Lefty musician John Legend will be playing the Son of God in an upcoming live musical remake of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” set to air on NBC.
According to Deadline, the musician will also be joined by the likes of Alice Cooper as King Herod, and will be directed by the acclaimed British theater director, David Leveaux.
“Legend, who has released five studio albums including Get Lifted, joins the NBC special, which is executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron,” reports Deadline. “It is his latest starring role following appearances in shows including ‘Underground,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘Soul Men.’ He also previously worked with Platt on ‘La La Land’ as well as Zadan and Meron on the 2015 Oscar telecast.”
NBC has sponsored a string of live musical performances these past several years, including “The Sound of Music Live,” “Peter Pan Live!” and “The Wiz Live!”
“Jesus Christ Superstar” hit Broadway in October 1971 and ran until July 1973. It enjoyed a successful tenure, with over 700 performances.
For his part, Legend said he was “humbled” to play a role in the play.
“It’s such a powerful, meaningful musical and I’m humbled to be part of this performance. We’ve already formed an incredible team, and, as we finish casting, I’m certain we will put together some of the greatest talents around to do this work justice,” he said.
Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, echoed Legend’s sentiments, “We’re all overjoyed to have world-class musical artist and producer John Legend starring as Jesus. This score demands a singer with an amazing range and an actor with great depth, and there isn’t anyone better to bring this story to a new audience. His casting is also ground-breaking as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.”
Legend has previously expressed only contempt for Trump supporters while adopting a hard left agenda. He has previously said abortion conglomerate Planned Parenthood “protects people” while lending his celebrity to support their cause. This hardly makes him the ideal person to play second person of the Trinity, born to a virgin mother.
On Trump, Legend once said that “whoever voted for him did a disservice to the country.”