JCS is back but is Sam Ryder the true Messiah?

London Palladium, then Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The 10 year old Regents Park Open Air Theatre production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice‘s early hit musical has finally made it to the West End. It was accompanied by the same team of creatives- Timothy Sheader (director), Drew McConie (choreographer) and Tom Scutt (designer), and some of the same cast including Tyrone Huntley as Judas. The star attraction newcomer is Sam Ryder as Jesus. A string of celebrities take turns to play Herod. Any hope that this production might emulate the success of Evita which made a similar journey from Regents Park to the Palladium last year was dashed by the contrasting mix of enthusiastic and lukewarm reviews. While Ryder’s ‘inherent niceness’ had some critics reaching for superlatives, others found him characterless. Many critics came down hard on the basic story. While most thought the music held up, some criticised its loudness. However, they were unanimous in their praise of Tyrone Huntley.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Not every critic had a downer on the star. Marianka Swain for LondonTheatre reported: ‘Ryder is also a canny choice given that Sheader’s revival rousingly honours the show’s original 1970 concept album. This rock gig ethos is embedded into every purposeful creative choice, such as the handheld microphone that people tussle over; later, Jesus is bound with electrical cords. It connects us, too, with one of the major ideas: the unwieldy might of celebrity (…) This Jesus’s totemic power fuels delirious worshippers, alarms his detractors, and becomes a burden for the increasingly lonely man himself. Ryder beautifully conveys that anxiety, and is very affecting in the show’s harrowing final stages.’

In contrast to some reviewers who found that the music drowned the drama and that Ryder’s Jesus was too nice, WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Hemming embraced these aspects of the show: ‘Sheader’s approach is to re-emphasise the boldness, to let the music carry the drama, and to let character emerge. The approach pays dividends in Ryder’s Jesus, a performance defined by his popstar presence and by the soar of his voice in that falsetto register. People respond to him because he seems genuine and nice; he brings both those qualities to his portrayal in his West End debut, but also finds true drama as the show reaches its un-triumphal conclusion of sacrifice and suffering.’

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish concentrated on Sam Ryder ‘The key to his success is that he plays JC with sincerity, not starriness (…) For a moment, you worry that Ryder is too meek and mild a hero, even anodyne. But daring us to be disappointed tallies with the show’s accusatory argument about the pressures of showbiz expectation. And that achieves a blistering pay-off in the climactic title number, its infectious gospel energy offset by the visceral spectacle of a bloodied Christ being assaulted. It’s as if we are implicated in the mob brutality and betrayal. The humble sight of Christ roped to a makeshift cross beneath a giant suspended crucifix shames us with its simplicity; less is transcendently more.’

4 stars

BroadwayWorld‘s Aliya Al-Hussan pointed out: ‘It takes a talented director to create a show from a soundtrack that retains huge appeal, but sometimes lacks personal story arcs. Sheader’s engaging staging and a hugely talented cast bring the album powerfully to life.’ She praised the star: ‘Ryder’s West End debut brings raw vulnerability and real passion to the role. His vocal range and control are highly impressive’. She wasn’t sure about the sound: ‘Musical director Tom Deering goes big on volume, driving the electrifying live orchestra with huge energy. This comes at the cost of some of the vocals at the start and indeed the second half throbs with intent more than the first.’

The Independent‘s Alice Saville was a Ryder fan: ‘As Jesus, Ryder looks the part, and more than sounds it, too – without having the acting experience to show us this monumental figure’s inner struggles. But perhaps that’s fitting for a story that leaves the details of Jesus’s fate deliberately ambiguous, and that unfolds with its own logic, like a lucid dream. Just follow Mary Magdalene’s advice – “Close your eyes, and relax” – and you’ll sink into the glorious sounds of a voice that’s achieved divine status.’

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis began: ‘The through-sung score features one belter after another … But there’s little narrative (fair enough, we all know the plot), or character. We hear about Jesus’s charisma from others’ say-so but he’s an oddly passive, disgruntled central figure. This flaw is exacerbated in Tim Sheader’s otherwise thrilling, high-octane, concert-style production by the casting of Sam Ryder. The plucky Eurovision yodeller’s octave-hopping voice could strip paint when it comes to the impassioned high notes but he swallows the quieter passages of songs and his nice-guy disposition sits ill with Jesus’ grumpiness.’  He ended: ‘All together this is an OTT, aorta-pumping rollick through one of Lloyd Webber and Rice’s strongest musical collaborations, by a team who know that the score and the feel of it are all that matter. Jesus? Schmeesus.’

3 stars⭑⭑⭑

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe declared: ‘it’s now not only conspicuously dated, but also often downright daft.’ Having dispatched the musical, she considered the star: ‘as an actor, Ryder doesn’t quite convince; there’s a posturing, presentational flavour to his performance. And vocally, while he unsurprisingly has no difficulty soaring to the falsetto heights of the role, he’s less comfortable in the lower register’. She preferred Tyrone Huntley’s Judas: ’His portrayal of this most notorious of traitors is rivetingly full-throttle – pained, impassioned, perplexed, furious, guilt-stricken and distraught by turns … And his voice is a marvel, endlessly elastic yet impeccably controlled, sweetness and abrasiveness deftly deployed.’

The evening passed pleasantly for Dominic Maxwell of The Times: ‘It lacks emotion but I never found it remotely dull either.’ He warned: ‘amid Drew McOnie’s pleasing but impressionistic choreography on Tom Scutt’s ancient-meets-modern set you may lose track of which imposing fella is which’. He picked out two of the cast for special mention: ‘Huntley is a highlight, making real human complexity poke its face out of this megawatt machine. Desmonda Cathabel is an easy presence as Mary Magdalene: Everything’s Alright flows like water.’

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski laid into the star, beginning with: ‘Sam Ryder is not the Messiah.’ He said he ‘looks like a mildly perturbed middle manager distracted by some tricky mental arithmetic (…) he is at best okay in a lead role that demands greatness (…) He’s a pop star – but we needed a superstar.’ It wasn’t all bad for Andrzej: ‘elsewhere it’s a pretty damn good production. Sheader’s cast look like sexy apocalypse survivors as they lock into Drew McOnie’s deliciously weird and angular choreography. Tom Scutt’s scaffold set is stark but ominously symbolic’.

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar noted: ‘the first thing that hits you here is the sound, which contains Greek levels of melodrama. It’s a shame it stays at a single, fever-pitched high, flattening the emotional drama. Still, there is the glory of the signature song, Superstar, and the vocal blast of both Ryder and Huntley is a sound to behold.’ ‘But the characterisation is far less satisfying’ she continued: ‘Ryder’s portrayal is so woolly that you don’t know what Jesus stands for. So it becomes difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, Judas dislikes: is it that Jesus has gone too far, as Judas repeats, or not far enough?’

Fiona Mountford posts a rare review in the i (assumed 3 stars). She didn’t like the sound: ‘[Jesus] and Judas (a blazing Tyrone Huntley) prowl the stage with rock-star-style, hand-held microphones; occasionally, the amplification blurs the clarity of the lyrics, which causes problems for a show where all the storytelling is done through song.’

Critics’ average rating 3.9⭑

Value rating 31 (Combination of critics’ rating and typical ticket price)

Jesus Christ Superstar can be seen at the London Palladium until 5 September 2026 before moving on to Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 16 October 2026 to 9 January 2027. After that there is a tour. Buy tickets directly from www.andrewlloydwebber.com/show/jesus-christ-superstar

If you’ve seen Jesus Christ Superstar at The Palladium, please leave your review and/or rating below