‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Tour Suspends James D. Beeks After Actor Is Charged With U.S. Capitol Siege | lovebscott.com

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Tour Suspends James D. Beeks After Actor Is Charged With U.S. Capitol Siege

Actor James D. Beeks has been suspended from the touring production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ after he was arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

James, whose stage name is James T. Justis, portrayed Judas in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

via Variety:

When not crossing the boards, Beeks was also apparently an affiliate of the Oath Keepers, the far-right anti-government militia organization that participated in the Jan. 6 riots. Beeks paid dues to the group in December 2020. According to a statement from the “Jesus Christ Superstar” producers, Beeks is “…suspended from the company indefinitely pending the outcome of the hearing. The production is giving its full cooperation to the authorities while the investigation is ongoing.”

Beeks is also a Michael Jackson impersonator with Broadway credits that include “Kinky Boots,” “Aida,” and “Ragtime.”

Beeks was arrested in Milwaukee this week, where “Jesus Christ Superstar” was performing. According to his arrest warrant, Beeks participated in the attack on the Capitol while wearing a “BAD” world tour jacket. He also carried a homemade shield and was part of a group of rioters who tried to breach the Senate chamber.

Beeks was listed as a cast member of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Tuesday, but his bio has now been taken down from the show’s site and a new actor is listed as playing Judas.

In an October interview with Equality365, Beeks said that he was working on a book called HisStory about his experiences growing up as a foster child. He also described the influence that Jackson had on his career.

“I went to a Michael Jackson concert and saw him live when I was younger,” Beeks said. “I remember thinking: ‘I want to do something like this,’ but didn’t know how or when.”

Now, he should’ve known they were going to find and make an example out of him.

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