"We were summoned to rehearsals in Columbus," said Bach, "where it was explained to me that we needed a brand new ending to the show that would effectively erase any sense of rock'n'roll from the curtain call and leave everyone walking out of the show without the sense of elation and excitement that was part of the show for the last 5 months. This I felt was an insult to my fans."

Bach further revealed "When I tried to cool out in my dressing room and hopefully come to some sort of compromise that would be acceptable to the management of the show and, of course, the FANS who paid money to come see the show, I was accosted by a cast member who proceeded to yell and scream at me... it was evident that he wanted a physical confrontation and this is exactly the kind of situation I refuse to be a part of."

Noting the fact that he had not missed a performance or rehearsal for the production until March 28 at Columbus, Ohio's Palace Theatre, Bach disclosed that he took two days off to "come to some sort of compromise that would allow me to present a performance that I could be proud of. I had every intention of being on the plane for Tuesday's show in Atlanta. But the producers of the show have elected to let my understudy go on in place of me."

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The official statement from the production read "The producers of the touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar have terminated the services of Sebastian Bach and he will no longer be appearing in the production." There is no word on a replacement as of yet. The new national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar launched in November 2002 at the LaMirada Theatre in California with in the title role.

Bach, who was a replacement player in the lead of Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, had been playing in the new staging, which borrows elements from the recent short lived Broadway revival. The new tour has been altered is less militaristic than on Broadway, according to the producer.

Carl Anderson reprises his role as Judas, which he played in the 1973 film version of the rock opera penned by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice. Kevin Moriarty directs the tour.

McCoy Rigby Entertainment, the Nederlander Organization and the Really Useful Group are partners in the new national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. The Nederlanders and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group approached McCoy about collaborating on a tour of the famed Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice retelling of the last days of Christ.