Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Controversy, Explained

Cynthia Erivo is going from Wicked Witch to Holy Messiah, having been cast as the role of Jesus Christ in an upcoming adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, with the announcement sparking online backlash.

Erivo, who recently played the messianic-but-misunderstood Elphaba Thropp in Wicked, is confirmed to play the title role of the 2025 Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which will run August 1-3 in Los Angeles.

Jesus Christ Superstar, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, has proved controversial with religious groups before, but the casting of Erivo provoked fierce online commentary.

The criticism ranged from bemused reaction GIFs to angry accusations of blasphemy, with many commentators upset that a Black queer woman was cast as Jesus Christ.

Others dismissed the backlash, and pointed out that Erivo’s casting wasn’t particularly unusual for an adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, and that angry commentators were missing the point.

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Has Always Been Controversial

Jesus Christ Superstar was controversial with certain religious groups from the very beginning, with the musical drawing regular protests during its first run in 1971.

However, many Christians love Jesus Christ Superstar, and the musical has proved hugely popular with a wide range of audiences, holding the record for longest-running West End musical (before being overtaken by Cats in 1989), and inspiring two feature film adaptations.

The rock opera is a secular take on the final days of Jesus, and is written as a somewhat provocative, subversive story, but does not outright mock the teachings of Christianity.

However, some Christians have criticized the musical for de-emphasizing the divinity of Jesus and showing Judas as a sympathetic character.

Notably, the musical depicts Jesus as a somewhat messy, conflicted man and very much humanizes the Biblical figures that surround him.

This isn’t the first time that Jesus Christ has been played by a female actress in Jesus Christ Superstar—in fact, Erivo previously sang the role of Mary Magdalene on two all-female She Is Risen concept albums in 2017 and 2020.

While Jesus is often depicted as a white man, he was Middle Eastern, born in Bethlehem—scholars and historians have been debating his appearance for a very long time, but perhaps it doesn’t matter, as the image of Jesus has proved surprisingly malleable, shifting depending on the cultural context.

Jesus Christ Superstar is not a direct adaptation of the Biblical tale, and it isn’t trying to be—it’s a work of fiction that uses the story as a template.

Jesus has appeared in countless works of art and media, and has been mocked, parodied and revered many times over. His appearances in South Park and Family Guy are surely more distasteful than his role in Jesus Christ Superstar.

The most important attribute for a performer cast in the title role of Jesus Christ Superstar is the ability to sing, and Cynthia Erivo certainly meets the criteria.

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