Sara Bareilles Joins The Cast Of NBC’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar: Live’
NBC announced that singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles will join the cast of the upcoming live televised musical Jesus Christ Superstar: Live!
Bareilles is the third performer to be announced for the upcoming NBC television live musical event. The "Love Song" singer-songwriter will portray the iconic role of Mary Magdalene.
Bareilles broke the news to her 3.32 million Twitter followers on Jan. 6, where the "Love Song" singer-songwriter revealed that she would be portraying her dream role. The announcement was met with nearly 950 retweets and over 12,000 likes. Countless celebrities such as Josh Groban and Richard Marx sent her congratulations, while numerous fans expressed their joy for her announcement and vowed that they would watch the televised theatrical production.
In a statement, Bareilles expressed that the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack was an influential part of her life and said that she is beyond ecstatic to perform the tracks off of the soundtrack.
"It's incredible to see the beloved medium of musical theatre being embraced by television audiences, and this cast and creative team is extraordinary. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of the project!" said Bareilles.
Bareilles' Musical Background
Over the past several years, Bareilles has become a household name through several of her songs such as "Love Song," "King of Anything," and "Brave." She also became a temporary judge for NBC's a cappella music competition The Sing-Off for the show's third season. Bareilles was replaced by Jewel for the show's fourth season.
After Bareilles left The Sing-Off, she turned her attention to Broadway. She wrote the score for the musical Waitress, which made its debut on the Great White Way in 2015. Having earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score in 2016, Bareilles' work was also nominated for Best Musical Theatre Album. Bareilles has also portrayed the show's lead character, Jenna Hunterson, on and off since the show's bow on Broadway in April 2016.
Bareilles was also a participant at both the 2014 and 2017 Academy Awards ceremonies, where she performed Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" and Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" during the show's signature In Memoriam segment.
Jesus Christ Superstar Takes Shape
Jesus Christ Superstar will mark NBC's fifth televised musical adaption. Over the past few years, the television network has produced live versions of The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, The Wiz, and Hairspray.
Bareilles will join previously announced cast members John Legend and Alice Cooper in the ensemble. Legend, who also serves as an executive producer, will portray the title role. Meanwhile, Cooper will portray the villainous King Herod.
The trio along with their yet to be announced castmates will perform the production live in front of a studio audience at Brooklyn, New York's Marcy Armory on Easter Sunday, which is April 1.
