Jesus Christ Superstar is dead, but there will be a resurrection. The Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice rock musical ends its Broadway run Sept. 3 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, but a tour will begin in 2001. On Broadway, the revival has played 161 performances and 28 previews, after opening April 16.

The road of this restaging from Newcastle, England to New York, NY had not been smooth. Early in previews, Superstar lost its second male lead, as Tony Vincent stepped in to replace Jason Pebworth, the originally-cast Judas.

Vincent began performances in the musical as Simon, the disciple who sings "Simon Zealots' Song," a call for violent takeover of Jerusalem by the Jews. Vincent is a veteran of Rent on Broadway and on tour.

Add to this trouble negative reviews and a general lack of appreciation for the new staging's gimmicks, costuming and set design, plus a fairly unknown Jesus. Nevertheless, the mounting did receive a Tony nomination for Best Musical Revival (Kiss Me, Kate took home the award).

This Superstar starts touring in 2001, although details to the national staging and its stop are unavailable at this time. Broadway/L.A., however, has announced the show for Oct., 2001. Through Sept. 3, tickets are $81-$26. The Ford Center is located at 213 West 43rd Street. For tickets, call (212) 307-4100.

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Jesus Christ is played by British newcomer Glenn Carter. Carter comes to the U.S. directly from leading London's Whistle Down The Wind as The Man, an escaped murderer mistaken as Jesus by a group of Southern children. That wasn't the actor's first brush with Christ; he went on to star in Jesus Christ Superstar's UK national tour, after performing Simon Zealots in the 1998 West End revival of the show.

Paul Kandel is King Herod, the wicked king who attempts to get the Son of God to "walk across [his] swimming pool," and Kevin Gray sings the conflicted Roman, Pontius Pilate, who allows Jesus Christ to be sentenced to death. Maya Days is Mary, as in Magdalene, the prostitute who becomes a follower of Christ. Rodney Hicks is Peter and Jason Wooten is Simon, both disciples. Frederick B. Owens (five years in Smokey Joe's Cafe) plays Caiaphas, as he did in the recently-taped video of Superstar. Annas is played by Ray Walker.

Kandel last performed on Broadway as J. Bruce Ismay in Titanic. Other credits include Madison Square Garden's A Christmas Carol and a Tony-nominated turn as the child-molesting Uncle Ernie in The Who's Tommy.

Gray traveled the country as Thomas Andrews in Titanic and as the Engineer in Miss Saigon. Broadway roles have included both Raoul and the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and the King in The King And I with Faith Prince.

Days made her Broadway debut as Mimi in Rent, a role she played in the first national company and in London. Hicks was in the original Broadway ensemble of Rent and understudied Benny. Wooten made his Broadway debut in Footloose.

Additional cast members include Lisa Brescia, Hank Campbell, Luther Creek, Merle Dandridge, D'Monroe, Bernard Dotson, Manoel Felciano, Jessica Ferraro, Deidre Goodwin (Chicago), Somer Lee Graham, J. Todd Howell, Sloan Just, Daniel C. Levine (Naked Boys Singing!), Anthony Manough, Joseph Melendez, Eric Millegan, Brian Noonan (Les Miserables), Joe Paprella, Danny Rockett, Michael Seelbach (Footloose), Alexander Selma, Adam Simmons, David St. Louis, Shayna Steele (Rent), Max von Essen and Ashley Howard Wilkinson.

Australian Gale Edwards directs. In the West End, she directed the successful British revival and tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (which began in Newcastle) and Whistle Down the Wind. Other credits include the UK tour and Australian premiere of Aspects of Love and the Broadway-bound Peter Allen musical, The Boy From Oz. Anthony Van Laast joins her as choreographer.

Designing are Peter J. Davidson (sets), Roger Kirk (costumes), Mark McCullough (lighting) and Richard Ryan (sound). Lloyd Webber provided his own orchestrations.

Superstar, the musicalized story of Jesus Christ from Palm Sunday through the crucifixion, made its world premiere on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Oct. 12, 1971. It ran there 720 performances. The original London production ran for eight years and 3,358 performances, the fifth- longest running West End show. Songs from the piece include the U.S. chart hit "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Superstar."

-- By Christine Ehren