Alice Cooper, who was born Vincent Damon Furnier in 1948, is best known as being an American actor, songwriter and singer, who has a career that spans more than five decades. His distinctive raspy voice and high-drama stage show featuring dueling swords, deadly snakes, electric chairs and more have earned him the name and reputation of being “The Godfather of Shock Rock.”
Now, he is taking on a somewhat different role. Many believe his many years of onstage theatrics are going to help his performance be superior while appearing in the live theatrical production on NBC of “Jesus Christ Superstar!”
Cooper’s Role in this New Acting Endeavor
According to information provided by the Hollywood Reporter, Alice Cooper is going to be playing the role of King Herod in this event. It is set to air on the network with the peacock logo on April 1st, Easter Sunday. The person at the helm of this production is the five-time Tony Award nominee, David Leveaux.
According to the chairman of NBC Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt, Cooper’s theatrics are the stuff of legends. This is what makes him the ideal rock star to play the role of Herod in the upcoming live production. The musical number that Herod (Alice Cooper) will perform was written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Everyone behind the scenes is looking forward to seeing the well-known “King of Shock Rock” take on the bible’s King of Judea. With the producers working on picking the cast for the production now, the excitement is also growing for this all new type of concert experience.
Cooper’s History with the Musical
Many people haven’t realized that Cooper has pre-existing ties with this musical. He had previously recorded the song, “King Herod’s Song,” when requested to do so by Webber and Rice for the 1996 “Jesus Christ Superstar” UK production cast album, which was released in 2000.
Cooper’s Most Noteworthy Achievements
Alice Cooper is now a member of the illustrious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he has sold over 50 million different records. During his career, Cooper has released more than 26 studio albums, with nine reaching the levels of gold or platinum. In December of 2017, Alice Cooper finished a world tour that was made up of more than 100 shows on five different continents around the world.
In addition to having a long and illustrious history in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cooper has also made several television and film appearances throughout the years, with the most notable one being on the big screen in “Dark Shadows,” “Wayne’s World,” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.” Other times his songs have been featured on soundtracks for both TV and film included for “GLOW” which was aired on Netflix and “Vinyl” which aired on HBO.
The “Jesus Christ Superstar Live!” production is going to be produced by Universal Television, Marc Platt Productions, Zadan/Meron Productions and The Really Useful Group.
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