A scheduled performance of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar has been cancelled in one of Russia's largest cities following protests by a group of conservative Orthodox Christians.

The famous show was to be performed on 1 November in Omsk, Russia's seventh most populous city, by a troupe from St Petersburg.

But according to Russian news reports, a local group called Family, Love, and Fatherland filed a complaint that the musical mocked religious faith.

State television reported yesterday that the performance had been called off.

Amnesty International said the cancellation was "an affront to freedom of expression and the latest example of interference in Russian cultural life by nationalist 'activists'".

Jesus Christ Superstar was the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be produced for the professional stage. A global phenomenon, it first came to major theatres when it debuted on Broadway in October 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York.

Less than a year later, the rock spectacle went to the Palace Theatre in the West End of London in August 1972. By 1980, after 3,358 performances, Jesus Christ Superstar had become the longest running musical in West End history at the time.

The musical has grossed over $205 million and has been professionally produced in over 40 countries around the world.