A guide to all the songs in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

From "I Don't Know How to Love Him" to "Gethsemane", revisit Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's extraordinary music as the show returns to the West End.

Summary

• Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar is returning to the West End
• Tim Sheader's production runs at the London Palladium in summer 2026
• This rock opera features an incredible sung-through score
• Songs include "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Superstar"

Thank the lord: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s incredible rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is back in London, and with a heavenly new leading man. Eurovision star Sam Ryder makes his West End debut in this major revival at the London Palladium in summer 2026.

The production is directed by Tim Sheader, who previously helmed a ground-breaking version of the show at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and he is reunited with his crack creative team: designer Tom Scutt and choreographer Drew McOnie.

Ahead of your trip to Jesus Christ Superstar, get to know all of the phenomenal songs in this sung-through show.

Check back for Jesus Christ Superstar tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

“Heaven on Their Minds”

We first meet Judas Iscariot, who is one of Jesus’s Twelve Apostles, as he shares his fears with us. Judas worries that Jesus’s good work will be swept away if the myth outstrips the man, since he is now becoming astonishingly famous as a Messiah figure. Judas also predicts that the Roman authorities will begin to perceive him as a threat.

“What’s the Buzz / Strange Thing, Mystifying”

The Apostles badger Jesus about his plans, and he tries to get them to just accept the future instead. The only one who helps him relax is prostitute Mary Magdalene, but Judas is angry about how their relationship could be judged. An irate Jesus turns that criticism back on Judas: “If your slate is clean, then you can throw stones”.

“Everything’s Alright”

After that frantic exchange, the show gets a welcome breather with this lovely, tender number sung by Mary Magdalene. She soothes Jesus with oil for his hot brow – but the ever-critical Judas points out that the money for the ointment could have been used for the poor instead.

“This Jesus Must Die”

Caiaphas, who is the High Priest of Israel, worries that Jesus will incur the wrath of the Romans, who will then persecute all Jewish people in his name. As his fanatical supporters outside sings “Jesus Christ, Superstar”, Caiaphas urges the council of priests and Pharisees to agree to Jesus’s execution.

“Hosanna”

Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, to the fury of Caiaphas, who is concerned about the huge crowd that Jesus has drawn (all singing “Hosanna”). But an untroubled Jesus tells Caiaphas there’s nothing to be done: “If every tongue was still, the noise would still continue / The rocks and stones themselves would start to sing”.

“Simon Zealotes” / “Poor Jerusalem”

One of Jesus’s more fervent Apostles, Simon the Zealot, is emboldened by the crowd (who continue to sing Jesus’s praises) and gleefully claims Jesus could defeat their Roman oppressors. But Jesus argues that none of them – his followers, their rulers, Simon himself – understand what true power and glory means.

“Pilate’s Dream”

We get another change of pace with this more contemplative, haunting song from Judea’s governor, Pontius Pilate. He can’t shake a vivid dream in which he was blamed for the violent death of a Galilean man at the hands of “wild and angry men”.

“The Temple”

The moneylenders and merchants are doing a roaring trade in the Temple, at least until an incensed Jesus discovers them and throws them out for turning a house of prayer into a “den of thieves”. Jesus is then overwhelmed by the hordes of people demanding his miracle cures to heal their wounds or make them rich.

“I Don’t How to Love Him”

After soothing Jesus once again, Mary Magdalene confesses her feelings to us in one of the show’s most famous, and utterly beautiful, songs. Through this yearning torch ballad, Mary comes to realise that she’s deeply in love with Jesus, an unfamiliar and frightening state for her. This song became a hit single outside of the musical.

“Damned for All Time” / “Blood Money”

A tortured, still-conflicted Judas wrestles with a monumental decision and tries to justify his actions by explaining that Jesus can’t control these huge crowds – yet still he fears he will be eternally damned for betraying him. He tries to reject the “blood money”, but Caiaphas suggests he could use the 30 pieces of silver to help the poor.

“The Last Supper”

Act II opens with Jesus at a Passover meal with the Apostles, though he grows angry as he accuses them of not caring about him, saying “this wine could be my blood [...] this bread could be my body”. He also darkly predicts that one of them, Peter, will deny him and one, Judas, will betray him. That leads to an explosive confrontation between Jesus and Judas.

“Gethsemane”

This remarkable, soul-searching moment for Jesus sees him seek refuge in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he prays to God in a tour-de-force number, questioning whether his death and suffering will really make a difference or if it will all be in vain. By the end he comes to the conclusion that he must die, submitting himself to God’s will.

“The Arrest”

The Apostles rush to defend Jesus when the priests arrive to arrest him, but he tells them to put down their swords. Caiaphas and Annas demand to know whether he’s really claiming to be the son of God, and the crowd – now a bloodthirsty mob – roars for him to be taken to Pilate.

“Peter’s Denial”

Just as Jesus knew he would, when questioned by the soldiers Peter denies knowing Jesus and says he wasn’t with him. Mary, who witnesses his denial, is horrified: “Peter, don’t you know what you have said? / You’ve gone and cut him dead”.

“Pilate and Christ”

The sneering Pilate pretends surprise at Jesus’s appearance, saying he looks “so small – not a king at all” (since Jesus is now known as king of the Jews). But Pilate is clearly unnerved by the encounter and passes Jesus off to King Herod by saying Jesus is from Galilee, so he’s Herod’s responsibility.

“King Herod’s Song”

The show takes a big stylistic departure for this heavily sarcastic, mocking number by King Herod. The quick, jaunty rhythm and flamboyant delivery punctuate his jibes, as do the rhymes – like “Prove to me that you’re no fool / Walk across my swimming pool”. But the result is the same: he too passes the buck, sending Jesus back to Herod.

“Could We Start Again, Please?”

In a wistful lament, Mary Magdalene and the Apostles recall their time with Jesus and long to return to those halcyon days. Mary and Peter, who were at odds, share beautiful harmony lines here: on this point, at least, they are closely aligned.

“Judas’s Death”

As the horror of Jesus’s treatment unfolds, Judas pleads with the Pharisees and desperately wishes he could save Jesus – while also fearing even more than before that he will be forever blamed. This tragic number features reprises of past songs like “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” as Judas suffers a harrowing breakdown, curses God for using him, and finally takes his own life.

“Trial Before Pilate”

Pilate interrogates the beaten Jesus, again asking if he really does think he is a king, while an increasingly rabid mob demands that Pilate crucify him. Pilate tries to satisfy their bloodlust by having Jesus flogged, and even pleads with Jesus to speak up in his own defence, but Jesus will only say “Everything is fixed”. Pilate concludes he has no choice but to crucify this “martyr”.

“Superstar”

Judas returns as a spirit for this incredible climactic number (another hit single), which blends a hymn-like choral refrain with the propulsive, restless, soul-inflected rock lines of Judas as he asks all the big questions. Did Jesus mean to die? Why did he choose this time and place instead of the modern world with its mass communication? Was it a mistake? And did he know his death would have such a profound effect?

“The Crucifixion”

Finally Jesus is crucified. His last poignant lines juxtapose divine mercy and acceptance with all-too-human fear and pain: he asks God to forgive his persecutors, and commends his spirit to God, but also calls out for his mother, and cries “I’m thirsty / I’m thirsty”. It’s a powerful, moving note on which to end this extraordinary show.

Main photo credit: Sam Ryder (Photo by Jack Robinson). Inset: Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (Photos by Mark Senior)