Playing the Hollywood Bowl for a three-day run this weekend. Adam Lambert has defended the casting of Cynthia Erivo as Jesus in the latest star-studded rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Drawing considerable backlash, the casting of a Tony-winning Black LGBTQ woman in the eponymous biblical role sees Erivo channeling the Christian Messiah along with Lambert, who plays traitor Judas.
In recent interviews with Billboard, the 42-year old Lambert said:
“Cynthia’s brilliant. Her voice, presence, and simultaneous power and vulnerability absolutely blow my mind, and working with her has been a dream.””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.” “Jesus Christ Superstar is supposed to provoke and challenge, that’s the point. And shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus transcend gender?”
Addressing the discourse when she was first cast as Jesus back in February, the Grammy award-winning Erivo 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 realise, ‘Oh, it’s a musical, the gayest place on Earth.'”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Rhododendrites