Alice Cooper Joins NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live!' as King Herod

NBC

In April, you can stay and hang around with y’us — with Alice Cooper. The rock ‘n’ roll legend and “Wayne’s World” alum is joining NBC’s Easter Sunday production of “Jesus Christ Superstar Live!” He’ll play the flamboyant King Herod in the rock opera about the final week of the Son of God’s life.

Also signing on for the live TV musical is director David Leveaux, who is a five-time Tony Award nominee.

“Alice Cooper, whose theatricality is the stuff of legend, is the perfect rock star to play Herod in our live production,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, NBC Entertainment. “Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote a showstopping musical number for Herod and we all look forward to the ‘King of Shock Rock’ taking on the King of Judea. As the casting for ‘Superstar’ ramps up, we can feel the excitement building for this brand new concert experience of what has long been considered the original rock musical.”

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Cooper is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who has sold more than 50 million records over his five-decade career. He’s released 26 studio albums, with nine reaching platinum or gold status. And the “School’s Out” singer has ties to this particular play: Cooper actually recorded “King Herod’s Song” for the 2000 release of a cast album from the 1996 production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in the U.K.

The original “Jesus Christ Superstar” album hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1971.

“Jesus Christ Superstar Live!” will be executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. The actual companies earning those corresponding credits are Universal Television, The Really Useful Group, Marc Platt Productions and Zadan/Meron Productions.

Also Read: Netflix Picks Up Holiday Musical 'Jingle Jangle' From David E. Talbert

The live TV musical will air April 1 on NBC.

Live TV Musicals Ranked by Ratings, From 'Little Mermaid' to 'Rent' (Photos)

ABC's "The Little Mermaid Live!" didn't flounder in Tuesday's primetime Nielsen ratings in comparison to the other live (and semi-live) TV musicals that came before it. And yes, that includes the most-recent and lowest-rated event, Fox's "Rent."

Last night's broadcast -- which cut between the 1989 animated film and live performances by the cast, including "Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho as Ariel and Queen Latifah as Ursula -- came in at No. 4 on the list of modern-day, live TV musicals ranked by their ratings among the key adults 18-49 demo. What makes that impressive slot even more impressive for "Little Mermaid" is that it was ABC's first foray into the genre since its rebirth, with all the other specials having aired on Fox or NBC.

Scroll through our gallery to see how each of broadcast TV's modern-day, live musical productions rank by Nielsen numbers. Lowest-rated is first, highest-rated is last.

Also Read: ‘The Little Mermaid Live’ Ratings Blows Fox’s ‘Rent’ Numbers Out of the Sea
ABC
Rank: 10
Musical: "Rent"
Date: January 27, 2019
Network: Fox
18-49 rating: 1.4
Total viewers: 3.415 million

Also Read: Ratings: Fox’s Semi-Live ‘Rent’ Is TV’s Least-Watched Live Musical
Fox
Rank: 9
Musical: "A Christmas Story: Live"
Date: Dec. 17, 2017
Network: Fox
18-49 rating: 1.5
Total viewers: 4.481 million

Also Read: Ratings: ‘The Good Place’ Season 3 Finale Adds a Few Viewers From Last Week
Fox
Rank: 8
Musical: "The Passion"
Date: March 20, 2016
Network: Fox
18-49 rating: 1.6
Total viewers: 6.648 million

Also Read: Ratings: ‘The Masked Singer’ Grows Against an Original ‘SEAL Team’ on CBS
Fox
Rank: 7
Musical: "Jesus Christ Superstar Live!"
Date: April 1, 2018
Network: NBC
18-49 rating: 1.7
Total viewers: 9.607 million

Also Read: Chrissy Teigen Smites Bill O’Reilly With Fiery Comeback After ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live’ Diss
NBC
Rank: 6
Musical: "Hairspray Live!"
Date: Dec. 7, 2016
Network: NBC
18-49 rating: 2.3
Total viewers: 9.045 million

Also Read: Midseason TV 2019: Complete List of Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Updating)
NBC
Rank: 5
Musical: "Peter Pan Live!"
Date: Dec. 4, 2014
Network: NBC
18-49 rating: 2.4
Total viewers: 9.211 million

Also Read: 7 New Midseason TV Shows Ranked by Premiere Viewers: From ‘Masked Singer’ to ‘Schooled’ (Photos)
NBC
Rank: 4
Musical: "The Little Mermaid Live!"
Date: Nov. 5, 2019
Network: ABC
18-49 rating: 2.6
Total viewers: 8.978 million

Also Read: ‘The Little Mermaid Live’ Ratings Blows Fox’s ‘Rent’ Numbers Out of the Sea
ABC
Rank: 3
Musical: "The Wiz Live!"
Date: Dec. 3, 2015
Network: NBC
18-49 rating: 3.4
Total viewers: 11.498 million

Also Read: Ratings: ‘The Conners’ Season Finale Grows 15 Percent, But ‘This Is Us’ Tops Tuesday
NBC
Rank: 2
Musical: "Grease: Live"
Date: Jan. 1, 2016
Network: Fox
18-49 rating: 4.3
Total viewers: 12.206 million

Also Read: Ratings: ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ Season Premiere Ranks Behind ‘AGT: Champions,’ ‘The Bachelor’
Fox
Rank: 1
Musical: "Sound of Music Live!"
Date: Dec. 5, 2013
Network: NBC
18-49 rating: 4.6
Total viewers: 18.624 million

Also Read: Ratings: ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Slips 25 Percent From NBC Debut
NBC
There is currently no upcoming live TV musical set at any of the broadcast networks, after rock opera "Hair" was scrapped by NBC last February.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

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Turns out ABC’s Tuesday event didn’t flounder among adults 18-49

ABC's "The Little Mermaid Live!" didn't flounder in Tuesday's primetime Nielsen ratings in comparison to the other live (and semi-live) TV musicals that came before it. And yes, that includes the most-recent and lowest-rated event, Fox's "Rent."

Last night's broadcast -- which cut between the 1989 animated film and live performances by the cast, including "Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho as Ariel and Queen Latifah as Ursula -- came in at No. 4 on the list of modern-day, live TV musicals ranked by their ratings among the key adults 18-49 demo. What makes that impressive slot even more impressive for "Little Mermaid" is that it was ABC's first foray into the genre since its rebirth, with all the other specials having aired on Fox or NBC.

Scroll through our gallery to see how each of broadcast TV's modern-day, live musical productions rank by Nielsen numbers. Lowest-rated is first, highest-rated is last.

Also Read: ‘The Little Mermaid Live’ Ratings Blows Fox’s ‘Rent’ Numbers Out of the Sea

View In Gallery

Golden Globes' 10 Most Ludicrous Comedy or Musical Picks, From 'Get Out' to 'Green Book' (Photos)

Throughout its history, the Golden Globes have consistently made oddball choices when it comes to determining what films qualify under its Comedy or Musical categories. Here are 10 other instances that raise an eyebrow:
Justin Lubin/Universal
"The Three Musketeers" (1974)

There are a lot of examples of sumptuous, overly colorful period pieces and adventures that flirt with the musical tag, but the funniest thing about the 1973 "Three Musketeers," which was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy, is that Charlton Heston would play a villainous Cardinal.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Ghost" (1990)

We've gotten a lot of mileage out of parodies of that pottery scene, but just because Whoopi Goldberg is in "Ghost" doesn't make it a comedy. It was nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy category and lost to Peter Weir's "Green Card."
Paramount Pictures
"Fargo" (1996)

It isn't easy to pin down one genre for any Coen Brothers movie, especially "Fargo." But the real joke is that "Fargo" ended up losing to "Evita."
Gramercy Pictures
"Vicky Christina Barcelona" (2008)

The Globes would eventually figure out with "Blue Valentine" that there are some times when Woody Allen just prefers to not be funny, so why not this time? It did manage to win in the Musical or Comedy category however.
MGM
"The Tourist" (2010)

How can we invite Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp to the awards ceremony? Let's nominate this romantic action caper with a 20 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and stick it in the Musical or Comedy category!
Columbia Pictures
"RED" (2010)

Yeah, it's an action movie, but we'd find some way to invite Helen Mirren to the awards ceremony if we could too.
Summit Entertainment
"My Week With Marilyn" (2011)

Maybe someone will make a movie worthy of a Golden Globe that celebrates Marilyn Monroe's musical and comedic achievements. But this drama about Monroe's romantic fling in London wasn't it. The Michelle Williams film lost to "The Artist" that year.
The Weinstein Company
"The Martian" (2015)

"In your face, Neil Armstrong!" That line of dialogue is just about all it takes to be considered a comedy it seems. And it won!
Twentieth Century Fox
"Get Out" (2017)

Jordan Peele's "Get Out" is funny in that queasy, racially tense and awkward way -- but make no mistake, it's a horror movie. But it was nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy category and lost to "Lady Bird."
Universal Pictures
"Green Book" (2018)

While some jokes are cracked about how much the lead character eats, the story of a white bouncer hired to drive a closeted Black pianist through the racist South is more of a light-hearted drama than anything else.
Courtesy of TIFF

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The categories for “My Week With Marilyn” and “The Tourist” also had moviegoers scratching their heads

Throughout its history, the Golden Globes have consistently made oddball choices when it comes to determining what films qualify under its Comedy or Musical categories. Here are 10 other instances that raise an eyebrow:

View In Gallery