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JOHN LEGEND SET FOR TITLE ROLE IN NBC’S ‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE IN CONCERT!’ FROM BROOKLYN, N.Y.

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Oscar, Golden Globe, Tony and 10-time Grammy Award winner John Legend has been cast as Jesus Christ in NBC’s special event “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!,” to be aired Easter Sunday, April 1. NBC continues to innovate its live musical productions with the staging of this iconic rock opera in front of a large audience at the Marcy Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!” will be executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Marc Platt, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Joining the creative team also as executive producers are John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius. Rock icon Alice Cooper was previously announced for the role of King Herod and the production will be helmed by esteemed British theatre director David Leveaux.

“We’re all overjoyed to have world-class musical artist and producer John Legend starring as Jesus,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “This score demands a singer with an amazing range and an actor with great depth, and there isn’t anyone better to bring this story to a new audience. His casting is also groundbreaking as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.”

“John Legend is a superstar,” said Tim Rice, lyricist of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” “As a performer, his voice is infectious and effortless. As an actor, he is believable and honest. I’m thrilled he will be able to share his portrayal of Jesus with the world.” “I’m thrilled to join the cast of this production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!,’” Legend said. “It’s such a powerful, meaningful musical and I’m humbled to be part of this performance. We’ve already formed an incredible team, and, as we finish casting, I’m certain we will put together some of the greatest talents around to do this work justice.”

A highly accomplished musician, concert performer, songwriter, actor, and music and film producer, Legend is one of the most versatile and talented artists in entertainment today. In 2015, he, along with Common, won the Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy for their song “Glory” from the film “Selma,” which chronicled the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Ala. Legend, who has released five studio albums, began his impressive Grammy run in 2006 when he won Best New Artist for his debut release “Get Lifted,” which captured Best R&B Album. “Get Lifted,” along with each of his next three albums – “Once Again,” “Evolver” and “Love in the Future” – reached the Top 5 in album sales on the Billboard charts and achieved gold status. As a film producer, Legend worked with Platt on the 2016 film sensation “La La Land,” in which he also appeared and Platt produced. Legend previously collaborated with Zadan and Meron when the pair produced the 2015 Oscar telecast in which Legend performed “Glory” with Common. In addition to “La La Land,” Legend has acted in several TV and film productions, including “Underground,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Soul Men.” On Broadway, Legend won a Tony Award earlier this year as a producer of August Wilson’s “Jitney,” which won for Best Revival of a Play. He has also written songs for the Broadway run of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which recently opened to strong reviews.

The “Jesus Christ Superstar” album hit #1 on the Billboard charts and made its way to the stage in 1971. It is based on the final week of Jesus’ life. The 1971 musical opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway and starred Jeff Fenholt as Jesus and Ben Vereen as Judas. It was nominated for five Tonys, including Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Vereen. Lloyd Webber won a Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Composer. Since then, the musical has been considered a classic and has become a staple of theatre and music organizations throughout the world. It has been performed in nearly 20 countries and translated into 18 different languages. There have been many revivals of “Jesus Christ Superstar” over the 46 years since its debut, including 2000 and 2012 Broadway versions that each earned a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical. The 1973 film was directed by Oscar winner Norman Jewison and starred Ted Neeley. “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!” will be produced by Universal Television, The Really Useful Group, Marc Platt Productions and Zadan/Meron Productions.

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Julian Schlossberg Guests On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 

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Who else but hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss could “spill the tea” on their weekly show “If These Walls Could Talk” live from Pangea Restaurant on the Lower Eastside of NYC, with their unique style of honest, and emotional interviews, sharing the fascinating backstory of celebrities, entertainers, recording artists, writers and artists and bringing their audience along for a fantastic ride.   

Julian Schlossberg will be a featured guest on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at 2 PM ET live from the infamous Pangea Restaurant. 

Wendy Stuart is an author, celebrity interviewer, model, filmmaker and along with If These Walls Could Talk she hosts TriVersity Talk, a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community. 

Tym Moss is a popular NYC singer, actor, and radio/tv host who recently starred in the hit indie film “JUNK” to critical acclaim. 

Julian Schlossberg is an American motion picture, theater, and television producer. 

He was born in New York City. Following a short tour of duty in the United States Army, Schlossberg attended college at New York University, graduating with honors.

​​In 1964 he began his career in television at ABC as an assistant account representative in station clearance. After 10 months, he was promoted to head the department. In 1966 Schlossberg left ABC to become an account executive at the Walter Reade Organization in the television division. He moved to the theater division in 1969, and he became the Vice President and Head Film Buyer. In 1974, while working as an executive, Schlossberg began hosting Movie Talk, a four-hour nationally syndicated radio program aired in New York first on WMCA and subsequently on WOR. Over the next nine years, he interviewed hundreds of stars (many of whom rarely did interviews) such as Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty. He also hosted Movie Talk on television, which aired in New York and Philadelphia on Wometco Home Theatre. For two years (1976 and 1977) he worked at Paramount Pictures first as V.P. of World Wide Acquisition and later as V.P. of Production.



In 1978, Schlossberg established Castle Hill Productions, a film production and distribution company. They distributed over 500 first run and classic movies to theaters, pay TV, basic cable, home video, TV syndication and other motion picture outlets worldwide. It became one of the largest independent film distribution companies in the world. Some of the features distributed by Castle Hill were three Elia Kazan features: Face in the CrowdBaby Doll and America America; John Cassavetes’ collection including Woman Under the Influence and Faces; Orson Welles’ Othello, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent, Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant, The Marx Brothers’ A Night in CasablancaGlengarry Glen Ross starring Al Pacino, Death of a Salesman starring Dustin Hoffman, Seize the Day starring Robin Williams, presented with Martin Scorsese, Fellini’s Intervista, two Academy Award nominees – A Great Day in Harlem and Al Hirschfeld: The Line King, and Academy Award winners Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Get Out Your Handkerchiefs

Schlossberg established himself as a producer’s representative for prominent figures such as Elia Kazan, Dustin Hoffman, John Cassavetes, and George C. Scott, Elaine May and Robert Duvall.

In 2006 Schlossberg sold Castle Hill Productions and started two new production and film distribution companies, Jumer Productions Inc. and Westchester Films Inc. Their libraries are managed in part by Janus Films. Then, in 2014, Schlossberg sold the Westchester company and its library to Shout! Factory, though he remained with the new owners as an adviser. He is also the co-founder of Merlian News, a holistic online magazine. Along with Meyer Ackerman he owns the motion picture rights to the musical Carnival based on the motion picture Lili

​He also embarked on a career as a record executive when he and partner Danny Goldberg founded Gold Castle Records. The company went on to record artists such as Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Don McLean, The Washington Squares, and Judy Collins. 

Schlossberg has lectured about film at New York University, Tufts University, The New School, UCLA, The School of Visual Arts, Columbia University, Judith Crist’s Seminar, Rutgers University, Cannes Film Festival and in the People’s Republic of China. In 1971 he created and was the key speaker for The Business of Motion Pictures, a course which he ran for five years. Guest speakers included Otto Preminger, David Susskind, Maximilian Schell, Elia Kazan, and many others.

He has created and is currently producing Witnesses to the 20th Century, a fourteen-hour series that examines the major historical events of the twentieth century from some of the prominent people who lived during it. He is also producing 100 Voices For 100 Years, 100 one-hour interviews with some of the most recognizable people from the 20th century.

Watch Julian Schlossberg on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on YouTube here:

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