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Strip performer Tommy Sherlock hits the Smith Center with ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

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Tommy Sherlock, right, plays Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar.
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Liverpool-born singer and stage veteran Tommy Sherlock met his wife onstage, as one does in Las Vegas. “She came to see the show and sat in the front row. I pointed at her, did that sign for “You and me, drink after,” she gave me the thumbs-up and the rest is history,” he laughs.

That show was Tenors of Rock, featuring a quintet of talented U.K. vocalists performing classic rock favorites, and Sherlock helped open the show at Harrah’s Las Vegas in January 2017. In April of this year, it relocated to the Sin City Theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort, where it now runs Saturday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Sherlock is taking a break from Tenors, however. He’s playing Pontius Pilate in the 50th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, one of few classic stage musicals in which he hasn’t already performed on London’s West End or in a touring version. It was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse, and it comes with the extra bonus: a built-in honeymoon.

“I thought we’d spend our first year of marriage on the road seeing the United States,” he says. “I’ve never seen it really. I’ve toured all over the U.K., Europe and Asia, and I’ve loved living in Vegas for almost three years. But I also love seeing different sights and getting to do different things around the country. So I’ve got a job in one of the greatest musicals ever written, and I’m also getting to go on the road with my wife.”

Sherlock is also enjoying the hard-rocking interpretation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical. “I love doing musicals for the work of it, the rehearsals and the process,” he says. “I’ve done a few, but I have to say this is one musical I’ve always wanted to be part of. So as soon as the audition came up, I didn’t hesitate to fly to New York on a whim.”

Sherlock sounds excited to return to Vegas this week, when the tour lands at the Smith Center. This will mark his first time performing in Reynolds Hall. He’s already hit the stage at some impressive theaters in Texas and California during Superstar’s run so far, but he’s amped to do his thing in front of his new hometown crowd.

“I’ve become really good friends with so many people in Las Vegas over the last few years, and I can’t wait,” he says. “I’m from Liverpool, which is probably the most talented city in the world, with so many great musicians and writers living there. But the sense of unity and pride everyone has in each other’s work [here] just draws me back. I cannot believe the strength of the entertainment community in Las Vegas.”

That’s the element that will bring Sherlock back to Tenors of Rock when he’s done with this tour, and possibly plant him in Vegas for the long haul. “We absolutely love Las Vegas. It’s close to LA if you need to get over to audition or work, and we have quite a few friends who have bought homes now. It’s definitely become my second home.”

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR November 5-10, 7:30 or 2 p.m., $40-$128. Smith Center's Reynolds Hall Smith Center, 702-749-2000.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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