Two-week-only run of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera, with Sam Ryder as Jesus, directed by Tim Sheader.
Jesus Christ Superstar runs at the Liverpool Empire from 21 September to 2 October 2027, a two-week engagement that brings the rock opera to the city. It's the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic, and this particular production has Sam Ryder taking on the role of Jesus.
If you're coming to it for the music, the score is the thing most people recognise. It's built around the big numbers that have stayed in the public consciousness long after the show first opened: 'I Don't Know How to Love Him', 'Gethsemane', and the title track 'Superstar'. The whole thing is sung-through, so the story is told through the songs rather than spoken dialogue.
As for the story, it's not a straight retelling of the Gospels. It's a rock opera that focuses on the final days of Jesus's life, told through the eyes of Judas, who is cast as a tragic antihero. That shift in perspective lets it lean into political themes you won't find in the Bible, and it's that angle that gives the show its edge.
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Behind the scenes, this staging is directed by Tim Sheader, with choreography by Drew McOnie and design by Tom Scutt. It's not a brand-new production; it arrives in Liverpool after sell-out runs at The London Palladium and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It's a two-week-only engagement, running from 21 September to 2 October 2027 at the Liverpool Empire.
