Jesus Will Be Played by Queer Woman in Blasphemous Musical
By Movieguide® Contributor
While much of the world is currently overhauling years of liberal policy, Hollywood proves once again it is still all in on immorality as Cynthia Erivo is cast as Jesus in an upcoming production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Not only is choosing to cast a woman as Jesus extremely disrespectful, but Erivo has publicly come out as queer and embraced the lifestyle, making her casting even more blasphemous. Furthermore, Erivo’s previous role was as a witch adds yet another problem to her casting. While it is unclear if the whole point of this production is to cast roles across genders and highlight LBGTQ+ actors, the direction it has taken is already sacrilegious.
Loosely based on the final days of Jesus, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is a musical that is already questionable with blasphemous elements written into the story. Told from the viewpoint of Judas, the musical introduced problematic ideas such as a lusty Mary Magdalene, a Jesus who doesn’t seem to fully know his purpose, a sympathetic Judas who is simply misunderstood, along with no mention of the resurrection after Jesus’ death on the cross.
While taking on the role of Jesus will be Erivo’s first time leading the musical, she has engaged with it in the past. She sang the role of Mary Magdalene in the gender-bent all female record of the musical’s songs in 2017 and returned for part two of the album in 2020. The upcoming production of the musical will only run from Aug. 1-3 at the Hollywood Bowl.
Erivo’s decision to take on this disrespectful role is especially disappointing as she has previously shared how Christianity is important to her. She played Harriet Tubman in 2019’s HARRIET and was focused on bringing the abolitionist’s faith to life, something that many people gloss over. In doing so, she relied on prayer, something she said strengthened her own faith.
“The only thing I could do, really, to center myself was to pray,” Erivo said at the time. “I was listening to Gospel music just before I went in. As I walked to say that prayer, it didn’t feel like I was just saying it as Harriet. It felt like I was saying it as me…I think the thing that happened as that was happening and throughout, was my faith got stronger.”
It is incredibly disappointing that Erivo could have had that faith experience yet has now decided to take on the role of Jesus.
READ MORE: HARRIET’S CYNTHIA ERIVO ON HOW HER ROLE AS HARRIET TUBMAN REQUIRED FAITH IN GOD
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