Stratford's Jesus Christ Superstar heads to La Jolla

A hit Canadian production of Jesus Christ Superstar is headed to San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse in November.

The rock opera currently playing  at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival was directed by artistic director Des McAnuff and has had rave reviews from critics.

The Stratford festival announced Monday that Jesus Christ Superstar will play at La Jolla Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre from Nov.18 to Dec. 31.

McAnuff has a long association with La Jolla, where he twice served as artistic director — from 1983 to 1994 and 2001 to 2007.

This revival of the 1971 rock opera has received accolades from lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who made separate trips to Stratford to see it  earlier this month. Several other theatre producers have also turned up in the audience, prompting rumours that the Stratford production would head for another city.

Past Stratford productions such as The Importance of Being Earnest, King Lear and Barrymore have moved on to New York.

General director Antoni Cimolino said Jesus Christ Superstar has become one of the Stratford season's "hottest tickets."

The rock opera about the life of Jesus Christ stars Paul Nolan as Jesus, Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, Josh Young as Judas Iscariot and Brent Carver as Pontius Pilate.

Nolan, a native of Rouleau, Sask., previously played the role of Jesus at Stage West Calgary and at the Sunshine Festival Theatre Company in Orillia, Ont.

 "Des, he's obviously struck gold, judging by the way the audience is responding to this show," he said.