Principal casting for the Olivier Award-winning production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s celebrated musical Jesus Christ Superstar has been announced, and Manila-based Filipina actress and singer Gab Pangilinan will play Mary Magdalene.
Photos: GMG Productions and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade (courtesy of GMG Productions)
She joins principal cast members from previous UK, North America, and Australian tours of the production, including Luke Street (Jesus), Javon King (Judas), Ethan Hardy Benson (Pilate), Grant Hodges (Caiaphas), and Kodiak Thompson (Annas). Further casting will be announced.
Gab Pangilinan is a multi-awarded stage and screen actor known for her performances in The Last Five Years, Side Show, Ang Huling El Bimbo The Musical, and Mula Sa Buwan. She is a three-time Philstage Gawad Buhay nominee for Pingkian: Isang Musikal (2024), The Last Five Years (2023), and Mula Sa Buwan (2022). The actress has won Best Leading Female Performance (Digital) at the 27th Asian Television Awards for Still: A Musical Narrative Series.
Pangilinan has worked with leading theatre companies, including PETA, Tanghalang Pilipino, Atlantis Theatrical, and Full House Theater Company, and recently appeared in We Aren’t Kids Anymore and Othello.
Jesus Christ Superstar will visit Manila at The Theatre at Solaire from May 2 to 31, 2026, as part of a major international tour.
A major international tour
Photo / Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade (courtesy of GMG Productions)
Following several acclaimed and sold-out runs in London, as well as an extensive tour across North America, the UK, and Australia, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar will arrive in Manila at The Theatre at Solaire as part of its major international tour.
Originally scheduled to run from May 2 to 24, 2026, the Manila season has been extended to May 2 to 31, 2026, allowing more Filipino audiences to experience this globally celebrated production.
“We are incredibly happy to have Gab Pangilinan in the international company of Jesus Christ Superstar. Gab is a respected and accomplished artist, and her casting as Mary Magdalene highlights the strength of Filipino theatre talent,” Carlos Candal, CEO of GMG Productions, said. “The excitement from audiences has been truly remarkable, and this extension allows even more theatre fans to experience this production.”
Featuring lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, this production was reimagined by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, where it originated, and is helmed by director Timothy Sheader and choreographer Drew McOnie. Completing the creative team is design by Tom Scutt, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Nick Lidster, and music supervision by Tom Deering.
A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for decades, Jesus Christ Superstar is a timeless work that explores the biblical portrayal of the extraordinary events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the eyes of his betrayer, Judas Iscariot.
The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles among Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ disciples, his followers, and the Roman Empire. Originally released as a concept album, the iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” and “Gethsemane.”
Jesus Christ Superstar opened on Broadway in 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The original London production opened at the Palace Theatre on August 9, 1972, and ran for over eight years. By the time it closed after 3,358 performances, it had become the longest-running musical in West End history at that time.
Jesus Christ Superstar has been reproduced regularly around the world in the years since its first appearance, with performances including a Broadway revival in 2012, an ITV competition TV show called Superstar that led to casting Ben Forster as Jesus in an arena tour of the show, and a production at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre celebrating 45 years since the musical’s Broadway debut.
Jesus Christ Superstar will also have a limited run at the iconic London Palladium in summer 2026. The production was originally created and produced at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
This production of Jesus Christ Superstar won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and the 2016 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, selling out two consecutive engagements in 2016 and 2017. The production played a West End engagement at the Barbican in 2019 before returning to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in a concert version during the summer of 2020, followed by a universally acclaimed UK tour in 2023 and 2024.
Photo / GMG Productions
New and final Jesus Christ Superstar show dates have been released and are now available exclusively through TicketWorld. Don’t miss the opportunity to catch Jesus Christ Superstar at the Theatre at Solaire this coming May 2, 2026, and it must close on May 31, 2026. No further extensions possible.
Jesus Christ Superstar’s 2026 tour is produced by GMG Productions and David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions. The Manila season is presented by GMG Productions, with UnionBank of the Philippines as GMG Productions’ official bank sponsor. For updates and exclusive announcements, visit www.gmg-productions.com or follow @gmg.productions.
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