Usher at the Hollywood Bowl gets cast in Jesus Christ Superstar and utterly wows the audience

Cecily Knobler
Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:51:09 +0000
Adam lambert, Andrew lloyd webber, Broadway world, Cynthia erivo, Hollywood bowl, Jesus christ superstar, Revival, Tim rice, Tyrone huntley, Usher, Musical theater

When Tyrone Huntley took the stage as Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl, a lot of people may not have recognized him from his other role—an usher at the very same venue.

That's right, the actor who completely dazzled the audience in Andrew Lloyd Webber's (and Tim Rice’s, of course) groundbreaking show also works as an usher at the Hollywood Bowl.

Clad in his uniform, complete with branded Bowl t-shirt, a walkie, and a press pass dangling from his neck, he explains in a strong English accent, "I played Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar here at the Hollywood Bowl. And also, as you can probably tell, I work here as an usher."

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He continues, "Fresh from having done a weekend of incredible shows on the historic, world-renowned stage, and honestly it's been a bit of a whirlwind. We had three weeks to rehearse and put the show together with world-class talent like Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert and the incredible ensemble company."

Huntley exclusively tells Upworthy, "Along with other members of the company, for my first entrance as Simon, I actually made my way to the stage from the front of house and through the audience during the overture. It was thrilling to be amongst such a lively crowd who were evidently extremely excited abut the show they were about to see. I was certainly nervous because I didn't want to disappoint the 17,500 strong congregation who were all on the edge of their seats. But I was so deeply proud of the show we had put together in such a short length of time, I actively chose to to ignore any internal apprehension and just enjoy it!"

Turns out Huntley is no stranger to the stage. In fact, he's a pretty big star on the West End in London. Fun fact: Broadway World shares that he got his big American break when he replaced Judas on the Jesus Christ Superstar US tour, as the original actor was arrested. "Huntley joins the tour following the dismissal of actor James D. Beeks, who was arrested on charges related to breaching the Capitol in the January 6 attack."

Huntley continues in the Instagram clip, also shared by the Hollywood Bowl's public page, "I'm no stranger to Jesus Christ Superstar. I played Judas at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre three times. And I also played the role in Toronto, and I had a wonderful experience doing all of those shows."

Continuing to shoot for the stars, he says, "When I heard they were doing it at the Bowl, I knew I had to have an audition. Finally, when I got offered the role of Simon, I was thrilled, and it was an absolute joy."

Proving that even a "day job" can be ultra-fulfilling while one pursues their biggest dreams, he adds, "As you can probably tell, I'm not from these parts. I'm from the U.K. I moved here about three years ago. I was thinking what kind of work can I do as a day job? I was thinking about how I could stay within the artistic world and creative world, and the Hollywood Bowl is just the epitome of that. Greeting the public, seating the public, and also being paid to watch incredible shows. Yeah, it's a dream job!"

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"I've been working here for about three months now, so I know this place pretty well. So, going from working front of house to back of house and onstage was incredible! To go from seeing the artists on stage and then performing on the stage was something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

From what people have said about this rendition of the show, they won't forget it either. Creating a tiny bit of controversy, as Webber often likes to do, he cast Cynthia Erivo (hot off her slaying role in Wicked) as Jesus Christ, with Adam Lambert as her Judas. The reviews were simply astounding.

- Cynthia Erivo, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hollywood Bowl, musical theater www.youtube.com

Huntley gives himself a well-deserved plug as to what's to come: "I've literally, two days ago, finished Jesus Christ Superstar, so I'm sort of on the comedown from that. But next you can see me in A Woman of Substance, which is a UK Channel 4 series. I'll be playing Jerry Sloan, and that will be on Channel 4."

When Upworthy asked if he had a favorite role from any show ever, Huntley admits it's difficult to choose. "But being given the opportunity to play such an iconic character with such demanding material vocally, physically and mentally allowed me to really challenge some boundaries I felt were restricting my development as a singer and actor." He continues, "Because of this, I've been able to take on a number of roles in a variety of styles such as CC in Dreamgirls, Barnaby in Hello Dolly! and Che in Evita and confidently tackle the particular challenges associated with each of them.
The comment section under his clip came alive! Many simply congratulated him on such an outstanding performance. Some fellow cast mates chimed in, like Adam Lambert, who left a handful of fire emojis
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which really says it all.