Peter Kramer/NBC
Peter Kramer/NBCIn celebration of Easter, NBC presented Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert on Sunday night, and the production earned mostly positive reviews following its airing.
Alice Cooper earned mixed reviews for his brief role as King Herod. Entertainment Weekly enjoyed his performance, writing, “For an extra dose of charisma, we needed to look no further than Alice Cooper, who delivered a delicious dose of camp as King Herod.” However, The Hollywood Reportercomplained that he came off as “more of a sneering geriatric rocker than a mocking vaudevillian.”
R&B star John Legend played Jesus Christ, and proved that his powerful voice translates well to a musical production, with the New York Daily News exclaiming he displayed a “God-given voice that could heal lepers.” The Hollywood Reporter added, “John Legend’s gentle charisma and honeyed pipes made him an affecting Jesus.”
Meanwhile, E! News had great things to say about pop star Sara Bareilles, who played Mary Magdalene, raving, “There is not a song this woman can’t turn into heavenly ear therapy.” She had her big moment with the solo song “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
The most acclaim seemed to go to theater veteran Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Judas. He performed a few of the production’s show-stopping numbers, including the title song, “Superstar.”
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