Springfield’s John Legend stars in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ this weekend

John Legend as Jesus Christ in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” (James Dimmock/NBC)

John Legend as Jesus Christ in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” (James Dimmock/NBC)

Grammy-winning musician and Springfield native John Legend is set to expand his repetoire this weekend as he stars in a live musical adaptation on NBC.

The singer-songwriter will play the leading role in NBC’s adaptation of the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which will air live on the network at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 1.

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Other celebrities will join Legend in the all-star cast, including Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdelene, Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas and legendary rocker Alice Cooper as King Herod.

The performance is loosely based on the Bible’s account of the last week in the life of Jesus. The rock opera was originally created as a concept album, but was transformed into a musical and premiered on Broadway in 1971. It was nominated for five Tony awards the following year.

The live NBC adaptation is the latest production in the network’s nationally-televised musical series, which include productions of “The Sound of Music” in 2013 and “The Wiz” in 2015.

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