{"id":2404198,"date":"2025-02-19T11:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T16:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-wicked-star-to-play-jesus-in-blasphemous-musical-at-hollywood-bowl\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T11:37:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T16:37:39","slug":"woke-wicked-star-to-play-jesus-in-blasphemous-musical-at-hollywood-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-wicked-star-to-play-jesus-in-blasphemous-musical-at-hollywood-bowl\/","title":{"rendered":"Woke &#8216;Wicked&#8217; Star to Play Jesus in Blasphemous Musical at Hollywood Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwoke-wicked-star-to-play-jesus-in-blasphemous-musical-at-hollywood-bowl%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2404198&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>British \u2063singer and actress Cynthia \u2062erivo will star as Jesus Christ in the upcoming musical &#8220;Jesus Christ Superstar&#8221; at the Hollywood Bowl, scheduled\u2062 for August 1 to August 3.This production\u2064 will explore artistic interpretations of Passion Week and the dynamics between Jesus and Judas Iscariot. erivo, who recently played Elphaba\u200c in &#8220;Wicked,&#8221; expressed her excitement for the role on Instagram. She previously portrayed Mary Magdalene in a 2020 all-female version\u200b of \u2062the same musical.<\/p>\n<p>The musical will \u200cbe directed and choreographed\u200c by Sergio Trujillo, with Stephen Oremus as the conductor and musical director. The casting of Erivo,who is a Black,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/survivor-host-asks-contestants-if-saying-come-on-in-guys-is-still-okay\/\" title=\"\u2018Survivor\u2019 Host Asks Contestants If Saying \u2018Come On In Guys\u2019 Is Still \u2018Okay\u2019\">queer woman<\/a>,has sparked discussions about the portrayal of Jesus in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-romanticize-your-life-tik-tok-trend-is-a-gen-z-rejection-of-postmodernism\/\" title=\"How The \u2018Romanticize Your Life\u2019 Tik Tok Trend Is a Gen Z Rejection Of Postmodernism\">contemporary culture<\/a>,with some critics highlighting perceived disregard for traditional depictions of\u2063 Christ.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Erivo&#8217;s casting is seen as \u200cpart \u2062of a broader trend where contemporary performances frequently enough invoke\u200c modern social themes \u200bover traditional representations. This has \u200craised eyebrows\u2063 among some Christian groups, who feel that Christianity\u200d is often subject to scrutiny and mocking in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">modern media<\/a>. Erivo&#8217;s role in this iconic musical is anticipated to draw \u2062notable attention and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-to-investigate-gamestop-stock-surge\/\" title=\"White House to investigate GameStop stock surge\">discussion surrounding<\/a> its artistic and cultural implications.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo is slated to play Jesus Christ in the musical &ldquo;Jesus Christ Superstar&rdquo; at the Hollywood Bowl this summer.<\/p>\n<p>Erivo&rsquo;s performance in the play, which centers on creative liberties surrounding Passion week and the supposed relationship between Jesus and Judas Iscariot, will occur between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3, according to a Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2025\/film\/news\/cynthia-erivo-jesus-christ-superstar-hollywood-bowl-1236311644\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from Variety.<\/p>\n<p>The actress, who most recently played Elphaba in the musical &ldquo;Wicked,&rdquo; said via Instagram that she is &ldquo;just a little busy this summer, can&rsquo;t wait,&rdquo; the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p>Erivo previously played Mary Magdalene in an all-female rendition of &ldquo;Jesus Christ Superstar&rdquo; back in 2020, according to Variety.<\/p>\n<p>Sergio Trujillo will serve as director and choreographer, while Stephen Oremus will work as conductor and musical director, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodbowl.com\/events\/performances\/3605\/2025-08-01\/cynthia-erivo-in-jesus-christ-superstar?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=later-linkinbio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a> for the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Many Christians have plenty of their own complaints with the way <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pardoned-pro-life-protester-reunites-husband-young-daughter-incredible-scene-thank-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jesus<\/a>, his death, and his resurrection are depicted in &ldquo;Jesus Christ Superstar&rdquo; &mdash; even under normal circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>But the choice of Erivo, a black woman who self-identifies as &ldquo;queer,&rdquo; certainly smacks of even more disregard than usual for faithfully depicting the person and work of Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>Erivo, if you could not already tell, is also extremely woke.<\/p>\n<p>She and &ldquo;Wicked&rdquo; co-star Ariana Grande embarked on an interview tour last year where they hyped up apparent &ldquo;queer&rdquo; themes in the musical.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oz is a very queer place,&rdquo; Grande said last year alongside Erivo in an <a href=\"https:\/\/glaad.org\/watch-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-jonathan-bailey-jeff-goldblum-and-more-talk-wicked-oz-is-a-very-queer-place\/#:~:text=When%20discussing%20the%20LGBTQ%20community's,It's%20always%20been%20queer.%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview<\/a> with GLAAD.<\/p>\n<p>Erivo, meanwhile, reminded &ldquo;queer fans around the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-arent-upset-biden-is-senile-theyre-mad-they-cant-hide-it\/\" title=\"Media Aren&#039;t Upset That Biden Is Senile, They&#039;re Frustrated They Can&#039;t Conceal It\">world&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that &ldquo;you deserve all the good things, that your difference is what makes you special, that your queerness is beautiful, that I love you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She reiterated to self-described homosexual and transgender fans that &ldquo;Elphaba is just like you, and she understands what it feels like to be alone and to feel different, but that doesn&rsquo;t make you any less special than you were born to be.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The choice of Erivo to play <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/super-bowl-quarterbacks-publicly-praise-jesus-media-event-lord-savior\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jesus Christ<\/a> is no accident.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s as if the organizers of the performance sought out the most transgressive actor they could possibly find to infuse the character with the spirit of the age rather than the Holy Spirit, which actually empowered Jesus&rsquo; earthly ministry.<\/p>\n<p>We continue to see that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christian-apologist-appeared-rogan-podcast-says-god-something-incredible-behind-scenes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christianity<\/a> alone is the one religion that Western cultures are allowed to mock, even though Christianity is the foundation on which Western culture is built.<\/p>\n<p>If Erivo were cast to play the prophet Muhammad, for instance, the world would be in an uproar.<\/p>\n<p>As Jesus said, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/rick-warren-called-twisting-scripture-make-political-point-embarrassed-call-pastor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">world<\/a> hates His disciples because the world hates Him.<\/p>\n<p>Erivo is about as worldly as one can get at this moment in our culture, so you can imagine how exactly she will honor Jesus in her performance.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo is set to portray Jesus Christ in the musical &#8220;Jesus Christ Superstar&#8221; at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, with performances scheduled from August 1 to August 3. The production explores creative interpretations of Passion week and the alleged relationship between Jesus and Judas Iscariot. Erivo, who recently played Elphaba in &#8220;Wicked,&#8221; expressed her excitement on Instagram about being busy this summer. Previously, she portrayed Mary Magdalene in a female-led version of &#8220;Jesus Christ Superstar&#8221; in 2020. Sergio Trujillo will direct and choreograph the show, while Stephen Oremus will serve as conductor and musical director.<\/p>\n<p>Many Christians have voiced concerns about how Jesus&#8217; story is represented in &#8220;Jesus Christ Superstar.&#8221; The casting of Erivo, a Black woman who identifies as queer, has raised eyebrows regarding its faithfulness to depicting Jesus&#8217; character. Known for her progressive views, Erivo previously discussed themes of queerness alongside her co-star Ariana Grande during interviews promoting &#8220;Wicked.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>The decision to cast Erivo as Jesus seems intentional, reflecting contemporary cultural values rather than traditional religious ones. This situation highlights how Christianity often faces mockery within Western culture despite being its foundational belief system; a similar casting choice for another religious figure would likely provoke significant backlash.<\/p>\n<p>As noted by Jesus himself, His followers are often disliked by the world because it rejects Him. Given Erivo&#8217;s current cultural stance, it&#8217;s uncertain how she will represent Jesus in her role<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2404199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Cynthia-Erivo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50670,50671,50471,10915,5558],"class_list":["post-2404198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-blasphemous-musical","tag-hollywood-bowl","tag-jesus-2","tag-wicked","tag-woke"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Cynthia-Erivo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2404198"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2404202,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2404198\/revisions\/2404202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2404199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2404198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2404198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2404198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}