, will be joined in the cast by former Sugababe Jade Ewen, whose previous stage credits include Rod Stewart musical Tonight's The Night and Porgy and Bess at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. She represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009, singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's "It's My Time".

They're joined in the principal cast by Leanne Jarvis (The Voice) and Tom Senior (Jersey Boys) as Jesus.

Kenneth Avery-Clark will once again direct the production, with Russell Scott as musical director.

Scott said of the tour: "Since the West End gala, we have worked tirelessly to bring Godspell back to the UK and on tour for the first time in almost ten years in our new semi-staged concert format."

A modern-day song-and-dance recreation of St Matthew's gospel, Godspell begins with John the Baptist gathering up followers and concludes with Jesus' crucifixion in a junkyard. Written by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin), it features a book by John-Michael Tebelak.

Godspell in Concert opens at Hackney Empire on 4 and 5 April 2015, before visiting venues in Guildford, Southampton, Llandudno, Cardiff, Swansea, Reading, Brighton, Southsea, Gateshead, Sunderland, Torquay, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Ipswich, Manchester, Darlington, Grimsby, Dartford, Birmingham, Oxford, Hastings, Hull, Bradford, Glasgow, Woking, Watford, Blackpool, Wycombe and Northampton.