White Light Supplies West End Jesus Christ Superstar

	The overhead rig has been completely redesigned and expanded, while challenges such as audience towers onstage and limited front-of-house positions demanded innovative solutions from the lighting team. Photo: Johan Persson

The award-winning Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar has arrived in the West End, now playing at The London Palladium until September 5 before extending to Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 16 October. Starring Sam Ryder as Jesus in his West End debut, the production brings Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic rock opera to two of London's most celebrated stages.

Directed by Timothy Sheader, with design by Tony and Olivier Award-winner Tom Scutt, the production builds on a decade-long journey that began in Regent's Park ten years ago. Lighting designer Lee Curran returns for this latest incarnation, with White Light supplying the production's extensive lighting rig.

"The show means a lot to all of us who've been with it in the ten years since we first made it at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre," explains Curran. "To have the opportunity to revisit and reimagine it, and bring it to two of London's biggest and best West End theatres -- why wouldn't you be excited?"

While the creative team has remained committed to preserving the production's distinctive identity, the move indoors has unlocked significant new possibilities. The challenge, says Curran, was finding the balance between innovation and continuity: creating something that feels fresh while retaining the unmistakable DNA of the original Regent's Park production.

A core part of that DNA is the show's rock-concert aesthetic. Since its first outing, concert lighting has heavily influenced the visual language of the production, drawing on generations of rock-and-roll fixtures, from traditional PAR cans to moving lights and Claypaky Sharpys. What once felt unusual in musical theatre has since become more commonplace, but the production continues to embrace those influences while evolving with new technologies.

The London Palladium presented one particularly significant advantage: the ability to create a substantial overhead lighting rig.

"Back in Regent's Park we were very heavily reliant on lights in and on the set because there are no overhead positions," says Curran. "That's still part of the DNA of the design, but we've got a lot more positions to rig lights on in an indoor theatre. This is the most comprehensive rig we've had for the show."

With Scutt's redesigned set transforming the visual environment, the lighting design evolved alongside it. New Martin MAC Aura XIP fixtures embedded within the set have replaced the original PAR cans, offering significantly greater creative flexibility while maintaining familiar visual references. The overhead rig has been completely redesigned and expanded, while challenges such as audience towers onstage and limited front-of-house positions demanded innovative solutions from the lighting team.

One of the production's most striking features is the inclusion of audience members standing onstage, placing spectators inside the world of the show. To prepare for this unique staging, the team used mannequins during technical rehearsals to simulate audience positions before welcoming a live onstage audience during dress rehearsals.

"There's a lot of sidelight going on, so I was prepared for changes if it made the audience in the side towers too prominent," Curran explains. "In the end, after very few adjustments, we were happy with how they looked. They're present, but I don't think they're ever dominant or distracting. It's a fantastic element of the show."

The result is a lighting design defined by scale and contrast. Rather than highlighting a single standout moment, Curran points to the production's extraordinary dynamic range.

"We've got a huge range, from a single static light all the way up to over 100 movers in full effect," he says.

Supporting this visual journey is an extensive lighting and atmospheric rig, centered around Martin fixtures including MAC Ultra Performance, MAC Encore Two, Aura XIP and MAC One Beam luminaires, alongside ETC Lustr 2s, Chroma-Q Color Force 2 battens and Chauvet Color Strike fixtures. Atmospherics are delivered through MDG Atmosphere systems and Look Solutions hazers, creating the depth and texture needed to support the production's cinematic visual language.

The production also marks the first use of Martin MAC Encore Two fixtures in a UK theatre production. Integrated with a Zactrack automated followspot system, the fixtures perform the majority of the show's automated backlight spot work.

"The Encore Twos do the bulk of that work, and do it very well," says Curran. "It's bright enough to cut through the rest of the rig and very nimble for a fixture of its size. Elsewhere, we're making full use of their color, frost, shutters and gobos -- they've been a very versatile tool."

Throughout the process, White Light worked closely with the creative team, supplying fixtures, previsualization facilities and technical expertise to help realize the ambitious design.

"We've been well supported by White Light throughout the process," says Curran. "Supplying the fixtures I wanted, providing pre-vis facilities, and finding the little extras that are always needed on a production of this scale."

WL's head of lighting, Dom Yates, comments: "Working on this latest iteration of Jesus Christ Superstar has been incredibly rewarding. From delivering an extensive fixture package to sourcing the new Martin MAC Encore Two fixtures that helped realize Lee's creative vision, it has been a privilege to work in partnership with the lighting team and support them throughout the entire production process."