Alice Cooper Draws High Praise for Role as King Herod in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Alice Cooper absolutely nailed it in his performance of King Herod in last night's production of Jesus Christ Superstar, televised live on NBC from the Marcy Avenue Armory in Brooklyn's hipster neighborhood Williamsburg. Both critics and fans were raving about his turn, which can be viewed above, as the over the top and cynical King who gleefully encourages Christ to prove his miraculous claims in the Easter Sunday spectacular.
"And for an extra dose of charisma, we needed to look no further than Alice Cooper, who delivered a delicious dollop of camp as King Herod," gushed Entertainment Weekly. "Striding down the steps in a gaudy orange suit, twirling a skull-headed cane, and trailed by Vegas-style showgirls, Cooper literally stopped the show to soak up the crowd’s adulation after his delightfully sneery performance of 'King Herod’s Song.' For all the singers who took us to church with this production of Superstar, Cooper was the one who had the most fun playing God."
"Weird? Yes, but also perfect in a campy, dramatic and evil 'Billion Dollar Babies' kind of way," complimented the Los Angeles Times. "Cooper's part was small but indelible."
"The musical also featured the rich bellowing sounds of Norm Lewis as Caiaphas, Ben Daniels as the villainous Pontius Pilate and the one and only Alice Cooper providing a showstopping entrance as King Herod," said Deadline. "All of whom gave so much life an energy to this non-stop rock opera ride that kept the dial at 10 for nearly two and half hours."
Variety offered, "Cooper’s threads looked like there were made out of flames — that’s how vivid and pleasingly eye-popping his tailored suit was — and yet the singer easily outshone his clothes. His rendition of “King Herod’s Song” was a star turn of the highest order, and a delightful amount of fun. If you can’t enjoy a dapper, devilish rock-god Herod surrounded by dancing ladies clad in outfits a Vegas showgirl would kill for, then perhaps live musicals on television are just not for you. (Your loss.)
Over on Twitter, Cooper's name was trending at one point. Former Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil took to the social media platform to praise his friend and fellow musician, tweeting, "BRAVO!!!!@alicecooper."
Following Sunday night's rendition of "King Herod's Song," which the shock rockcer previously recorded at the request of co-creators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 2000 cast album release from 1996's Jesus Christ Superstar's U.K. production, Cooper actually dropped the microphone, perfectly closing a glorious bit of camp which stole the show.
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