"Jesus Christ Superstar," a 1970s rock opera, is being resurrected for a 50-city North American tour this summer, The Associated Press reported Friday.
The musical, written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, is about Jesus' last days on Earth. The tour will begin in News Orleans on June 9.
The opera is set to headline a few prominent musical artists. Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child will star as Mary, Punk legend John Lydon as King Herod, Brandon Boyd of Incubus as Judas and JC Chasez of 'N Sync as Pilate. Ben Forster, who was the winner of the U.K.'s prime-time contest show "Superstar," will be cast as the son of God.
The opera, composed of guitar and keyboard, made its Broadway debut in 1971. The original show included songs like ''Superstar," "I Don't Know How to Love Him."''Everything's Alright" and "What's the Buzz?". The new version will be designed to accommodate an arena setting, instead of its usual Broadway stage.
In its original production, "Jesus Christ Superstar" received five Tony Award nominations, including one for Ben Vereen, an African-American actor who played Judas. Under the direction of Des McAnuff, the musical returned to Broadway in 2012 and a film version of the production was released in 1973. According to the AP, Ben Forster also played Jesus in the 2012 touring version of "Jesus Christ Superstar UK Rock Spectacular," a broadcast that was taped in Birmingham, England.
The rock opera showcases Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the uproar caused by His preaching and popularity, Judas' betrayal, the trial Jesus goes through with Pontius Pilate, followed by His crucifixion. The original production was one of the first that Lloyd Webber and Rice wrote, before later creating "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Evita."
See tour dates and purchase tickets here.
