{"id":263507,"date":"2017-12-19T10:57:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T15:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aleteia.org\/?post_type=post&p=263507"},"modified":"2017-12-19T10:57:03","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T15:57:03","slug":"john-legend-as-jesus-alice-cooper-as-herod-nbc-plans-jesus-christ-superstar-live-for-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2017\/12\/john-legend-as-jesus-alice-cooper-as-herod-nbc-plans-jesus-christ-superstar-live-for-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"John Legend as Jesus, Alice Cooper as Herod: NBC plans ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ live for Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Remember when Easter Sunday meant watching \u201cThe Ten Commandments\u201d or \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d on television?<\/p>\n

That was then. This<\/strong><\/a> is now:<\/p>\n

John Legend has been tapped for the title role in NBC<\/a>\u2019s live staging of \u201cJesus Christ Superstar<\/a>,\u201d set for Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all overjoyed to have world-class musical artist and producer John Legend starring as Jesus,\u201d said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC<\/a> Entertainment. \u201cThis score demands a singer with an amazing range and an actor with great depth, and there isn\u2019t anyone better to bring this story to a new audience. His casting is also groundbreaking as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legend is a multi-hyphenate musician, songwriter, actor and producer who has become active in television as a thesp and producer. He\u2019s a 10-time Grammy winner and an Oscar winner for his work on the song \u201cGlory\u201d from the 2014 drama \u201cSelma.\u201d He won a Tony Award earlier this year as a producer of \u201cJitney,\u201d the August Wilson revival.<\/p>\n

NBC announced in May that its latest live musical will bow on April 1. Rocker Alice Cooper has been cast as King Herrod.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert\u201d is based on the 1971 Broadway musical revolving around the last week of Jesus\u2019 life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more.\u00a0<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

You can watch John Legend singing his Oscar-winning song \u201cGlory\u201d at the Academy Awards in the video above.<\/p>\n

Unmentioned is any possible casting for Mary \u201cI Don\u2019t Know How to Love Him\u201d Magdalene and Judas Iscariot, who belts the title song. Any ideas?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember when Easter Sunday meant watching \u201cThe Ten Commandments\u201d or \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d on television? That was then. This is now: John Legend has been tapped for the title role in NBC\u2019s live staging of \u201cJesus Christ Superstar,\u201d set for Easter Sunday. \u201cWe\u2019re all overjoyed to have world-class musical artist and producer John Legend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":263511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-mind"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Legend as Jesus, Alice Cooper as Herod: NBC plans 'Jesus Christ Superstar' live for Easter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Remember when Easter Sunday meant watching "The Ten Commandments" or "The Sound of Music" on television? 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