Producer Michael Harrison discusses a packed 2027 with Andrew Lloyd Webber – and taking Sam Ryder across the nation

It was a pleased as punch producer Michael Harrison that stepped into the Cinderella Bar press room at The London Palladium after Jesus Christ Superstar earlier this week.

Reflecting on a rocking opening night (five stars for leading man Sam Ryder, making his professional stage debut), Harrison knows that sometimes the perfect show and the perfect set of performers come along at the right time. “Sam Ryder is sensational, and his performance of “Gethsemane” receives a standing ovation every night. Tyrone Huntley is an electrifying Judas, and the whole company deliver the score with a force that reminds you why this piece is one of the great landmarks of musical theatre.”

It’s also a landmark moment for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber: when the show moves to Theatre Royal Drury Lane (the Palladium run was such a box office smash that the fun had to carry on), it marks the first time a fully staged Lloyd Webber show has run at that historic theatre.

It’s the sort of momentum Harrison is very excited about: “To have a fully staged Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in that magnificent theatre is very special indeed. Drury Lane is one of the great homes of musical theatre, and there could not be a more exciting place for audiences to experience the power and theatricality of Jesus Christ Superstar.”

That’s not all. This writer still remembers, last autumn, Harrison in his office revealing Ryder’s casting:  the prospect of both star and show were simply irresistible. Ticket buyers thought the same – Jesus Christ Superstar set Palladium records, and the show of the summer title was seemingly locked in place. But a year ago it would have been hard to predict just how “big” the production would become: Superstar also looks set to be the show of the autumn at Drury Lane, and, in 2027, goes national with Ryder. A major tour kicks off in Manchester in February, with his “Gethsemane” set to be heard on stages up and down the country.

“I am just as excited by the fact that this incredible production, with a true superstar at its centre, will be touring to every corner of the UK. That has always been very important to us. Andrew’s shows belong to audiences everywhere, and it is thrilling to know that people all over the country will have the chance to see a production of this scale and quality.”

Next year will indeed be a very good one for Lloyd Webber shows on the road – Jesus Christ Superstar opens in February, joining the tour of the new production of Cats, directed by Drew McOnie and due to begin performances at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre later this month before its own tour circuit. Luke Sheppard’s award-winning production of Starlight Express will lace up its skates once more in Leicester in May. No doubt more will follow in due course.

It’s completely on brand for Harrison – a producer who has always treated theatre across the UK on equal footing – regardless of whether or not it’s in the West End or the West Country.

Starlight Express will also be going international, which brings on neatly to ask Harrison about Broadway: “The Tony Award-winning Cats: The Jellicle Ball has already shown the extraordinary possibilities of reimagining his catalogue for a new generation, winning huge acclaim and proving once again how boldly these works can speak to audiences today.”

Then, of course, comes what is set to be a big Broadway sensation of 2027 (in a year that already boasts new work from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, plus a certain furry beloved bear). Rachel Zegler will be returning to the role of Eva Perón, reuniting Lloyd Webber and award-winning director Jamie Lloyd for a production that already picked up huge acclaim (and five WhatsOnSage Awards!) after its 2025 Palladium run.

Harrison is preparing to get the band back together for another outing: “We also have the transfer of Evita with Jamie Lloyd, which is hugely exciting. Jamie was our guest at Jesus Christ Superstar’s opening night, and he and Andrew are excited about taking Evita to another level for Broadway.”

Given Lloyd and Lloyd Webber have the mammoth task of getting Evita onto Broadway (and solving the question of how to channel the creative dynamism of Zegler’s live-streamed balcony moment, but now done in a safe way for Broadway), you’d be surprised they have time for anything else.

Evita, plus the development of Lloyd Webber’s newest show, telling a remarkable chapter in the history of the Mona Lisa, has meant plans for other works have had to be altered and changed (fairly common practice for composers and directors spinning multiple plates) especially around new show The Illusionist, which Lloyd and Lloyd Webber were originally announced as working on together.

Harrison maps out the current state of play: “It is shaping up to be another great year for Andrew’s remarkable catalogue, but we are also looking ahead to new work with real excitement. Mona Lisa is moving at pace – so much so that, for the moment, it has made us pause on The Illusionist.

“That is a huge show and one that will take time to shape properly, whilst Mona Lisa is moving forward with great momentum. It has a fantastic story, and, most importantly, it is full of great Lloyd Webber tunes. That is an incredibly exciting place to be.” You could say that again.