Jesus Christ Superstar

In the organizer's words:

When Jesus Christ Superstar premiered in New York in 1971, it was one of the most controversial premieres in musical history. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who were still unknown at the time, had brought the last seven days of Jesus of Nazareth to the stage as an innovative rock opera, triggering both storms of enthusiasm and fierce opposition from religious groups.
However, "Jesus Christ Superstar" is now one of the most performed musicals in the world and can confidently be described as a milestone in the genre. At Easter 2025, we will once again bring the play to the stage of the old Lichtspielhaus in Mannheim in concert with the Capitol ensemble.
Under the musical direction of Marcos Padotzke, Sascha Krebs as Judas and other stars of the musical scene will give two concerts on April 17 and 18. Exciting singers, a large choir and a fantastic live band promise two very special performances that will not be forgotten for a long time.

We will be announcing who will be taking on the roles of Jesus and Mary shortly.

The songs will be sung in English.

Jakub Woical - Jesus
He made his stage debut at the age of 18 at the Teatr na Woli (Theater in Wola) in The Boys from Paul Street. Just one year later, in the independent theater Palladium Stage, which he founded, he took his first steps as a producer of the musical The Phantom of the Opera.

He was chosen by Roman Polanski for the role of Herbert in the Polish and German premiere of the musical Dance of the Vampires. During the 6-year stay in Germany he worked at Stage Entertainment and played in musicals such as Rebecca and Dance of the Vampires (Herbert, Professor Abronsius).

In 2012, he took up the position of artistic director of the music stage at Theater Rampa. There he realized a number of performances - both from the world class of musicals as well as lesser known titles from Broadway and original productions of the Rampa Theater. Over the years, he has played the leading roles in the following musicals within the walls of this theater: RENT (Mark), Rhapsody with the Demon (Demon), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Sunset Boulevard (Joe Gillis). His latest role, Sergeant Pepper in the original Rampa Theater production of Twist and Shout, was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics.

Jakub was responsible for directing and staging Jesus Christ Superstar (at the Rampa Theater in Warsaw, and from 2020 also at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok), as well as staging and producing Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown at the Rampa Theater.

He produced a series of musical concerts: Broadway Street, Musicalove, The Best of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, where he performed on stage together with the leading Polish musical performers and the best musicians and dancers. His invitation to participate was also accepted by world-famous artists such as Pia Douwes.

In the meantime, he played Tremont in the musical Jerry Springer - The Opera and directed Przesliczna Wiolonczelistka (The Beautiful Cellist) - a jukebox musical with the songs of the Polish rock group Skaldowie. He also played Gilles André in The Phantom of the Opera at the Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok.

Under the name of the company he founded, Broadway w Polsce (Broadway in Poland), he produced the musical concert Broadway Exclusive, which has had five runs to date and has been presented on several stages of Polish theaters and philharmonic halls over the years.

Between 2017-2020 he played Jean Valjean in Les Misérables at the Musical Theater in Lodz.

In 2017 he was nominated for the Jan Kiepura Musical Theater Award in the category Best Musical Singer and a year later he was awarded for the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 2018, he released his debut album Dream of Broadway. The 13-song CD is the first solo musical compilation in Poland and represents both the classical and modern face of musical theater.

In December 2018, Jakub organized the concert The best of Broadway at Teatr Polski (Polish Theatre) in Warsaw, where he performed alongside Ramin Karimloo.

He is regularly invited to participate in top concerts and galas, such as The Glamorous Show during the 12th Film Music Festival FMF in Krakow.

In June 2020, he opened Azyl (The Asylum) - a place where he organized chamber meetings with the artists and the audience.

This fall, he plans to release a solo album of his own material. Planety (The Planets) consists of 9 songs, each of which tells a different, often very personal story. The first single Luty (February) was released in February.

Between 2021-2023 he played the role of Herbert in Tanz der Vampire in Stuttgart. In October 2022 Jakub played the role of Professor Abronius at the gala "25 years of Tanz der Vampire in Germany".

The experience gained on the Polish and international stages makes Jakub one of the most charismatic, professional and agile personalities in the Polish musical world.


Sascha Krebs - Jesus
Sascha received his classical singing and acting training in Heidelberg and Hamburg. His first engagement took him to Tecklenburg, where he appeared in Zigeunerbaron and Hair. As a soloist, he toured throughout Europe with The Best of Broadway and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical Gala. Under the direction of Roman Polanski, he played Herbert and Count von Krolock in Dance of the Vampires at the Raimund Theater in Vienna. He played the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar in eight different productions.
As a member of the Mannheim Capitol ensemble, he is familiar to our guests from productions such as Ladies' Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jailhouse Blues, I Want It All, The Wolf With The Red Roses, HAIR, Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert, Evita and many more.
As in previous years, we are delighted to be able to see him again in the role of Judas.

Celebration Gospel Choir
The Celebration Gospel Choir means "singing with passion". The Mannheim-based choir with its approx. 45 singers and its choirmaster Anne Westrich stands for rousing concerts, sophisticated arrangements and innovative concert programs. The joy of rhythm, shared sound and the power of the ensemble's voices blending together make it easy for the listener to immerse themselves in the spirituality of the songs.
The powerful music of "Jesus Christ Superstar" is particularly suited to the choir. It was already part of a performance at the Capitol in 2003 and is now particularly looking forward to being part of it again.

In the other roles:

Pontius Pilate: Darius Merstein-MacLeod

Herod: Markus Beisel

Annas: Thomas Simon

Simon: Sascha Kleinophorst

Peter: Daniel Würfel

Kaiphas: Stephen Shivers

Soul Girls: Jeannette Friedrich, Melanie Haag, Irena Müller

Choir: Celebration Gospel Choir; Direction: Anne Westrich

Musical direction: Marcos Padotzke

Organizer: Non-profit children's and adult theater Capitol Mannheim UG

Price information:

1st cat. 57€/ pupils, students 50€2nd cat. 53,50€/ pupils, students 47€3rd cat. 47€ / pupils, students 40€