Sara Bareilles Joins NBC’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert’ Cast as Mary Magdalene

With their upcoming musical Jesus Christ Superstar Live! in Concert set to air on April 1, NBC announced on Saturday that singer and Broadway actress Sara Bareilles will join the production as Mary Magdalene.

Bareillis joins a cast that includes John Legend as Jesus and Alice Cooper as King Herod.

“We’re overjoyed to have Sara Bareilles play Mary Magdalene and I can guarantee that her interpretation of the standard ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ will become an instant classic,” NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. “I was lucky enough to see Sara in ‘Waitress’ and she gave as moving and as beautifully sung a performance as I’ve seen on a Broadway stage in a long time.”

Bareillis broke out in the music world back in 2007 with her Grammy-nominated hit “Love Song.” She’s gone on to release five albums throughout her career and earn six Grammy nods and a Tony Award nomination. She also wrote the music for and starred in the 2016 Broadway musical Waitress.

“To say I’m excited about this performance is the understatement of the century,” Bareilles said in a statement. “This score and this musical have been a part of me from a very young age and it will be one of the great thrills of my life to sing these iconic songs. It’s incredible to see the beloved medium of musical theatre being embraced by television audiences, and this cast and creative team is extraordinary. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of the project!”

Created by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice in 1970, Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera following the final week of Jesus of Nazereth’s life. Bareilles’ character Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus most well-known followers, and her complex relationship with Jesus becomes a character arc throughout the musical.

Jesus Christ Superstar Live! marks NBC’s fifth annual live musical broadcast. Previous productions include The Sound of Music Live!I, Peter Pan Live!, The Wiz Live! and Hairspray Live!