Interview: Milo Manheim Talks JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at The Hollywood Bowl

Milo Manheim may be best known as a teen zombie heartthrob from Disney’s hit Zombies movie series or, to BroadwayWorld readers, as the lovably awkward Seymour in the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors at Manhattan’s Westside Theatre.

But the 24-year-old Los Angeles native is shifting gears to step into the role of the apostle Peter in the Hollywood Bowl’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, a star-studded concert staging of the iconic 1970s rock opera. 

Directed by Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo, the show runs August 1–3. 

In an interview with the LA Times, Josh Gad, who plays King Herod, referred to his costars as “the musical theater version of the Avengers.” He’s not wrong: the lineup includes Grammy, Emmy, and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo as Jesus, Adam Lambert as Judas, and Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, alongside Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate, Tyrone Huntley as Simon, Brian Justin Crum as Annas, and Manheim as Peter.

(Not surprisingly, tickets for the three-night run are nearly sold out on the Hollywood Bowl’s website, though seats are still available on resale platforms like Vivid Seats and StubHub.)

Jesus Christ Superstar was originally released as a concept album in 1970 and premiered on Broadway in 1971. Though controversial for its humanized portrayal of Jesus, the show earned five Tony nominations—including Best Original Score for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice—and later inspired a 1973 film and three Broadway revivals.

Manheim recently sat down with BroadwayWorld to talk about rehearsals, sharing the stage with theater royalty, and why - after this production - he may never think of Jesus the same way again.

Hi Milo! Thank you so much for taking the time. I imagine you’re really busy right now.

I am, but. It’s all one thing, which is Jesus Christ Superstar. That’s what I’m focused on.

Well, congratulations! The cast for this show just keeps getting better and better.

I know! And just spending time with those people in that rehearsal space every day. I’m like, ‘Wow, they’re even more incredible than they were in my head.’

When did rehearsals start?

Two weeks ago. The whole thing is three weeks of rehearsal and then three shows. So we are just at the beginning of the third week, and then we do our first legitimate dress rehearsal basically right before the first show.

That’s a lot to cover in three weeks!

Absolutely. But I think that everybody who’s doing this is such a pro. I’ve learned so much already in such a short amount of time. And obviously, if we had to put it together tonight, I feel like we would be able to do it. But then again, I don’t know if it would be Hollywood Bowl-ready. So I think it’s good that we take all the time that we can get.

What’s it like being in a room with all of this incredible talent? Was there anyone you were especially excited or intimidated to work with?

I’m not going to lie: I was a little bit curious about what it was going to be like working with Cynthia. She strikes me as such a stoic, poised person, and I am such a goofball. And I was like, ‘I hope she doesn’t get frustrated by my energy,’ which I don’t think she has. And while she is very focused and determined and professional and serious about the work, she’s also very warm, very approachable.  

Who else stands out to you?

Phillipa Soo—she is just the sweetest, best person ever. Me, her and Tyrone Huntley often spend time together on stage and off stage, and I really love the little squad we’ve created. Josh Gad is just the absolute goofiest, warmest person. I love getting hugs from him every day. And lastly—sorry, I’ve got to give everybody the credit they deserve—Adam.

He doesn’t know this, but he’s really helped me calm my nerves because I listen to Philipa sing and Cynthia sing, and their voices are so clean. Almost classical or opera-like. And then I hear my own voice, and it’s so raspy and sort of rock-sounding, and I feel like I’m not in the right place until I hear Adam sing. He truly brings such a rock star element to it. And he helps me know that I’m allowed to do that as well.  So I thank him for giving me that permission.

So what’s the vibe in the rehearsal room been like overall?

I’m laughing ear to ear every day. And even though we’re not in the Hollywood Bowl and we’re just in the rehearsal space, I’m just laughing, knowing that I will be doing these dance moves on that stage—and all of us feel that way. We have a lot of first-timers, and we have a lot of veterans doing this thing. And it truly is such a great family. We all get along super well.

Can you explain the staging for the show? I know it’s a “concert staging,” but what will that look like? 

Something that’s interesting about this musical is that there’s zero talking. Really. There’s rarely any talking. It just goes from song to song. It offers the director a lot of creative choices there, and I really love what Sergio Trujillo is doing because he’s a choreographer first. He really values the formations and the look—the painting of the scene, if you will. And I really appreciate that. And it’s really cool to watch him put it all together. 

Can you elaborate a little more on what it will look like? 

The musical moves kind of fast. There are all these crazy events that happen in a really short amount of time, and it is like you’re watching song after song. But he has also done a beautiful job in directing you through this story, bringing you through it and showing you where to look and what’s important right now, because we all know this story and how it ends. But there are little intricacies about the story that this show talks about that I think are really interesting... Some songs, all it calls for is standing on the stage and one beam of light on your face; some songs call for a huge dance break, and people are flying around. Sergio really values a good tableau, and I love that about him.

You’re from Venice Beach, right?. What does it mean to perform at the Hollywood Bowl?

It’s interesting. I’ve only been to the Hollywood Bowl a few times. But it is my absolute favorite venue on the planet, and it’s kind of indescribable. I was so lucky to be able to go do theater in New York this past year, but something about doing theater in your hometown at a venue like the Hollywood Bowl is just… I really can’t put it into words.

Tell me about your part in the show.  

When I was researching the show, I found that Peter is portrayed so differently in each production. Sometimes he is largely part of the ensemble; sometimes he's right there with Jesus the whole time. And I think Sergio has struck a really great mix where Peter and Simon, who's Peter's right-hand man, they're always together. They totally have an identity in this one. 

When I came into it, I was like, ‘I’m going to be a devout Jesus follower.’ And, ‘We hate Judas for betraying Jesus.’ And as we’ve discussed it, there are lots of complexities here, and Judas has some really great points. It’s a very complex place to be because he sort of started this movement with Mary and Judas and Jesus and Simon, and then, I hate to spoil the story, but Jesus dies. 

Wait—really?? 

Yeah, I know. It’s a spoiler. It’s kind of left to Mary, Peter and Simon to continue that legacy. I’ve been figuring out what that means to me in this role, and I feel like Peter isn’t even aware that he’s going to do that when he’s accused of doing it... I’ve been really interested in the human side of this story - just looking at it as a group of people. It’s easy to think of Jesus and his group of apostles as these divine people, but really, they’re just humans trying to figure out how to navigate this movement. But I think Peter is trying to figure it out himself. But it’s crazy because when Cynthia is looking at you on stage, it almost feels like Jesus is looking at you, and there’s no acting necessary. You just sit there with the weight of Cynthia Erivo’s stare, and it’s beautiful.

That’s amazing. Do you see Elphaba when you look at her? Or Jesus?  

I see Jesus! I think that’s what’s so beautiful about Cynthia is that she gets so deep into these characters, and I think that’s a testament to how beautiful of an actress she is. I totally see Jesus when we’re doing the show. I might even refer to Jesus as “She” moving forward, just because her impact has been so great.

So my 10-year-old daughter knows you from Zombies, but I’ve read that you’re really a theater kid at heart. Is that where you feel most at home?

You got me. And actually, I booked Zombies because somebody saw me in an after-school musical. And, by the way, thank you for being a Zombies parent. I’m sure that she’s forced you to listen to that soundtrack more than you want to. And, by the way, we have a new movie coming out, so apologies for having to go through that a hundred times. But no, Zombies was kind of a perfect storm because I was new to it all, but in a weird way, I was so ready for Zombies because I had done 10 years of just like, after-school shows. I really had to step up to the challenge there, but I’m definitely a theater kid at heart. Hopefully, I’ll be back and forth between theater and film for the rest of my life.

What do you think is going to wow audiences the most about this production of Jesus Christ Superstar?