Sam Ryder's Jesus Christ Superstar Is Either a Stroke of Genius or a Gamble

The London Palladium just dropped first-look photos of Sam Ryder in Jesus Christ Superstar, and the images are doing a lot of work. Ryder, the UK's Eurovision silver medalist turned pop phenomenon, is now carrying one of the most vocally demanding roles in the musical theatre canon. The question the West End is quietly asking: can a pop star survive Webber?