''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' is an American musical television special that was broadcast live on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

on April 1, 2018 (

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Sunday) and rebroadcast (from tape) on Easter Sunday 2020, April 12, 2020. Executively produced by

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the film adaptations of ''Chicago'' and ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in 20 ...

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...

, and Marc Platt, it was a staged concert performance of the 1970

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

''. It received positive reviews from critics but had a smaller viewership than earlier musical specials.

Description and plot

The musical is almost entirely sung-through, with minimal spoken dialogue. The plot is loosely based on the

Canonical Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sense ...

s' accounts of the last week of the life of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and ending with the crucifixion.

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...

, one of the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

, worries that the followers of Jesus are getting out of control and may be seen as a threat by the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, who might harshly suppress them (" Heaven on Their Minds"). The other apostles anticipate entering

alongside Jesus and ask him about his plans, but Jesus tells them not to worry about the future. Meanwhile,

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

tries to help Jesus relax. Judas warns Jesus to avoid Mary, because a relationship with a prostitute could be seen as inconsistent with his teachings and be used against him. Jesus scolds Judas, saying he should not judge others unless he is free of sin. Jesus then reproaches the apostles and complains that none of them truly care for him ("What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying"). Mary reassures Jesus while anointing him. Judas fumes that the money spent on fine oil should have been used to help the poor. Jesus reasons they do not have the resources to end poverty, and that they should treasure what comforts they possess (" Everything's Alright"). Meanwhile,

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...

, the

High Priest of Israel In Judaism, the High Priest of Israel (, lit. ‘great priest’; Aramaic: ''Kahana Rabba'') was the head of the Israelite priesthood. He played a unique role in the worship conducted in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem, ...

, assembles the

Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...

and priests. Like Judas, they fear that Jesus's followers will be seen as a threat by the Romans, and that many innocent Jews might suffer the consequences. Thus, Caiaphas concludes that for the greater good, Jesus must be executed ("

This Jesus Must Die "This Jesus Must Die" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, which also appears in the film versions of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', and on the original album of the music ...

"). As Jesus and his followers arrive exultantly in Jerusalem, they are confronted by Caiaphas, who demands that Jesus disperse the crowd. Jesus instead greets them ("Hosanna").

Simon the Zealot Simon the Zealot (, ), also the Canaanite or the Canaanean (, ; ; ; ), was one of the apostles of Jesus. A few pseudepigraphical writings were connected to him, but Jerome does not include him in ''De viris illustribus'' written between 392 a ...

suggests that Jesus lead his mob in a war against Rome and gain absolute power ("Simon Zealotes"). Jesus rejects this, stating that none of his followers understand what true power is ("Poor Jerusalem").

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

, the governor of Judea, has a dream in which he meets a Galilean and then receives the blame for the man's violent death at the hands of a mob ("Pilate's Dream"). Jesus arrives at the Temple and finds that it is being used as a marketplace; angered by this, he drives everyone out. A group of

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

ask Jesus to heal them. Their number increases, and overwhelmed, Jesus rejects them ("The Temple"). Mary Magdalene sings Jesus to sleep ("Everything's Alright (Reprise)"). While he sleeps, Mary acknowledges that she is in love with him, and it frightens her ("

I Don't Know How to Love Him "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), a torch ballad sung by the character of Mary Magdalene. In the opera sh ...

"). Conflicted, Judas seeks out the Pharisees and proposes helping them arrest Jesus, believing that Jesus is out of control and that Jesus himself would approve of this action. In exchange for his help, Judas is offered

thirty pieces of silver Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas is said to have gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand ...

. Judas adamantly refuses, but then accepts upon Caiaphas's suggestion that he could use the money to help the poor (" Damned for All Time/Blood Money"). Jesus shares a Passover meal with his disciples, where they get drunk and pay little attention to him. He remarks that "for all you care" the wine they are drinking could be his blood and the bread his body. He asks them to remember him, and then, frustrated by their lack of understanding, he predicts that

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

will deny him three times that night, and that another one of them will betray him. Judas admits that he is the one who will betray Jesus and, saying that he does not understand why Jesus had no plan, leaves ("The Last Supper"). The remaining apostles fall asleep as Jesus retreats to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He tells God his doubts about whether his mission has had any success and angrily demands to know why he should continue and suffer the horrible death that awaits him. Receiving no answer, he realizes that he cannot defy God's will, and surrenders to God. ("Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)"). Judas arrives with Roman soldiers and identifies Jesus by kissing him on the cheek. When Jesus is brought to trial before the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas and the priests send him to Pilate ("The Arrest"). Meanwhile, Peter is confronted by three witnesses of Jesus's arrest, to each of whom he denies that he knows Jesus. Mary observes that Jesus had predicted this ("

Peter's Denial The Denial of Peter (or Peter's Denial) refers to three acts of denial of Jesus by the Apostle Peter as described in all four Gospels of the New Testament. All four Canonical Gospels state that during Jesus's Last Supper with his disciples, he ...

"). Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews. Jesus answers: "That's what you say." Since Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate says that he is not under his jurisdiction and sends him to

King Herod Herod may refer to: Members of the Herodian dynasty Members of the Herodian dynasty, named after Herod the Great, in chronological order: * Herod the Great (born c. 74 BC, ruled 37–4 BC or 1 BC), client king of Judea who expanded the Second Tem ...

(" Pilate and Christ"). The flamboyant King Herod pressures Jesus to prove his divinity by performing miracles, but Jesus ignores him. Herod angrily sends him back to Pilate (" King Herod's Song"). Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the apostles remember when they first began following Jesus, and wish that they could return to a time of hope and peace ("Could We Start Again, Please?"). Judas is horrified at Jesus's harsh treatment. He expresses regret to the Pharisees, correctly dreading that he will forever be remembered as a traitor. Caiaphas and Annas assure him that he has done the right thing. Judas throws the money he was given to the floor, and storms out. He curses God for manipulating him, and commits suicide ("Judas' Death"). At Jesus's trial, Pilate attempts to interrogate Jesus, but is cut off by a bloodthirsty mob which demands that Jesus be

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...

. Unnerved, he tells the mob that Jesus has committed no crime and does not deserve to die, but to satisfy the mob he will have Jesus

flogged Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on a ...

. Pilate pleads with Jesus to defend himself, but Jesus says weakly that everything has been determined by God. The crowd still calls for Jesus's death, and finally Pilate reluctantly agrees to crucify Jesus (" Trial Before Pilate (Including The 39 Lashes)"). As Jesus awaits crucifixion, the spirit of Judas returns and questions why Jesus chose to arrive in the manner and time that he did, and if it was all part of a divine plan after all ("

Superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

"). Jesus is crucified, recites his final words, and dies ("The Crucifixion"). Jesus' body is taken down from the cross and buried ("John 19:41").

Cast and characters

Main

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...

Brandon Victor Dixon Brandon Victor Dixon (born September 23, 1981) is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As a musical theatre actor, he is known for Tony Award-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical '' The Color Purple'', Eubi ...

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

Norm Lewis Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second ...

Ben Daniels Ben Daniels (born 10 June 1964) is an English actor. Initially a stage actor, Daniels was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Never the Sinner'' (1991), the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for ''900 Oneonta'' ...

* Jason Tam as

Jin Ha Jin Ha is a South Korean-born American actor known for his roles in the TV series ''Devs'', '' Love Life'', and ''Pachinko'' in addition to the musical ''Hamilton''. Early life and education Ha was born in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to ...

Annas Annas (also Ananus or Ananias;Goodman, Martin, "Rome & Jerusalem", Penguin Books, p.12 (2007) , ; , ; 23/22 BC – death date unknown, probably around AD 40) was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High Priest of the newly form ...

Erik Grönwall Per Erik Magnus Grönwall (born 3 December 1987) is a Swedish hard rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal singer. In 2009, he won the Swedish ''Idol (Sweden), Idol'' reality television show, receiving several standing ovations from the jury for ...

as Simon Zealotes

Ensemble

* Melody Betts * Felicia Boswell * Abby Corrigan * Micaela Diamond * Rory Donovan * Christine Dwyer * Mike Evariste * Will Hammond * F. Michael Haynie * Charissa Hogeland * Bre Jackson * Mykal Kilgore * Billy Lewis Jr. * Justin Gregory Lopez * Angel Lozada * Vince Oddo * Kyle Taylor Parker *

Joel Perez Joel Perez is an American actor, singer, and dancer known for his work in several theatrical performances and television appearances. Early life Perez was born in Boston, and grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He is of Puerto Rican descent. H ...

* Jonah Platt * Conor Ryan * Christina Sajous * Justin Matthew Sargent * Heath Saunders * Joey Taranto * Syndee Winters * Lauren Zakrin

Dancers

* Chloe Davis * Timothy Edwards * Shelby Finnie * Bahiyah Hibah * Juel D. Lane * Terk Lewis * Mayte Natalio * Sarah Parker * Willie Smith III * Maleek Washington

Musical numbers

The musical numbers from the track list of the soundtrack. ;Act I * "Overture" – Orchestra * "Heaven on Their Minds" – Judas * "What's the Buzz / Strange Thing Mystifying" – Judas, Jesus, Mary, and Ensemble * " Everything's Alright" – Mary, Judas, Jesus, and Ensemble * "

" – Caiaphas, Annas, and Ensemble * "Hosanna" – Jesus, Caiaphas, and Ensemble * "Simon Zealotes / Poor Jerusalem" - Simon Zealotes and Ensemble * "Pilate's Dream" – Pontius Pilate * "The Temple" - Jesus and Ensemble * "Everything's Alright (Reprise)" – Jesus and Mary * "

" – Mary * "Damned for All Time / Blood Money" – Judas, Annas, Caiaphas, and Ensemble ;Act II * "The Last Supper" – Jesus, Judas, and Ensemble * "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" – Jesus * "Transition" – Jesus and Judas * "The Arrest" – Jesus, Peter, Annas, Caiaphas, and Ensemble * "Peter's Denial" – Peter, Mary, and Ensemble * "Pilate and Christ" – Pilate, Annas, Jesus, Ensemble * "King Herod's Song" – Herod and Company * "Transition After Herod" – Orchestra * "Could We Start Again, Please?" – Mary and Peter * "Judas' Death" – Judas, Annas, Caiaphas, and Ensemble * "Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)" – Pilate, Caiaphas, Jesus, and Ensemble * "

" – Judas and Ensemble * "The Crucifixion" – Jesus and Ensemble * "John Nineteen: Forty One" – Orchestra

Production

Development

On May 10, 2017, it was announced that

had selected ''

'' to be their next live musical event. Executive producers were expected to include

, Marc Platt,

, and

. In December 2017, it was reported that British theater director

David Leveaux David Leveaux (born 13 December 1957)this source shows 195filmreference.com. Retrieved 9 May 2009 is an English film and theatre director. He has been nominated for five Tony Awards as director of both plays and musicals. He directs in the UK, ...

would direct and that the show would be performed in front of a live audience at the Marcy Avenue Armory in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...

. Members of the creative crew included costume designer

Paul Tazewell Paul Tazewell (born September 15, 1964) is an American costume designer for the theatre, dance, film, opera and television. After training at New York University Tisch School of the Arts he started his career on Broadway (theatre), Broadway. He ha ...

and choreographer Camille A. Brown.

Casting

In December 2017, it was announced that

had been cast as King Herod, with

in the title role. The following month, it was announced that

would play Mary Magdalene. In February 2018, it was announced that

, Jason Tam,

, and

had been cast as Judas, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Peter, Annas and Simon Zealotes, respectively. The production included a cast of forty-four actors, including

and Lauren Zakrin, and additional dancers.

Filming

The live production included an on-camera audience of about 1,500 people. Some of these extras lined two sides of the stage and formed a

mosh pit Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the mosh pit (or simply the pit), it is typically performed to aggressive s ...

effect. The production was expected to utilize as many as twelve cameras to film the special. In addition, a full dress rehearsal performance took place on Saturday, March 31, 2018, in front of an invited audience and was recorded. In the event of any difficulties during the live broadcast, the recording served as an emergency backup. It was ultimately not needed.

Marketing

On January 7, 2018, NBC aired the first teaser trailer for the special during their broadcast of the

75th Golden Globe Awards The 75th Golden Globe Awards honored film and American television of 2017, and was broadcast live on January 7, 2018, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time Zone, PST / 8:00 p.m. Easter ...

Reception

Critical response

''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from critics since it aired. On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the production holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.44/10 based on 26 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Shaking up traditional religious and musical iconography, ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' is a sight to be heard, superbly infiltrating the classic source material with originality, rock legend star power, and soulful depth."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the production a score of 81 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In a positive review, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''s Noel Murray praised the special saying, "A conceptual and artistic triumph, NBC’s live telecast of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' on Easter Sunday may have finally justified the recent live musical fad on network TV. Some technical flubs and one mixed-bag lead performance aside, the production was genuinely thrilling, taking chances with the staging of a classic but controversial Broadway show, much more daring than previous live musical broadcasts like ''The Sound of Music'' or ''Peter Pan''." Offering similar acclaim, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''s David Rooney said, "But here's the thing: This was a phenomenally balanced production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', in which star power was equaled by depth of feeling and characterization in all the principals. And the immediacy of television, with close-ups capable of bringing us in tight on the performers' faces, gave Jesus and Mary Magdalene a complexity that often is missing from conventional productions." Lorraine Ali of ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' also lauded the production saying, "The show was a collision of religion and theater and pop culture that could have been one holy mess. But by the grace of God, or maybe a great cast and lots and lots of expert staging, a great musical became a great TV production." In a more mixed review, Maureen Ryan of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said, "This musical threw together glitter, sequins, leather, writhing hotties, a few big performances pitched to the last row, and camerawork that often felt as though it was hopped up on too many lattes. Actually, the ragged edges of a unifying concept did emerge over the course of the NBC musical’s two-hour-and-20-minute running time: If its philosophy could be summed up in one word, "excess" would just about cover it. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But this live show was a lot."

Ratings

''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' was the most-viewed program of the night of both network and cable programming. The production earned a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 in Live + Same Day. Lee Seymour of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' said the telecast's ratings were a "step back for NBC's live musicals," explaining "while ''Superstar Live'' came out on top for the night's ratings, it still landed near the bottom of the pile, relative to almost every other live musical since NBC revamped the mini-genre in 2013." ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' was watched by 9.4 million people. Comparatively, NBC's ''

The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Directed by Rob Ashford and Beth McCarthy-Miller, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and written by Austin Winsberg, t ...

'' was watched by 18.6 million and ''

The Wiz Live! ''The Wiz Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on NBC on December 3, 2015. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, it was a performance of a new adaptation of the 1975 Broadway musical '' The Wiz'', a soul/ R&B reinterpreta ...

'' by 11.5 million, while Fox's '' Grease: Live'' was watched by 12.2 million. Seymour felt the special may have failed to capture a larger audience on Easter because of its

blasphemous Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

themes. An encore on April 12, 2020, was seen by 3.17 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

Other media

''Andrew Lloyd Webber: Tribute to a Superstar''

On March 28, 2018, a one-hour special titled ''Andrew Lloyd Webber: Tribute to a Superstar'' premiered on NBC in honor of Lloyd Webber's 70th birthday and to promote the coming premiere of ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert''. In the special, Lloyd Webber was interviewed by

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

, and

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

. It also included appearances by some of the performers from ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert'' in various rehearsal scenes from the show. The special was executive produced and directed by Brad Lachman and written and produced by Matt Lachman. Interviews were conducted at

Sardi's Sardi's is a continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District of Manhattan, New York City. Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927. It is known for the caric ...

restaurant,

Power Station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

recording studio, and the Renaissance Hotel Times Square. Production companies involved in the special included Brad Lachman Productions and

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...

Soundtrack

An official soundtrack was released by

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (also known simply as Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known ...

, digitally on April 6, 2018, and physically on April 27, 2018.

Track listing

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 46 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, earning 13,000 album-equivalent units in its first week according to Nielsen Music, with over 11,000 units coming from traditional album sales. It also debuted at number 3 the same week on the Soundtracks chart, as well as at number 14 on the Top Album Sales chart.

Charts

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2010s American television specials 2018 in American television 2018 soundtrack albums 2018 television specials American live television shows Caiaphas Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate American English-language television shows Jesus Christ Superstar American musical television films Musical theatre television specials NBC television specials Cultural depictions of Mary Magdalene Cultural depictions of Herod Antipas Cultural depictions of Saint Peter

Description and plot

Cast and characters

Main

Ensemble

Dancers

Musical numbers

Production

Development

Casting

Filming

Marketing

Reception

Critical response

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Other media

''Andrew Lloyd Webber: Tribute to a Superstar''

Soundtrack

Track listing

Commercial performance

Charts

Notes

See also

References

External links