Rock Star Alice Cooper to Play King Herod in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live!

Rock-and-roll icon Alice Cooper has been tapped by NBC to star as the flamboyant King Herod in the network's staged rock concert of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar Live!, set to air Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018.

"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 of 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."

A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cooper has sold more than 50 million records and released 26 studio albums over his career, with nine reaching platinum or gold status. His latest album, Paranormal, was released in mid-2017. Cooper recorded "King Herod’s Song" at the request of Lloyd Webber and Rice for the 2000 release of a cast album from the 1996 production of Jesus Christ Superstar in the U.K.

British theater director David Leveaux has also signed on to the TV project. A five-time Tony Award nominee, Leveaux's most notable Broadway credits include the 2003 revival of Nine, starring Antonio Banderas, and the 2008 revival of Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner.

Jesus Christ Superstar Live! will be executive-produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan, and Neil Meron.