As mentioned in a previous article, it can sometime be very hard to combine rock and Broadway (without getting incredibly cheesy incredibly quickly, right Wedding Singer?) However, that does not stop rockers from wanted to get in on the Broadway musical fun. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar is one of the most rocking shows in Broadway history, and has thus inspired several famous musicians to perform the heralded musical. Here is a list of five memorable performances.
5. Jack Black- The (arguably) more famous half of Tenacious D appeared in a live-in-concert, one night only performance at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles on August 13, 2006. He portrayed the role of King Herod, and Superstar fans will love that the performance also starred Ted Neeley, Yvonne Elliman, and Ben Vereen. The show benefited YouTHeatre-America! and The Ricardo Montalban Theatre.
4. Dennis DeYoung- Celebrating his birthday today, the lead singer of Styx appeared in about 200 performances of the 1992-1994 North American tour (titled the AD Anniversary Tour) as Pontius Pilate. This revival also starred Ted Neeley, and Syreeta. DeYoung is a devout Roman Catholic and even released a 1994 record called 10 on Broadway, filled with Broadway standards.
3. Alice Cooper- Yes, even the shock rock master himself sang some Broadway tunes in the Lyceum Production. He sang the role of King Herod in the 1996 London revival that was updated to appeal to a new generation of fans (and inspired a tour, video, and Broadway revival). You can still hear him on the cast recording.
2. Sebastian Bach- In 2002, the Skid Row frontman starred as the lead role in the national tour. Carl Anderson portrayed Judas. Bach received mixed reviews, and in April 2003, following a disagreement with the director, he walked out on the cast.
1. Ian Gilliam- The lead singer of Deep Purple (who also worked with Black Sabbath) performed the lead role in the original album before the production was even on stage. He may or may not have influenced the rock feel on this record that is not on many subsequent recordings. Many people do not know that this recording also featured Michael d'Abo (from Manfred Mann) and Gary Glitter.
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