‘Jesus Christ Superstar’: Sara Bareilles To Play Mary Magdalene On NBC

Singer-songwriter and actress Sara Bareilles has been tapped to co-star opposite John Legend in NBC’s upcoming special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, which airs Easter Sunday, April 1.

Bareilles will play Mary Magdalene in the concert staging of the iconic rock opera along Legend, who plays Jesus Christ, and rock icon Alice Cooper, who plays King Herod.

The production, in front of a live audience at the Marcy Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y, will be directed by British theatre director David Leveaux.

Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert is executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius and Alex Rudzinski.

“We’re overjoyed to have Sara Bareilles play Mary Magdalene and I can guarantee that her interpretation of the standard ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ will become an instant classic,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “I was lucky enough to see Sara in ‘Waitress’ and she gave as moving and as beautifully sung a performance as I’ve seen on a Broadway stage in a long time.”

Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics for the current Broadway musical Waitress. She was nominated for a 2016 Tony Award for Best Original Score as well as earning a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album.

A six-time Grammy nominee, Bareilles has sold more than 9 million singles/downloads and 1 million albums. She has released five studio albums, with 2010’s “Kaleidoscope Heart” reaching #1 on the Billboard charts. Her 2007 single “Love Song,” from the album “Little Voice,” is Bareilles’ highest-charting release and reached 4x platinum status. “Brave,” from “The Blessed Unrest,” was a 3x platinum hit. As a stage actress, Bareilles has played lead character Jenna Hunterson on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and starred as Ariel in the 2016 production of “The Little Mermaid” at the Hollywood Bowl.

Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert will be produced by Universal Television, The Really Useful Group, Marc Platt Productions and Zadan/Meron Productions.

Bareilles is repped by Paradigm, Full Stop Management and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams.