Cynthia Ervio is a name that seems to be appearing in headlines often within the past year. Erivo, best known for her role as Elphaba in Wicked (2024,) and Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019,) is a talented British actress and singer with a show-stopping voice. To anyone who has had the privilege of hearing her sing, it’s no surprise that she’s being offered roles left and right.
The latest path taken in her acting career is a broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is best known for creating popular musicals such as Cats (1981) and The Phantom of the Opera (1986.)
Jesus Christ Superstar originally ran on Broadway in 1971 for a little under two years before its final show. Now in 2025, JCS will be making its return to the stage with a new, show-stopping cast, including Cynthia Erivo front and center as Jesus Christ himself… or herself, in this case.
Jesus Christ Superstar is a notoriously controversial show for many reasons, most of which revolve around the plot of the show. JCS is a show that tells the biblical story of Jesus Christ and his final days before his crucifixion, but with a twist. The show is told from the perspective of Judas, who many christians believe to be an antagonist in the story of the bible.
The reason people believe JCS to be “controversial” is because the show explores Judas’ perspective, rather than the one previously told in the infinite depictions of the well-known tale. Alongside this comes many other plot points that christians believe to be offensive, or “non-christian.” including the hinted romance between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, and the portrayal of Jesus as a flawed man, rather than the literal god he is.
With all of the controversies surrounding this show’s premise, people were even more heated when it was announced that Cynthia Erivo, a Nigerian woman, would be starring as Jesus Christ, who is more often than not, depicted as a white male.
Christians have taken to the internet, especially over the platform X to express their disdain towards this casting choice, including spewing hateful comments such as:
“Blasphemous displays of christ”
“Did you know that Jesus was actually a bald, black, vegan, lesbian woman? News to me!”
“Hollywood’s mockery of Christ continues. Disgusting and demonic.”
It is unclear as to which comments are upset about Cynthia Erivo being a black woman, and which are upset under the presumption that Erivo was only cast to make a mockery of Christianity, and where those two things cross into one another.
This is not the first time Jesus Christ Superstar has been under controversial fire. During its 1971 run, there were countless protests outside of the theater it was being shown in. Christians and Jewish groups together protested this show for many reasons, including the previously mentioned plot points.
Jewish groups specifically protested JCS due to the anti-semetic themes within the show. Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee were especially concerned that the show’s depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion as the fault of Jewish leaders, would lead to the reignition of anti-semitism.
Despite the controversy, the show remains to be well-loved and highly successful, which may or may not be the case for Cynthia Erivo after Jesus Christ Superstar.
