Cynthia Erivo Superstar!

By Reese Villella

When it was announced in February that Cynthia Erivo would be playing the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (henceforth: JCS) at the Hollywood Bowl, I was ecstatic. Though I’m not as much of a musical theatre person as I was in middle/high school, I’ve always loved Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work, and I adored the 2018 Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC with John Legend, Sarah Bareilles, and Brandon Victor Dixon. The music is beautiful, and Cynthia Erivo has the voice of an angel! I was practically salivating at the thought of her singing “Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say).” Sure, a woman playing Jesus isn’t a conventional choice, but we’re talking about a rock musical about the last days of Christ. So convention isn’t exactly the priority here. Plus, Erivo’s otherworldly talent could justify just about any nontraditional choice. Surely, I thought, the only thing the public will be focused on is how magical her performance is, right?

…Right?

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Of course not. Conservative Christians have already declared her casting blasphemous, offensive, and a mockery of their faith. Some are using the moment to rehash their decades-old grievances with JCS itself, branding it a “demonic” insult to Christianity. One user on Twitter summed it up by referring to Erivo and co-star Adam Lambert (who plays Judas) as “an abomination to God.” Another person posted a video from the production asking, “Why does this feel evil? Why does her left hand feel as if it’s a demonic claw?” So, those are acrylic nails…

Before we wade into the swirling waters of race, gender, religion, and sexuality, a quick note: I am a queer white woman. I’m not particularly religious (I’d call myself agnostic), but I was baptized. I’m not writing this as a theologian, nor am I claiming a spiritual monopoly on the Jesus conversation. I come to this as someone who values media literacy, pays close attention to how conservatives critique pop culture, and champions women and queerness in mainstream media.

Here’s the thing: JCS is not a parody, not a “gotcha” aimed at Christians, and certainly not a stealth atheist manifesto. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in 1970, it’s a rock opera telling the story of Jesus’s final days, centering on his relationship with Judas. It was controversial at the time for two reasons: (1) it told a biblical story using rock music, and (2) it dared to portray Jesus as human and conflicted rather than as a perfect marble statue. But the tone is reverent. It is not at all a satire, as some are claiming in light of this recent production. 

If anything’s “offensive,” it’s that the guitars might be too loud for your grandma’s taste. And as musical crimes go, that’s barely a misdemeanor… just wait until you hear about Jerry Springer: The Opera.

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Yet here we are in 2025, and certain conservative Christians are pearl-clutching as if the musical just dropped yesterday. This is a show that’s been performed in schools, churches, and community theatres for decades. If its mere existence is offensive to you, then you’d also have to protest Godspell or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And don’t even start on film portrayals like The Passion of the Christ or The Last Temptation of Christ, both of which stirred their own theological debates, but never prompted the kind of all-out boycott we’re seeing here.

One of the go-to talking points from the anti-JCS crowd right now is that “woke Hollywood” only mocks Christianity and would never “make fun of” other religions. “Make fun of” is a generous way to put it, but sure, if simply portraying religion onstage is mockery, then how do we explain Fiddler on the Roof (which engages with Jewish tradition), Falsettos (which includes a Passover seder), or The Producers (which contains an entire song called “Springtime for Hitler” and was embraced by Jewish audiences for its satire)? You know why these shows don’t spark conservative meltdowns decades later? Because those audiences understand nuance.

And speaking of other faiths, let’s address the elephant of Latter-day Saints in the room: The Book of Mormon. Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s juggernaut is a direct, unapologetic lampoon of Mormonism. It’s bawdy, raunchy, and intentionally outrageous, yet many Latter-day Saints embrace it, recognizing it as comedy first, theology second. This is a show that contains some of the most profane lyrics ever aimed at God, and it’s been running for over a decade. So if that is considered palatable, how is JCS, a sincere, poignant musical, suddenly the pinnacle of religious disrespect?

This brings us to Cynthia Erivo. She is one of the most technically flawless and emotionally arresting vocalists alive. Yet somehow, this is the casting choice that’s “demonic”? Interesting that the outrage wasn’t this loud when Jim Caviezel played Jesus. Is it Caviezel’s white skin, blue eyes, and the time he called Trump “the new Moses” that really sell him as JC? This isn’t the first time a person of color has portrayed Jesus. In NBC’s JCS Live in Concert, John Legend not only played the role but won an Emmy for it, completing his EGOT. Actor Evan Tyrone Martin has also portrayed Jesus to great acclaim in the musical. 

I guess that means we need to have the “Was Jesus white?” conversation.

Historically speaking, the odds are slim. Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jewish man living in first-century Palestine. Archaeological and anthropological evidence suggests darker skin, dark eyes, and features consistent with the region, not the fair-skinned, blue-eyed figure popularized in Western art. So if “accuracy” is the argument, the inaccuracy started long before Cynthia Erivo stepped onstage.

Yet here we are, with people saying things like, “Far closer to Nosferatu’s shadow than the divine light of Christ. God will not be mocked.” First of all, his name is Count Orlok. Second of all, if the criteria for looking like Count Orlok is being bald and having long nails, then I guess every bald celebrity had better be super on top of their nail clipping routine. This isn’t even a theological argument, it’s just a long-winded way of saying “she doesn’t look like I want her to.” And, by the way, I bet you conservatives’d love it if Count Orlok played Jesus. He’s a vampire! They don’t get whiter than that. 

Artistically, does race matter when casting religious or historical figures? It depends on the production’s goals. JCS has never been about literal accuracy; it’s always aimed for universality, themes that transcend one ethnicity or moment in history. Diverse casting only strengthens that universality.

So maybe the real issue is that she’s a woman!

That’s the sticking point for many critics. No woman has played Jesus in a major JCS production before. But theologically, there’s no reason the embodiment of Jesus’s message must be male. Theatre has a long history of experimenting with gender in casting. Girls’ schools have staged all-female JCS productions for decades. And if the essence of Jesus’s message is compassion, humility, and love, qualities not tied to the Y chromosome, why should gender be a dealbreaker?

In terms of the gender conversation, some critics seem less concerned with theology and more eager to hurl playground insults. One post called her “hideous” and “demonic-looking” because, of course, it’s easier to reduce a woman to her appearance than to actually engage with the art she’s making. Ah, but here’s the trump card (so to speak): “She’s queer!” 

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Indeed, Erivo is openly queer, as is Adam Lambert, playing Judas. Conservatives have lumped this fact into their larger “woke agenda” narrative, as if queer actors in religious roles are some kind of spiritual contaminant. But theatre has been shaped by queer artists for as long as there’s been a stage. The idea that queerness desecrates religion says more about the accusers’ prejudices than about the art itself. In the words of Mike Nellis: “If your faith is so fragile that it can’t withstand two queer people singing their faces off in a rock opera, you’ve got bigger problems than the culture war.

To top it all off, a user posted an AI-generated picture of Erivo as a demon, prompting another user to reply that it was “frightening.” Imagine having a genuine fear reaction to an AI image of an actor playing a role. This is where we are now: people sincerely believing that Grok has a direct line to the spiritual realm. We might actually be in hell.

The outrage about Cynthia Erivo’s casting as Jesus is about a lot of things, but blasphemy is barely one of them. This controversy reveals how deeply intertwined religion is with culture, identity, and power. Queer women, people of color, and other marginalized groups have long been excluded from sacred narratives, yet their experiences bring vital perspectives that challenge and enrich these stories. Recognizing the place of intersectionality within religion doesn’t diminish tradition; it revitalizes it. In a world that’s increasingly diverse, embracing inclusive casting choices like Erivo’s isn’t “woke BS,” it’s a great casting choice that has been overshadowed by racism, sexism, and homophobia.