Adam Lambert Defends Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Casting

Adam Lambert is championing Cynthia Erivo in Jesus Christ Superstar, regardless of backlash surrounding her casting because the titular position.

In Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical, the Tony Award winner portrayed Jesus alongside the American Idol alum as Judas on the Hollywood Bowl for the primary three nights of August. 

When information of Erivo’s casting was introduced, it was criticized as a result of she is a Black queer girl. However, Lambert doesn’t share the identical issues, and admitted in an interview with Billboard that he was “excited by the challenge” of the Oscar nominee main Jesus Christ Superstar.  

“Cynthia’s brilliant. Her voice, presence, and simultaneous power and vulnerability absolutely blows my mind and working with her has been a dream,” he mentioned. “I’m excited by the challenge of presenting the audience with a production led by a female, Black ‘Jesus’ and encourage the audience to expand their minds a bit.”

Lambert added, “Originally utilizing rock and roll, Jesus Christ Superstar is supposed to provoke and challenge, that’s the point. And shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus transcend gender?”

The Wicked star beforehand responded to the backlash of her being solid as Jesus within the musical in a June interview with Billboard. 

“You can’t please everyone,” Erivo mentioned. “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.’” 

Jesus Christ Superstar kicked off its consecutive three-day run on the Hollywood Bowl on Friday evening. Erivo will subsequent been seen on the silver display screen within the extremely anticipated Wicked: For Good, the followup to Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, on Nov. 21.