Jesus Christ Superstar

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Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

One person singing to another sitting down.

Elvie Ellis (left) and Jack Hopewell in the touring 50th anniversary production of "Jesus Christ Superstar."

One of the most famous rock operas of all time soars into Madison for a six-day, eight-performance engagement that will remind believers and non-believers alike why it won a slew of 1972 Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway — as well as many other honors in the ensuing years. Resurrected numerous times over the decades, Jesus Christ Superstar features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, and it is loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The focus is on the extraordinary events that occurred during the final weeks of Jesus Christ’s life — as seen through the eyes of Judas, his betrayer. Jack Hopewell stars in the title role, with Elvie Ellis as Judas and Faith Jones as Mary. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21-23; 8 p.m., Feb. 24; 2 and 8 p.m., Feb. 25; and 1 and 6 p.m., Feb. 26.

media release: Following critically acclaimed, sold-out engagements in the UK, the reimagined 50^th Anniversary tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will come to Overture Center for the Arts from Tuesday, Feb. 21 through Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets to the 2017 Olivier awarding-winning production from Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre are on sale now overture.org.

Jack Hopewell stars as Jesus, joined by Elvie Ellis as Judas and Faith Jones as Mary. The tour also welcomes Isaac Ryckeghem as Caiphas, Nicholas Hambruch as Pilate and Kodiak Thompson as Annas.

The ensemble includes Ethan Hardy Benson, Joshua Bess, Jordan Wesley Brown, Jahlil M. Burke, Cooper Clack, Kalei Cotecson, Lydia Eku, Savannah Fisher, Domanick Anton Hubbard, Haley Huelsman, Jeremy Makana Hurr, Brett Hennessey Jones, Lena Matthews, Hosea Mundi, Caroline Perry, L'Oréal Roaché, Colin Robertson, Darren James Robinson, Erich W. Schleck and Lauren Soto.

Featuring lyrics and music by Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the North American tour of this iconic musical is helmed by acclaimed director Timothy Sheader and cutting-edge choreographer Drew McOnie. Rounding out the creative team is costume design by 2016 Tony Award nominee Tom Scutt, with a set based on original designs by Tom Scutt, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Keith Caggiano, with music supervision by David Holcenberg and music direction by Mark Binns.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane” and “Superstar.”

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is a proven musical phenomenon with a world-wide fan base. As demonstrated by NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, this epic work attracted over 9.6 million viewers, earned the highest ratings in its time period and received the highest critical ranking of any live musical event on network TV. On Sept. 17, 2021, a variety of special edition Jesus Christ Superstar albums, remastered at Abbey Road, were released. These special anniversary editions are a celebration of the original 1970 double concept album and its continued success spanning an incredible 50 years.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, selling out two consecutive engagements in 2016 and 2017. The production played a West End engagement at the Barbican in 2019 before returning to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in concert version during the summer of 2020.

The 2022/23 North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is produced by Work Light Productions. The original production was produced by London's Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

For additional information about this production, please visit ustour.JesusChristSuperstar.com.

Facebook & Instagram: @JesusChristSuperstar | Twitter: @JCSTheMusical

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and four galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. With the vision to provide “Extraordinary Experiences for All,” Overture’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture, economy and quality of life through the arts. overture.org