Jesus Christ Superstar: In Concert - Open Air Theatre
London theatre news: Saturday 18 July 2020
Concerts - Musicals - Open Air Theatre
Tickets go on-sale next week for the Open Air Theatre's special concert staging of Jesus Christ Superstar which will have 70 live performances in August and September.
Image courtesy Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre looks set to be the first London theatre to welcome back audiences to its magical venue with a concert version of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar.
The show will have a run of 70 performances from 14 August to 27 September 2020 with much-reduced seating capacity to allow for social distancing.
Visitors can access an 'Information Hub' which gives details about how to book and the conditions which will apply during their visit.
The venue had previously postponed its entire 2020 season due to the coronavirus outbreak.
William Village, Executive Director said ...
"Following the government's announcement last week that outdoor theatres may re-open, we have been working around the clock to find a way to open in August and September this year.
With social distancing, seating capacity has been dramatically reduced to 390 seats (down from 1,256).
This makes producing any large-scale show economically extremely challenging, particularly as we are an unfunded organisation.
Nevertheless, both for us as a venue, and the industry as a whole, we believe it is incumbent upon us to do everything possible to re-open this year, and we're delighted to announce this special concert staging of our award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Of course, the safety of our audience, performers and staff remains of paramount importance to us.
We will follow government guidance meticulously; measures to be introduced at the entirely open air venue include: reduced capacity, distanced performers, enhanced cleaning, one-way systems, mandatory face coverings, temperature checks, paperless and cashless systems and multiple hand sanitiser stations.
All information will be set out clearly on our website and communicated with audiences in advance of their arrival."
This special concert staging of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, is created by the team behind the venue's Olivier and Evening Standard Award-winning production, which played two sell-out runs here (2016/2017), a season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (2018), and 60 dates at the Barbican Theatre (2019), before embarking on an ongoing three year North American tour.
The Open Air Theatre's artistic director, Timothy Sheader, commented ...
"It has been, and continues to be, an incredibly challenging time for everyone working in the theatre industry.
Whilst the arts sector awaits details of how the government's support package will be disseminated, I'm heartened that we have been able to start work again with a number of our colleagues and to employ over 140 people including 70 performers and freelancers, at least for a brief period this summer.
However, a clear and specific timeframe for the re-opening of the rest of our industry, together with the complete and safe removal of social distancing measures in all venues, remains critical to secure the future of the arts in the UK.".
Tickets go on sale for Jesus Christ Superstar: In Concert at 11am on Monday 20 July for priority booking (for current members) with public booking taking off at 11am on Tuesday 21 July.
Show listing information
Synopsis
Following the government's announcement that outdoor theatres may re-open, the Open Air Theatre have been working around the clock to find a way to open in August and September this year.
With social distancing, seating capacity has been dramatically reduced to 390 seats (down from 1,256), and regular visitors will notice many changes to how the venue needs to operate in order to keep everyone safe and to comply with government guidance.
This special concert staging of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, is created by the team behind our Olivier and Evening Standard Award-winning production, which played two sell-out runs here (2016/2017), a season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (2018), and 60 dates at the Barbican Theatre (2019), before embarking on an ongoing three year North American tour.
Creatives
Author: Based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus's life
Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyricist: Tim Rice
Venue
Regent's Park
London
NW1 4NU
Dates
From: Friday 14 August 2020
Closes: Sunday 27 September 2020
Tickets
Standard: From £25 to £65
Links
Show website
ActDrop full listing for Jesus Christ Superstar: In Concert
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