It’s full steam ahead at Dunedin’s Regent Theatre this week, as a local team assembles the largest Dunedin-designed and built production in decades.
With a team of almost 100 volunteers and local business, Taieri Musical’s Jesus Christ Superstar promises to be a spectacle of biblical proportions.
Originally made famous as a concept album, Jesus Christ Superstar went on to revolutionise Broadway and the West End, with thousands of productions around the globe over the past five decades. As the brainchild of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, it has made stars of its casts over the years and had a number of chart hits including “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”, “Heaven On Their Minds” and “Superstar”.
In an effort to make theatre more accessible to the community Taieri Musical has kept ticket prices lower than other large-scale productions. However no expense has been spared on the massive lightning and audio package, which promises audiences a true rock concert spectacle.
James Adams (Rock Tenors, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera) as Jesus Christ leads a world-class cast of performers, alongside Sophie Whibley (Rock Divas, Chess, Chicago) as Mary Magdalene and Max Beal (Rock Tenors, Chess, Jersey Boys) as Judas.
The enormous set build has been led by Paul Mulholland, Chris Hinch and Shayne Sparks, whose construction is over 7m tall and spans the entire width of the Regent's 12m stage.
Taieri Musical says the production is intended to show that a local production on this scale can be viable, thanks to the immense talent in our community, as well as the generosity of our local partners and sponsors.
“We just hope that the community gets in behind and supports this production - I can promise that anyone who buys a ticket will get their money’s worth”.
The show opens next Thursday 18 September at Dunedin’s Regent Theatre. Tickets are available now at https://www.regenttheatre.co.nz/project/taieri-musical-presents-jesus-christ-superstar-september-2025/
