NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert has found its Judas. The network announced Hamilton‘s Tony Award-winning Brandon Victor Dixon has joined the cast in the role of Judas. Also confirmed for the upcoming Easter broadcast are Tony nominee Ben Daniels as Pontius Pilate, Tony nominee Norm Lewis as Caiaphas, Jason Tam as Peter, M. Butterfly‘s Jin Ha as Annas, and Swedish rocker Erik Gronwall as Simon Zealotes.
The just-announced cast members join John Legend as Jesus Christ, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, and Alice Cooper as King Herod.
British theatre director David Leveaux is on board to direct the live musical event. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, and Alex Rudzinski are executive producing. The production team includes costume designer Paul Tazewell, music producer Harvey Mason Jr., musical director Nigel Wright, production designer Jason Ardizzone-West, and choreographer Camille A. Brown.
NBC will air Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018. The musical event will take place at the Marcy Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.
More on the Just-Announced New Cast Members, Courtesy of NBC:
- Brandon Victor Dixon will play Judas, an apostle of Jesus who has concerns for the poor and the consequences of Jesus’s popularity. Dixon won a Tony in 2014 as a producer of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won for Best Revival of a Musical. In 2006 Dixon was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Harpo in The Color Purple, and again in 2016 for his role as Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along.
In addition to his Tony nominations, Dixon is known to many Broadway theatergoers as Aaron Burr from the musical sensation Hamilton. Dixon played Burr for nearly a year at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. In addition, he co-starred in a 2010 Off Broadway production of the musical The Scottsboro Boys, directed by Susan Stroman. On the TV side, Dixon currently co-stars on the Starz series Power as Terry Silver. He previously appeared on The Good Wife and performed on “The 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors” in December.
- Ben Daniels will portray Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea who has a dream about the gruesome way Jesus will be killed. Daniels was Tony nominated in 2008 for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Le Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liasons Dangereuses. In 2016 he co-starred in the blockbuster film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His TV credits include The Exorcist and House of Cards.
- Tony nominee Norm Lewis will play Caiaphas, a high priest who sees Jesus as a threat to the nation. Lewis was Tony nominated in 2012 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and is currently starring in the critically acclaimed Broadway revival of Once on this Island. Lewis’ other extensive Broadway credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Chicago, Les Miserables, The Little Mermaid and Sondheim on Sondheim. On the TV side, Lewis has appeared in The Blacklist, Gotham, Chicago Med and Scandal.
- Jason Tam will portray Peter, one of the apostles who saves himself the night Jesus is arrested. Tam has worked steadily on Broadway and his credits include Les Miserables, A Chorus Line, Lysistrata Jones and If/Then. His TV appearances include The Blacklist, Hawaii Five-0 and Do No Harm.
- Jin Ha will play Annas, a priest who aligned with Caiaphas and also saw Jesus as a threat. Ha made his Broadway debut as Song Liling in the 2017 revival of M. Butterfly at the Cort Theatre.
- Erik Gronwall will play apostle Simon Zealotes, who believes Jesus should lead his followers into battle against the Romans. Gronwall came to fame in 2009 by winning the Swedish version of American Idol. Using Idol to jumpstart his music career, Gronwall released his first single, “Higher,” a few weeks after winning the competition and the song immediately shot to #1 on the charts. “Higher,” along with his self-titled album, soon reached platinum. He currently is the lead singer of the band H.E.A.T., who tour worldwide.
