JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and More Come to the Watermill Theatre in 2025

The summer and autumn productions for 2025 at the Watermill Theatre have been revealed. The Watermill's 2025 summer musical will be a revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Paul Hart, with set and costume design by David Woodhead, choreography by Anjali Mehra, and musical supervision and orchestration by Stuart Morley. Jesus Christ Superstar will play from 24 June – 21 September and is generously supported by Kindred Partners, with production sponsorship by Horsey Lightly.

A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for decades, Jesus Christ Superstar is a timeless work set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events, but seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.

Spilling out of the theatre into the gardens, be immersed into the heart of this epic 1970s rock score, with an incredible cast of actor-musicians seamlessly fusing these classic roles with iconic music including "Superstar", "Gethsemane" and "I Don't Know How to Love Him".

Premiering at the Watermill, Friday 3 October – Saturday 15 November, Brandon Thomas' riotous farce Charley's Aunt is given a glamorous glow-up in a new adaptation by Rob Madge, the award-winning creator of My Son's a Queer (But what can you do?), directed by Sophie Drake (winner of the 2024 Stage Debut Best Director Award).

 Two scheming students, Charley and Jack, must circumnavigate the curmudgeonly Uncle Stephen to declare their feelings to love interests Amy and Kitty.  The promised arrival of Charley's Aunt gives them an opportunity and the best laid plans are set.  One delayed arrival, one fortuitous arrival and lots of classic comic confusion later, the champagne is finally poured at a dinner party to remember.

Mistaken identities, new identities and the discovery of true identities; will love – old and new - triumph through it all?

 The Watermill are hosting a Come As You Are Night, in partnership with Newbury Pride, on Monday 27 October.  Audiences are invited to come as they are, as their most comfortable selves, and gather together for drinks and nibbles from 6pm.

From Wednesday 26 November to Sunday 4 January, the Watermill's annual festive production is The Little Mermaid, by Lara Barbier, based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, directed by Elgiva Field, with songs by Amie Parsons of True Foxes. This new Watermill production weaves together salty sea air, folk and sea shanty inspired songs and an ethereal world below the waves for Christmas 2025.

 Far out in the ocean, deep beneath the waves, is a colourful kingdom bursting with flowing flowers, glittering shells and flittering fish. The Little Mermaid, daughter of the Sea King, eagerly awaits her birthday – the day she sees the world above the surface for the very first time.

The Little Mermaid discovers a world of twinkling lights, crashing waves, and jolly music. Drawn towards a ship, she rescues a young man with dark eyes and two prop legs, instead of a shimmering tail.

Longing to join him, the Little Mermaid's thoughts stray to the world above the sea, as she dreams of life on land.  Confronted by a deal with the scheming Sea Witch, the Little Mermaid must choose whether she's willing to risk everything in the pursuit of love.

Paul Hart said, “This summer at the Watermill is going to be bigger than ever with our new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar.  It's going to be really special for audiences to experience this legendary musical in the intimate setting of the Watermill, with music played live onstage and a semi-immersive staging which will spill out of the theatre into the gardens.  We have expanded the run to 100 performances this year to ensure more people than ever have a chance to book for an unforgettable summer musical following our recent sell-out shows. 

This is followed by Rob Madge's new adaptation of Brandon Thomas' joyous farce, Charley's Aunt.  I'm really excited for us to share a version of this play from a twenty first century perspective, more celebratory than ever of the themes of self-discovery and gender identity.

This Christmas, we have a brilliant creative collaboration for The Little Mermaid with Elgiva Field directing, Lara Barbier writing the adaptation and Amie Parsons of Cornish folk band, True Foxes, writing the songs.  This will be the perfect follow up to last year's Pinocchio.”

Claire Murray added, “We're excited to offer an iconic musical, a reimagined classic comedy and a much-loved children's fairytale to complete a thrilling 2025 programme at the Watermill. Working with EM Acoustics we've upgraded our sound system over the last month and we're looking forward to having audiences experience these improvements – particularly on our actor-musician-led productions of Piaf, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Little Mermaid.

We're also delighted to see The Lord of the Rings, which started its life here in 2023, return to the UK in October with a run in Plymouth before heading on a European tour, and the continuing success of Calamity Jane which is entertaining audiences all over the country.

The support of funders and donors and the commitment of our staff team has been essential to all of the work both in Newbury and beyond and we are indebted to everyone has been part of bringing these shows to life.” 

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