Jesus Christ Superstar Will Be Resurrected on Broadway in 2012

Confirming earlier rumors, the Des McAnuff-helmed production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, currently running at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, will be coming to Broadway after its previously announced run at the La Jolla Playhouse. The musical, about the last days of Jesus’ life, will begin performances on March 1, 2012 at Broadway's Neil Simon Theater and open on March 22.

No casting for the Broadway production has been announced, but Superstar will move to La Jolla with its full Stratford cast, which features Paul Nolan as Jesus, Chilina Kennedy as Mary Magdalene, Josh Young as Judas and Tony winner Brent Carver in the role of Pontius Pilate.

The Stratford Superstar began generating Broadway buzz soon after its opening in June of 2011, fueled in part by visits from both Webber and Rice. Webber, who recently expressed his own hopes that the production would move to Broadway, called it "the best acted version of the show I have seen in the 40 years of its existence."  Jesus Christ Superstar first opened on Broadway in 1971, starring Jeff Fenholt as Jesus, Ben Vereen as Judas Iscariot and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene.