Alice Cooper cast as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar Live!
Planet Rock’s very own Alice Cooper will play King Herod in NBC’s staged rock concert of Jesus Christ Superstar Live! next Easter.
Airing on Easter Sunday, which falls on 1st April 2018, Alice will play the extrovert king who decrees that Jesus is a phony messiah after the ‘Son of God’ refuses to perform miracles for him.
Executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Jesus Christ Superstar Live! will be directed by British theatre director David Leveaux.
“Alice Cooper, whose theatricality is the stuff of legend, is the perfect rock star to play Herod in our live production,” says Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.
“Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote a show-stopping musical number for Herod and we all look forward to the ‘King of Shock Rock’ taking on the King of Judea. As the casting for ‘Superstar’ ramps up, we can feel the excitement building for this brand new concert experience of what has long been considered the original rock musical.”
Alice previously recorded ‘King Herod’s Song’ at the request of Lloyd Webber and Rice for the 2000 release of a cast album from the 1996 production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the UK.
The original 1971 Jesus Christ Superstar musical opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway and starred Jeff Fenholt as Jesus and Ben Vereen as Judas.
Over the past 46 years it has been performed in nearly 20 countries and translated into 18 different languages. The 1973 film was directed by Oscar winner Norman Jewison and starred Ted Neeley.
Don’t forget, Nights With Alice Cooper airs on Planet Rock at 7pm on Mondays, and Tuesdays to Fridays at 10pm. Listen here.