After her breakout performance in Wicked, the world finally got to learn what theatergoers have known for a long time: Cynthia Erivo is a musical star. She blew audiences away with her performance as Elphaba, as reviews for Wicked and her 2025 Oscar nomination show. However, there was some backlash over her landing the role, and now, as she takes on a new musical endeavor, she’s facing criticism again. Now, she’s shared her thoughts on the matter.
Wicked: For Good is set to release on the 2025 movie schedule toward the end of the year; however, before that, some will have the chance to see Cynthia Erivo lead another musical. This summer, she’ll be playing Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
The actress opened up about the role too while discussing how her identity as a queer Black performer has impacted her career. She explained to Billboard that she hasn’t felt much pushback from people over parts she’s earned. However, it was different with this, as she faced “conservative outrage,” as the outlet put it, over her casting. In response to this criticism, the Tony winner said:
Why not? You can’t please everyone. It is legitimately a three-day performance at the Hollywood Bowl where I get to sing my face off. So hopefully they will come and realize, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.’
The story also noted that Erivo explained that “most of those comments don’t seem to understand the critical lens of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.”
Casting choices like Erivo playing Jesus are becoming more and more common in theatrical productions, too. To name just one current example, Sarah Snook is currently playing every character in The Picture of Dorian Grey on Broadway.
This whole situation also isn’t the first time The Color Purple actress has faced backlash over a part she earned. When she was cast as Elphaba in Wicked, there were people who questioned her casting and called it a “woke hire.” In response to that, she told Elle:
There have definitely been conversations about me getting this role as a ‘woke hire.’ I had to audition, just like everybody else. And I’m glad I had to do that. I have the credentials for it. I’ve done the work. But I’m glad they got to be sure about the choice. It allows me to take this, and to know that I had to work really hard for it.
Based on the remarkable box office success of Wicked as well as the love it received from critics and fans alike, Erivo and that entire cast proved that they deserved the roles they earned.
Along with this, she also faced backlash in the months leading up to the film's release over comments she made about an AI Wicked poster.
So, overall, Cynthia Erivo has had to face and handle backlash. And when it comes to her most recent project, she seems pretty unbothered by the criticism. As she said, she’s going to sing her “face off” as Jesus while Adam Lambert plays Judas, and all around, it seems like it will be an excellent production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biblical rock opera.
So, if you are in Los Angeles, you can see Cynthia Erivo as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl on August 1, 2 or 3.
You can also see her on TV and likely singing this weekend, as she hosts the Tony Awards, which will air on CBS or for those with a Paramount+ Premium subscription on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET. Then, she’ll be back as Elphaba and on the big screen when Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21.
Clearly, she’s booked, busy and unbothered by the haters. Now, she’s set to sing her heart out on so many different occasions, including at the Hollywood Bowl as Jesus.
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