LOS ANGELES (July 14, 2025) - Additional casting is being announced for hte Hollywood Bowl's production of Jesus Christ Superstar on August 1, 2 and 3, 2025.

Joining Cynthia Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas are Josh Gad (Olaf in Frozen, Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon Tony nomination) as King Herod and Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton Tony and Emmy nomination, ABC/Hulu Doctor Odyssey) as Mary Magdalene.

Gad is best known for voicing the beloved snowman Olaf in Disney’s Frozen franchise, originating the role of Elder Arnold Cunningham in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, and portraying LeFou in the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Gad will next be seen in A Tree Fell in the Woods, starring opposite Alexandra Daddario and Daveed Diggs.

Soo originated the role of Eliza Hamilton in the award winning show Hamilton for which she was nominated for Tony and Emmy awards and won a Grammy award. She has originated and starred in over six Broadway and off Broadway shows including Guenevere in Aaron Sorkin’s Camelot and Cinderella in Into the Woods for which she won a Grammy as part of the cast album, and the title roles in Amelie and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. Currently Phillipa stars on the hit Ryan Murphy series Dr. Odyssey.

This new production sees Jesus Christ Superstar returning to its rock roots, featuring lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo as director and choreographer and Tony and Grammy award winner Stephen Oremus as musical director and conductor, and is produced in association with Neil Meron and Robert Greenblatt. The production also includes scenic designer Jason Ardizzone-West, costume designer Emilio Sosa, projection designer Peter Negrini, lighting designers Tyler Lambert-Perkins and Tyler Glover, sound designer Jonathan Burke, and hair and makeup designer Brandi Strona, with casting by The Telsey Office. 

A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for decades, Jesus Christ Superstar is a timeless work that explores the biblical portrayal of the extraordinary events that led to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of his betrayer, Judas Iscariot. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles among Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire. Originally released as a concept album, the iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as “Superstar,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” and “Gethsemane.”

Jesus Christ Superstar will be performed at the Hollywood Bowl: Friday, August 1, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 2, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, August 3, at 7:30 p.m. Subscriptions and single tickets for the Hollywood Bowl’s 2025 summer season are available at the Bowl box office at 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; online at hollywoodbowl.com or via phone order at 323-850-2000.

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ABOUT JOSH GAD

Josh Gad (King Herod) is an acclaimed American actor, singer, and comedian, best known for voicing the beloved snowman Olaf in Disney’s Frozen franchise, originating the role of Elder Arnold Cunningham in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, and portraying LeFou in the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Gad will next be seen in A Tree Fell in the Woods, starring opposite Alexandra Daddario and Daveed Diggs. The film is slated to premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. He recently completed filming Alex Winter’s Adulthood, in which he stars alongside Kaya Scodelario.

Currently, Gad is in pre-production on both the sequel to Spaceballs for Amazon MGM Studios, which he is producing with comedy legend Mel Brooks, and New Line’s Chris Farley biopic, which he will direct with Lorne Michaels producing. 

In Fall 2023, he returned to the Broadway stage in Anthony King and Scott Brown’s Gutenberg! The Musical!, opposite Andrew Rannells. 

His performance as Olaf earned him two Annie Awards, while The Book of Mormon garnered him a Grammy Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. On screen, Gad has appeared in a wide range of films including Murder on the Orient Express, The Wedding Ringer, and the critically praised Marshall. Additional film credits include Little Monsters, The Angry Birds Movie, Frozen II, The Internship, and Love & Other Drugs. On television, Gad played a fictionalized version of himself opposite Billy Crystal in FX’s The Comedians, and starred in Armando Iannucci’s HBO series Avenue 5. He is also the co-creator and star of Apple TV+’s hit animated series Central Park, created with Bob’s Burgers' Loren Bouchard. Other TV appearances include Peacock’s Wolf Like Me, as well as roles in New Girl, Modern Family, and 1600 Penn.

In 2024, Gad published his children’s book PictureFace Lizzy, illustrated by Marta Kissi. His memoir, In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some, was released in 2025 through Gallery Books. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gad created and hosted the YouTube series Reunited Apart, which brought together the casts of iconic films such as Back to the Future and The Lord of the Rings via virtual reunions. The series raised awareness and support for nonprofit organizations including Dig Deep, Project Hope, and No Kid Hungry.

ABOUT PHILLIPA SOO

Phillipa Soo (Mary Magdelene) is well known to worldwide audiences for originating the role of Eliza Hamilton in the award winning show Hamilton for which she was nominated for Tony and Emmy awards and won a Grammy award. She has originated and starred in over six Broadway and off Broadway shows including Guenevere in Aaron Sorkin’s Camelot and Cinderella in Into the Woods for which she won a Grammy as part of the cast album, and the title roles in Amelie and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.

Currently Phillipa stars on the hit Ryan Murphy series Dr. Odyssey, and her multiple television and film credits include Dopesick and Over the Moon. She is an award-winning New York Times best-selling author for her debut children’s book Piper Chen Sings and can be heard as one of the artists featured on Lin Manuel Miranda and Elsa Davis’ album Warriors.

ABOUT HOLLYWOOD BOWL MUSICALS

The recent history of Broadway musicals at the Hollywood Bowl is nothing short of spectacular, including Kinky Boots, starring Wayne Brady, Jake Shears and Kelly Marie Tran; Into the Woods, starring Skylar Astin, Sierra Boggess, Chris Carmack, Sutton Foster, Cheyenne Jackson, Gaten Matarazzo, Patina Miller and Shanice Williams, directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom; Annie, starring Ana Gasteyer, David Alan Grier, Megan Hilty, Roger Bart and Lea Salonga, directed by Michael Arden; Mamma Mia!, starring Jennifer Nettles, Jamie Camil, Dove Cameron, Corbin Bleu, Lea DeLaria, Hamish Linklater, Steven Weber and Tisha Campbell-Martin, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall; A Chorus Line, starring Mario Lopez, Krysta Rodriguez, Robbie Fairchild, Spencer Liff and Ross Lynch, directed and choreographed by Baayork Lee; Spamalot, starring Craig Robinson, Christian Slater, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Warwick Davis and Eric Idle; Hair, starring Kristen Bell, Hunter Parrish, Beverly D’Angelo, Benjamin Walker and Amber Riley, directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman; Chicago, starring Ashlee Simpson, Drew Carey, Lucy Lawless and Stephen Moyer, directed by Brooke Shields; The Producers, starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Rebecca Romijn, Richard Kind and Dane Cook, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman; Hairspray, starring Harvey Fierstein, Drew Carey, John Stamos, Corbin Bleu and Nick Jonas, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell; and Rent, starring Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, Nicole Scherzinger and Wayne Brady, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.

ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music. For over a century, the Bowl has been a Los Angeles County public park, operated in partnership with the LA Phil to welcome visitors from all over the world. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz performances. In February 2024, the Hollywood Bowl was awarded the Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year award at the 35^th Annual Pollstar Awards, an honor bestowed 16 previous times. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. hollywoodbowl.com

ABOUT THE LA PHIL

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on four historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.