Airdate: The Passion

New “Live” musical event The Passion, which has just been staged in the US, will premiere on Foxtel Arts on Friday.

An earlier announcement had flagged all territories except the US and Netherlands as being on Netflix.

Grammy Award-winning recording artist and singer/songwriter Seal has been cast in the role of Pontius Pilate in The Passion an inspirational two-hour epic musical event shot Live in New Orleans this week and broadcast on Foxtel Arts this Friday March 25 (Good Friday) at 3:00pm and encored later that evening at 8:30pm. It will be repeated on Easter Sunday, March 27 at 6am, 2pm and 6pm on Foxtel Arts.

Seal joins actor, writer, producer and New Orleans native Tyler Perry (The Haves and The Have Nots/ Gone Girl) who will host and narrate. Three-time Grammy Award winner Trish Yearwood has been cast as Mary, the mother of Jesus and joins singer/songwriter and actor Jencarlos Canela as Jesus Christ and multi-Platinum recording artists Chris Daughtry as Judas and Prince Royce as the disciple Peter.

The Passion, written by Peter Barsocchini (“High School Musical”), tells the 2000-year-old story of the last hours of Jesus Christ’s life on earth through passages from the Bible and a variety of contemporary popular music, sung by the cast, and arranged specifically for this event by executive producer and hit music producer Adam Anders (“Glee,” “Rock of Ages”).

FOX has teamed with dick clark productions, the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming, Eye2Eye Media and Anders Media Inc. to produce the event.

Set in modern day, the event will follow the dramatic and inspirational story of Jesus of Nazareth, as he presides over the Last Supper, and then is betrayed by Judas, put on trial by Pontius Pilate, convicted, crucified and resurrected.

The event will unfold live at some of New Orleans’ most iconic locations, while featuring a procession of a thousand people carrying a 20-foot, illuminated cross from outside the Mercedes Benz Superdome to the live stage at Woldenberg Park on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Passion is produced by dick clark productions, Eye2Eye Media and Anders Media. Allen Shapiro (CEO, dick clark productions), Mike Mahan (President, dick clark productions), Mark Bracco (Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, dick clark productions), Jacco Doornbos (CEO and Creative Director of Eye2Eye Media), Adam Anders (CEO, Anders Media Inc.) and David Grifhorst (“The Passion: Netherlands”) will serve as executive producers. Robert Deaton (“CMA Awards”) also will serve as executive producer and showrunner.

3pm Friday March 25 (Good Friday) on Foxtel.
Repeated at 8:30pm plus 6am, 2pm and 6pm Sunday on Foxtel Arts.