Virginia Sherwood/NBC(NEW YORK) — Sunday night, pop star Sara Bareilles and R&B star John Legend star as Mary and Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, NBC’s live production of the classic Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice musical. Performing a legendary musical live on TV might seem daunting, but for musicians like Sara and John, it’s no big deal.
“I’m used to the idea of playing in front of an audience and that being it,” John explains. “You don’t get to go back and do another take, you don’t get to rehearse it more…so I’m excited for the challenge of doing this show live.”
“It’s electric and thrilling,” adds Sara, who in addition to performing live concerts has also starred in the Broadway musical Waitress, which she co-wrote. She jumped at the chance to do this one.
“It was a no-brainer. I said yes within 30 seconds of being asked the question,” Sara raves. “I love this project, I love this score, I love this moment in time to be doing this show on this day. I’m just thrilled.”
Jesus Christ Superstar follows Jesus in the last week of his life; Sara explains, “It’s the betrayal, it’s the crucifixion, it’s his relationship with Mary Magdalene. It’s a roller-coaster of emotion.”
It’s that emotion, John says, that makes the show so impactful.
“We’ve seen Jesus as a deity for so long,” he says. “And I think what’s special about this show is that it talks about the human emotions that Jesus quite likely felt…the sense of betrayal, the sense of, ‘Why was I chosen for this?'”
As John notes, “The power of this show is that it imbues this deity with emotions that we can all relate to.”
Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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