The production will begin its tour of the continent in Perth and feature Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, Melanie C as Mary Magdalene and Ben Forster as Jesus.

Also starring in the Australian production will be Jon Stevens as Pontius Pilate and Andrew O'Keefe as King Herod. Stevens played Judas in the 1992 Australian arena tour and the 1994 theatre production and was the frontman for INXS from 2000–04 and the lead singer of Noiseworks. O'Keefe is a popular TV presenter in Australia and across the country, hosting the popular shows "Deal or No Deal" and "Weekend Sunrise."

"I'm thrilled that Australia is to be the first leg for our international tour of the new Jesus Christ Superstar," said composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in a statement. "We had an overwhelming reception when the show toured the country for an astounding 84 dates in 1992. I hope this new production, which has been totally re-conceived for the 21st century, will entertain a new generation of Australians as well as those who already love the show." 

As previously announced, the production will then return for an encore season across U.K. arenas starting Oct. 1 in Glasgow's new Hydro Arena. The original U.K. cast will return for the 2013 run, including Minchin as Judas Iscariot, Melanie C as Mary Magdalene, Chris Moyles as King Herod and Forster in the title role.



Last year's run marked the show's 40th anniversary. The new fall dates will see the show visit Glasgow's The Hydro (Oct. 1), Birmingham's NIA Arena (Oct. 3), Leeds Arena (Oct. 4), Newcastle's Metro Arena (Oct. 4), Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena (Oct. 8), Nottingham Arena (Oct. 10), Manchester Arena (Oct. 13), London's O2 (Oct. 13) and Lverpool's Echo Arena (Oct. 15). The Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour is a co-production between AEG Live, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Group.

For further details and to book tickets, visit jesuschristsuperstar.com.