Jesus Christ Superstar (film) who had played Jesus is missing. A shepherd and his flock cross the hillside beneath the empty cross ("John Nineteen Forty-One"). During filming of "Fiddler on the Roof", Barry Dennen, who played Pilate on the concept album, suggested to Norman Jewison that he should direct "Jesus Christ Superstar" as a film. After hearing the album, Jewison agreed. The cast consisted mostly of actors from the Broadway show, with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson starring as Jesus and Judas respectively. Neeley had played a reporter and a leper in the Broadway version, and understudied the role of Jesus. Likewise, Anderson understudied
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert the event of any difficulties during the live broadcast, the recording served as an emergency backup. It was ultimately not needed. On January 7, 2018, NBC aired the first teaser trailer for the special during their broadcast of the 75th Golden Globe Awards. "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from critics since it aired. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the production holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10 based on 23 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Shaking up traditional religious and musical