Music fans lucky enough to be at the Hollywood Bowl on opening night of Jesus Christ Superstar were treated to a performance that didn’t just meet expectations — it shattered them.
In a now-viral clip, Adam Lambert and Cynthia Erivo delivered a powerhouse duet as Judas and Jesus in the Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera. Their voices — raw, electrifying, and full of soul — captivated the massive outdoor crowd. And while some pushback emerged surrounding the casting of Erivo, a Black, queer woman, in the role of Jesus, the duo’s chemistry and vocal mastery silenced every doubt.
Watch their performance below.
Lambert, ever the showman, took the high-energy material and pushed it further with his signature vocal precision. But it was his duet with Erivo that truly brought the Bowl to its feet. From the tension in the harmonies to the emotion in their eyes, the performance was a theatrical gut punch and one fans won’t soon forget.
In an interview with Billboard, Lambert addressed the casting “controversy” head-on. “Cynthia’s brilliant. Her voice, presence, and simultaneous power and vulnerability absolutely blow my mind,” he said. “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.”
He continued, “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?”
Erivo, for her part, responded to the backlash with grace and humor. “Why not?” she told Billboard in June. “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.’”
The all-star cast also included Phillipa Soo, Raúl Esparza, and Milo Manheim, with Tony winner Sergio Trujillo directing and Stephen Oremus leading the musical direction. Even Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber himself was reportedly in the audience on opening night.
The result? A genre-defying, boundary-breaking version of Jesus Christ Superstar that not only honored its rock-opera roots but elevated them.
Lambert and Erivo didn’t just perform. They redefined what this show can be and in doing so, brought a powerful message of inclusivity, faith, and fearless artistry to one of the most iconic venues in the world.
And in case there was any doubt: yes, Adam Lambert still has the voice that can shake the stars.
