JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Begins Tonight at Manatee Performing Arts Center

The Manatee Players, Inc.'s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR opens in Stone Hall at the Manatee Performing Arts Center tonight, March 19 and plays through Sunday April 5, 2015.

Performances of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR are Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $27-$37 including facility fee for adults, $15-$18 including facility fee for teachers and $13-$16 including facility fee for students. Tickets may be reserved by calling 941-748-5875 Monday - Friday from 10-5, Saturday 10-2 and one hour before curtain on performance days or on the Manatee Players' website: www.manateeperformingartscenter.com. All performances are at the Manatee Performing Arts Center at 502 3rd Avenue West Bradenton, FL.

A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for over 40 years, Jesus Christ Superstar is a timeless work set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

It was the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be produced for the professional stage and first came to major theatres when it debuted on Broadway in October 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York.

Less than 12 months after the Broadway show opened, the rock spectacle went to London, exploding onto the West End at the Palace Theatre in August 1972 in a hugely successful production. By 1980, after 3,358 performances, Jesus Christ Superstar had become the longest running musical in West End history at the time and grossed $12.3 million.

The show features Bill Shideler as 'Jesus', Kristofer Geddie as 'Judas', Melanie Bierweiler as 'Mary', Bradley Barbaro as 'Pontius Pilot' and Mark Eichorn as 'King Herod'. A large ensemble and youth choir round out the large cast.

The show is directed by Norm Small and choreographed by Geena Ravella with Aaron Cassette as musical director.