Jesus Christ Superstar Reviews: What the Critics Say

The production opened at the London Palladium on 7 July 2026 and moves to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 16 October for a strictly limited twelve weeks. It is Tim Sheader's Regent's Park staging, which won an Olivier Award in 2016.

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The Critics' Verdict

Ratings ran from three stars to five. Five from The Telegraph and WhatsOnStage. Four from the Evening Standard and The Independent. Three from The Times, The Guardian, The Stage and Time Out.

The Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish called it "a searing masterpiece" and wrote that "the key to his success is that he plays JC with sincerity, not starriness". Sarah Crompton in WhatsOnStage praised how the production "keeps its focus on the relationship between Jesus and his betrayer Judas, which makes the show so much more than a hard rock version of the bible story".

What the Reviews Praised

Gethsemane, without exception. The Times called it "sensational, a one-man rock opera that prompts an in-show standing ovation". The Telegraph said Ryder's falsetto was "so sublime it invites (and gets) its own standing ovation". The Independent called it "a showstopper".

Desmonda Cathabel as Mary Magdalene. "Sensational" in The Telegraph. "Stellar... glamorous as a 60s chanteuse" in The Independent. In The Times, "Everything's Alright flows like water".

Tyrone Huntley's Judas. He was Olivier-nominated for the same role in 2016 and returns to it here. The Times called him "a highlight, making real human complexity poke its face out of this megawatt machine".

And the look of it. The Evening Standard described an ensemble that "wouldn't look out of place at Burning Man or Berghain", with priests moving "like a menacing, hieratic cross between Kraftwerk and Lene Lovich".

Where Reviews Were Mixed

The acting, and the reviews were consistent about it across every rating.

The Times found Ryder "wooden when having to silently find his place among the ensemble". The Stage's Sam Marlowe described "a posturing, presentational flavour" and noted he is "less comfortable in the lower register". The Guardian's Arifa Akbar wrote that "Ryder's portrayal is so woolly that you don't know what Jesus stands for". Even The Telegraph, at five stars, raised the point before answering it.

The Times set out the trade-off plainly: "it's best not to pretend that London's latest Jesus Christ Superstar is great drama as such. Maybe it doesn't need to be."

On King Herod, the critics genuinely disagreed. Time Out called the rotating guest casting "a bit of a red herring to concern yourself over what's effectively a cameo". The Telegraph took the opposite view, describing Jesse Tyler Ferguson's turn as summing up the night: "You go in anticipating gimmicks. You leave chastened."

Audiences have been warmer than the critics overall, at 4.5 out of 5 across several hundred verified reviews.

The reviews are from the Palladium season. The three principals continue at Drury Lane; the Herod line-up is different.

Is Jesus Christ Superstar Right for You?

Yes if you want to hear Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's score sung at full power, you know the songs, or you like a musical that behaves like a rock concert.

Think twice if you want a drama, if pyrotechnics and an onstage crucifixion are not for you, or if you are bringing a child under 10.

Book Jesus Christ Superstar Tickets

Jesus Christ Superstar runs at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 16 October 2026 to 9 January 2027, eight performances a week. Tickets from £27.50, all-in: the price you see is what you pay.

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Sources

The Daily Telegraph · WhatsOnStage · London Theatre · Evening Standard · The Independent · BroadwayWorld · The Times · The Guardian · The Stage · Time Out · i · The Arts Desk