Andrew Lloyd Webber praises critically acclaimed Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill

The Watermill were delighted to welcome Andrew Lloyd Webber to the Newbury venue to see their smash-hit summer musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and he was full of praise for the production.

Artistic director and joint CEO Paul Hart said: “It was our great pleasure to welcome Lord Lloyd-Webber to the Watermill for our production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Spending some time with the cast and crew after the show, he talked about his long relationship with Watermill going back to when David Gollins converted the building into the theatre we know and love today. He was full of praise for the amazing team who bring the piece to life in its most intimate production to date.”

A Watermill Theatre production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd, Jesus Christ Superstar is playing an expanded summer season until Sunday, September 21, and has recently garnered a slew of four- and five-star reviews.

With over two thirds of the tickets for the entire run sold only two weeks into the run, the production is on track to be the Watermill’s best and fastest selling production to date.

The Watermill have been welcoming people from across the world to their new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic rock musical, including audiences from Australia, Japan, Singapore, US and Dominican Republic.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “Congratulations to the wonderful company of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Watermill Theatre. I wish you all the best for the rest of your run.”

Executive director and joint CEO Claire Murray said “Staging Sir Tim Rice and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's epic rock opera in our 200-seat theatre and gardens is a huge undertaking and we're delighted that it's on track to becoming our fastest and best-selling production ever. The summer production is vitally important to our sustainability as an independent charity, so it’s wonderful to see audiences flocking to the Watermill for this fantastic, immersive experience.’

Thanks to funding from Greenham Trust, six members of the ensemble are recently graduated musical theatre students who are being given a unique opportunity to learn and work alongside an experienced team on a large-scale regional production.

Claire Murray added: “We have a talented 18-strong company bringing the story to life, 6 of whom are at the very beginning of their professional careers. These 6 performers will be delivering workshops from next week, working with local young people giving them the opportunity to meet the team and see behind the scenes. This exciting project has been made possible by funding from Greenham Trust and we're so grateful for them for joining with us to nurture young people to develop transferable skills and help realise their potential.”

Starting from today (July 24), the theatre will also be offering a series of free workshops, tickets and cast Q&As to local young people focusing on both on and off-stage career opportunities in the arts. Tickets for the cast Q&As (and other selected performances) are £15 for ages 16-30, when joining the Watermill’s 16-30: Beginners scheme. Full details of the offer availability and how to join the scheme on the Watermill website.