Watch John Legend in the First ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!’ Trailer
Heaven can wait, because Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert! has just released its first promo and given us a look at John Legend as the holy man himself.
The 1971 rock opera tells the story of Jesus Christ in the final week of his life, leading up to his crucifixion. While that might not be the most upbeat basis for a musical, this performance puts a vibrant and lively twist on the 2,000-year-old tale.
The NBC production will see Legend as Jesus join Alice Cooper as King Herod and Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene. In the brief clip, we hear Bareilles perform a snippet of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” along with the full choir belting out the musical’s signature song.
We also get a look at a few members of the stellar lineup of talent taking on the holy roles, which includes Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, Ben Daniels as Pontius Pilate, Norm Lewis as Caiaphas, Jin Ha as Annas, Jason Tam as Peter, and Erik Gronwall as Simon Zealotes.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt previously said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that when it came to casting, the network wanted to go beyond the stereotypical images of biblical characters. Greenblatt explained that when it came to bringing Legend on board, it was a “groundbreaking” moment “as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.”
David Leveaux directed the performance in front of a live audience to bring us the one-night-only event that will air live on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 1 at 8pm.
Will you be watching Jesus Christ Superstar on Easter Sunday? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photo via Dave Kotinsky/Getty)
