'Jesus Christ Superstar' show to have female contestants?

Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming Jesus Christ Superstar talent search will reportedly allow female auditionees.

Sources say that the legendary producer is open to having a woman play Jesus in an upcoming arena tour of the rock opera.

"Andrew wants to create the best performance he can and if that means hiring a woman to be Jesus then so be it," insiders told The Sun. "For him it's all about the talent."

Famous females who previously took the lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar include Peaches, who fronted a one-woman production in 2010, and Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls.

A spokesman for the show said: "Our auditions are open to anyone and we're all very excited to meet potential auditionees."

Try-outs will take place between February and March in London, Dublin, Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff, with the most promising applicants going forward to the live shows.

Lloyd Webber has said that he is looking for an actor with "enormous charisma, [who] also has to be a genuine rock tenor".

Nicole Scherzinger has reportedly been approached to help judge the ITV competition.

Jesus Christ Superstar, which was written by Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, will kick off its tour at London's O2 Arena.

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