Jesus Christ Superstar to go ahead at Sunderland Empire after illness forces first-night cancellation

Theatre-goers were left disappointed when the opening night of Jesus Christ Superstar was unavoidably cancelled due to illness among the cast. However, Jesus will return.

The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera was scheduled to run at the Sunderland Empire Theatre from Tuesday June 11 to Saturday 15, as part of a UK tour.

Actors were taken ill a matter of hours before the curtain was due to go up; and replacements has now been brought in at short notice, although the Empire has not confirmed any of this.

The remaining shows are to go ahead as planned and audiences can expect the same high level of performance.

A theatre spokesperson told the Echo: "Unfortunately we had to cancel last night’s performance due to cast illness.

"Ticket holders were notified as soon as possible and were given the option to transfer into another performance or offered a refund. We're delighted to say that all remaining performances this week are scheduled to go ahead as planned.

The theatre has also tweeted: “Audiences that have tickets for this performance will be contacted by box office to move their tickets to an alternative performance or offered a refund.

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused."

The show was first performed on Broadway in 1971.

Tickets for the remaining shows at the Sunderland Empire Theatre are available online from £13 plus a booking fee.