Simon Russell Beale will play King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in December 2026, while Richard Armitage extends his run as Herod at London’s Palladium. This reshuffle highlights continuing interest in the enduring Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Simon Russell Beale is set to portray King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 7 to 12 December 2026. This marks a change from earlier plans, as he will no longer appear at the London Palladium during July.

Richard Armitage, who currently stars as Herod at the Palladium, will extend his performances there from 13 July to 1 August, adding an extra show on 8 August. The show had initially been scheduled for a run between 13 and 25 July at the Palladium with Beale attached.

Jesus Christ Superstar will begin performances at the London Palladium on 20 June, running for 11 weeks with the official opening night on 7 July. Sam Ryder leads as Jesus, supported by a creative team including director Tim Sheader and choreographer Drew McOnie.

After the Palladium engagement, the production transfers to Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a 12-week season from 16 October 2026 until 9 January 2027. Full casting and details for the Herod role at Drury Lane are yet to be announced.

The musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber follows the last days of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Judas, featuring well-known numbers such as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him”, “Gethsemane” and “Superstar”.

This new production reunites the creative team from the 2016 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre staging, including designer Tom Scutt, musical supervisor Tom Deering, and lighting designer Lee Curran. The company is presented by Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals.

Jesus Christ Superstar first opened on Broadway in 1971 and later became the longest-running musical in West End history at its original London run. This 2026 staging continues the widespread popularity of the classic rock opera.