As announced last week, on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, the company of Broadway's first-ever revival of Stephen Schwartz's legendary rock musical GODSPELL welcomes a new leading man -- stage and screen star Corbin Bleu (Disney's "High School Musical," Broadway's In the Heights) -- to the starring role of Jesus. The first promo shots of Corbin in costume have been released and BroadwayWorld brings you a first look below!
Corbin Bleu follows original star
Hunter Parrish, who is set to play his final performance as Jesus on Sunday, April 15, 2012, before returning to Los Angeles to begin filming the eighth season of Showtime's "Weeds."
"I know
Corbin Bleu has a special affinity for GODSPELL, and with his great talent, charisma, and radiant energy, I know he will be terrific in the show," said
Stephen Schwartz. "I am very much looking forward to working with him and seeing him as our new Jesus."
Corbin Bleu made his Broadway stage debut in 2010 as the lead character, bodega-owner Usnavi, in the critically acclaimed musical In the Heights.
He starred in the Emmy-award winning Disney Channel Original Movie "High School Musical" and its sequel, "High School Musical 2" alongside
Zac Efron,
Vanessa Hudgens, and
Ashley Tisdale. "High School Musical 2" premiered to 18 million viewers, making it the highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie in history and the overall highest rated program in cable history. Following to the worldwide success of "High School Musical," Bleu reprised his role in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." The film broke opening weekend records and grossed over $250 million worldwide.
On the big screen, Bleu can next be seen in Rotimi Rainwater's Sugar, the story of a group of homeless twenty-somethings trying to survive on the streets of Hollywood, seen through the eyes of 20-year-old girl (
Shenae Grimes).
He will also soon star opposite
Kat Dennings in Renee, a film that follows the character of 19-year-old Renee Yohe (Dennings) in her journey to recovery from addiction, depression, and self-injury. In addition, he recently wrapped production on Clowned, a segment included in writer/producer/director Michael Emanuel's Scary or Die, a short horror film that tells four multi-ethnic, interwoven stories all taking place in and around Los Angeles.
In March 2009, he released his second studio album, Speed of Light (Hollywood Records), a collaboration with some of the top producers and writers in the industry including
Eric Hudson (
Kanye West,
Jennifer Hudson), Claude Kelly (Akon,
Michael Jackson) and
Brian Kennedy (Rihanna). He co-wrote the songs "Moments that Matter" and "Champion" with Claude Kelly (both tracks produced by
Eric Hudson).
His debut solo album Another Side was released in May 2007. The album featured the hit single "Push it to the Limit" from the film Jump In! His single "Run It Back Again," from the Disney Channel Original Movie "Minutemen," became one of the top 10 downloaded songs on iTunes. Bleu performed material from "Another Side during" his North America tours in 2007 and 2008. He was subsequently nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist.
His other film credits include Catch That Kid opposite
Kristen Stewart, Soldier opposite Kurt Russell, Galaxy Quest opposite
Tim Allen and
Sigourney Weaver, Mystery Men opposite
Ben Stiller and
Hank Azaria, Duane Clark's Family Tree and William Dear's Free Style, which Bleu also produced. On stage, he starred in the Off-Broadway production of Tiny Tim Is Dead as well as Brothers of the Knight with
Debbie Allen.
Directed by
Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Tony Award nominee
Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific), GODSPELL also stars
Wallace Smith as Judas, and co-starring
Uzo Aduba,
Nick Blaemire,
Celisse Henderson,
Morgan James,
Telly Leung,
Lindsay Mendez,
George Salazar and
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel
