JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Replaces FINDING NEVERLAND at La Jolla this Fall; Is Broadway Next?

La Jolla Playhouse has announced that the acclaimed Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Playhouse Director Emeritus and Stratford Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Des McAnuff, will replace the previously-announced musical Finding Neverland. This thrilling revival will run in the Mandell Weiss Theatre November 18 - December 31, 2011.

This ground-breaking rock opera, which reinvented musical theatre for the modern age, tells the story of the last week of Christ's life. The zeal with which Christ's followers are hailing him as the Son of God becomes a source of dismay to his disciple Judas Iscariot. Fearing that this tide of religious fervor will provoke brutal repression by the occupying Romans, Judas must make his fateful choice between faith and betrayal.

The production has received glowing reviews across the board. The Globe and Mail raved, "This production is an absolute miracle," while the Toronto Star called it "the best show you'll see this year." "A sparkling production literally pulsing with life," wrote the Toronto Sun; and Variety enthused, "McAnuff has managed to come up with a vision that is faithful to the original but manages to make it seem fresh to an audience in 2011."

"While our partner for Finding Neverland, Weinstein Live Entertainment, elected not to go forward with the planned production at The Playhouse, it has given us the opportunity to share Des McAnuff's stunning revival of Jesus Christ Superstar with our audiences," said Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. "We are absolutely overjoyed to welcome Des back home with his critically-acclaimed production of this classic rock musical."

"Given my long, happy and fruitful history with La Jolla Playhouse, I am naturally thrilled by the prospect of this collaboration between our two great theatres," says Mr. McAnuff. "The pride I take in the magnificent work being done by our Festival artists in Jesus Christ Superstar is matched by my deep appreciation to La Jolla for giving us this wonderful opportunity to showcase that work to an audience of which I am very fond - an audience that, like Stratford's, is accustomed to enjoying some of the finest theatre in the world."

Before joining the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as Artistic Director, Mr. McAnuff was Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse from 1983 to 1994 and from 2001 to 2007 and is now Director Emeritus. A two-time Tony Award-winning director, Mr. McAnuff received an honorary doctorate in June from his alma mater, Ryerson University in Toronto.

"We are absolutely delighted that we will be able to share this production with La Jolla Playhouse audiences," says Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. "Jesus Christ Superstar has created a huge buzz in the media and the show has become one of our hottest tickets. It's a pleasure to work with our colleagues in La Jolla to take this ‘Superstar' on the road."

Playhouse subscribers are being contacted regarding the programming change and will receive new tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar in the coming weeks. Subscribers may also purchase additional tickets beginning August 1. Single tickets go on sale to the public Sunday, August 28. Groups may purchase tickets starting August 8.

Set as an epic rock concert, this sensational new production features Paul Nolan as "Jesus," Chilina Kennedy as "Mary Magdalene," Josh Young as "Judas Iscariot," Tony Award winner Brent Carver as "Pontius Pilate," Bruce Dow as "King Herod" and Mike Nadajewski as "Peter."

The full creative team includes Des McAnuff, Director; Lisa Shriver, Choreographer, Rick Fox, Music Director; La Jolla Playhouse Honors award recipient Robert Brill, Set Designer; Paul Tazewell, Costume Designer; Howell Binkley, Lighting Designer; Jim Neil, Sound Designer and Sean Nieuwenhuis, Video Designer. Rounding out the artistic team are Chad Sylvain, Dramaturge; Daniel Levinson, Fight Director; Simon Fon, Aerial Stunt Coordinator; Bradley "Shooz" Rapier, Associate Choreographer; Laura Burton, Associate Musical Director; Lezlie Wade, Assistant Director and Marc Kimelman, Assistant Choreographer.

The Playhouse launched its 2011/12 season with the world-premiere of A Dram of Drummhicit (May 17 - June 12), by Arthur Kopit and Anton Dudley, directed by Christopher Ashley. The season continues with the re-imagined classic Peer Gynt (June 28 - July 24), by Henrik Ibsen, adapted and directed by David Schweizer; the exciting musical Sleeping Beauty Wakes (July 19 - August 12; co-production with McCarter Theatre Center), book by Tony Award winner Rachel Sheinkin, music by Brendan Milburn, lyrics by Valerie Vigoda, directed by Rebecca Taichman; the world premiere of Milk Like Sugar (August 30 - September 25; co-commission with Theater Masters, produced in association with Playwrights Horizons), by Kirsten Greenidge, directed by Rebecca Taichman; and American Night: The Ballad of Juan José (January 27 - February 26; co-production with Center Theatre Group), written by Richard Montoya for Culture Clash, developed by Culture Clash and Jo Bonney, directed by Jo Bonney. Subscriptions to The Playhouse's 2011/12 season are available online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by calling the Box Office at (858) 550-1010.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including the currently-running hits Memphis and Jersey Boys - both Best Musical Tony Award winners, as well as Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Farnsworth Invention and 33 Variations. Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-Art Theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.