Tyrone Huntley has heaven on his mind in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Tyrone Huntley talks about reprising his Olivier-nominated Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as working with Sam Ryder and returning to the London Palladium.

Summary

• Tyrone Huntley is playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar
• He stars alongside Eurovision's Sam Ryder
• Huntley has previously appeared in the musical Hello Dolly! at the venue

Ten years ago, Tyrone Huntley was all set to play a priest in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera when he received a surprising phone call. “My agent told me the person they cast as Judas had to withdraw, and they wanted me to audition. Back then I was extremely anxious, so my instinct was to say ‘No, I’m happy with the role I’ve got’”. Thankfully, Huntley did eventually audition and, days before rehearsals for Jesus Christ Superstar began, he found out he’d got the part. “It was such a whirlwind,” he recalls. “But I’ve come to realise it was absolutely fated. If it had been a regular audition process, I might have been too in my head. So it all worked out.”

That’s an understatement. Judas was a career-making role: Huntley received rapturous reviews and was nominated for an Olivier Award. He has since reprised it at original venue Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and on a North American tour, and is now leading the London Palladium production alongside Eurovision icon Sam Ryder. “The show changed my life,” he says. “Opportunities like that aren’t always given to Black actors. It showed me I could lead a company.” Huntley had also never envisioned himself as Judas because “I’m 5’6” – I’m a petite man. Judas’s energy is big and looming.”

This time around, Huntley feels he can “really appreciate playing Judas and discover new things. I have more life experience I can pour into it.” Together with director Tim Sheader, Huntley has been exploring the foundations of Judas and Jesus’s relationship, he explains. “There’s an element of fate and inevitability about the path that Judas chooses, but he’s also making these decisions not out of malice or jealousy, but out of true love. He’s trying to act for the good of both Jesus and the tribe. He feels that what’s happening is not what they set out to do.”

For those who grew up with the stories of Christianity, we are familiar with certain archetypes, notes Huntley: “Judas the betrayer, Jesus the saviour. But when you approach this as an actor, you have to strip everything back. You can just play the character; you don’t need to tell the audience what to think.” It’s a massive sing for Huntley – “You start at 100% with ‘Heaven on Their Minds’, then somehow double the intensity at the end for ‘Superstar’” – but he also loves honing in on “small moments of tenderness” with his castmates. He’s full of praise too for Tom Scutt’s detailed design, particularly how Judas’s hands are stained by silver. “It’s a physical reminder, for me and the audience, of how he’s tarnished forever.”

Sheader’s production is deeply connected to the music: very much in the spirit of the original 1970 concept album. “We’re trying to emulate the vibe of that album,” Huntley explains. “It really zones in on the singers and musicians just rocking out and telling the story. We’ve got a similar gig style. What’s really cool about this production is that Jesus is this superstar who’s been thrust into the zeitgeist and followed by fans, and we have a literal star in Sam Ryder. We’re very, very open to the fact that a lot of people are coming to see their favourite pop star, and hopefully they’ll also go ‘Oh wow, I didn’t think theatre was for me, but I loved it’.”

Huntley thinks audiences will find plenty of contemporary resonance, such as the exploration of protest, social justice movements, celebrity, fandom, and the divisiveness in our world. “You might have a relationship with someone and then find out their views are very different to yours, so you’re trying to reconcile that with having a deep love for them.”

A fun wild card element is that a new performer guest-stars as King Herod every couple of weeks: Jesse Tyler Ferguson is followed by Richard Armitage, Layton Williams, and Julian Clary (and, in the subsequent Theatre Royal Drury Lane run, by the likes of Matt Bomer, Michael Ball, and Reece Shearsmith). “It’s very exciting to have all these legends coming in,” says Huntley. “Jesse really nails the hilarity of Herod’s number and audiences go wild for him. I can’t wait to see what the other kings bring to the role.”

It’s a pinch-me moment for Huntley, who grew up in Lincoln in the East Midlands and, though he loved acting, never imagined it could be a career. Encouraged by his drama teachers, he studied musical theatre at Mountview, but also continued his law degree while working in shows like The Book of Mormon. He has never practised law, instead having incredible experiences like co-starring with Amber Riley in Dreamgirls. “I had lunch with Amber a few months ago – she’s a friend,” Huntley says. “I look back on those moments where we’d sing on stage together as one of the big highlights.”

He’s now living in Los Angeles and is keen to do more screen work after impressing in projects like Steve McQueen’s Small Axe. But theatre is still in his bones. In 2024 Huntley was in the glorious Hello, Dolly! at the London Palladium, and he’s thrilled to be back there for Jesus Christ Superstar. “It’s such a special venue with its history and all the people who’ve performed there. There’s a picture on my dressing room wall of Chris Martin from Coldplay.” He’s also conscious that others will now be looking up to him. “It warms my heart when I see young Black boys in the audience, getting to see a Black man playing a West End lead at the Palladium. That’s epic.”

So too is this Jesus Christ Superstar, says Huntley. “It’s edgy, it’s raw, it’s passionate, and it’s a riot. Sam Ryder is worth the ticket price alone.” Those of us who have seen Huntley in action would say much the same about this superstar on the rise.

Book Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Book Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre Royal Drury Lane tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This article first appeared in the August 2026 issue of London Theatre Magazine.

Photo credit: Tyrone Huntley. (Photo by Melanie Gail). Inset: in Jesus Christ Superstar. (Photos by Johan Persson)