A Black female Jesus and a gay Judas will shake up the Hollywood Bowl

Los Angeles Times

4 days ago

Adam Lambert sits on a rickety wooden chair just outside the main chapel at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on a break from rehearsing the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'
Dressed in beige shorts and a vest with matching mid-calf boots, Lambert wears his trademark glitter eye makeup with thick black liner. He's calm and collected, content to spend his lunch break chatting, even though the rehearsal schedule is a breakneck nine days total. He chalks up his easygoing demeanor to the high-wattage professionalism of the cast, and his familiarity with the music.
Lambert first heard the soundtrack on one of his dad's vinyl records when he was about 10 years old.
'I've always wanted to do that musical. I've always wanted to play Judas,' he says with a smile. 'And when they told me Cynthia [Erivo] was interested, I was like, 'Wow, this is gonna be crazy.''
Lambert, a fan-favorite 'American Idol' runner-up who began performing with Queen in 2011, plays Judas to Erivo's Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl production directed by Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo.
Josh Gad, who portrays King Herod, calls the cast 'the musical theater version of the Avengers.' He's referring to Erivo and Lambert, in addition to Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, Milo Manheim as Peter, Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate, Tyrone Huntley as Simon and Brian Justin Crum as Annas. The sold-out show runs from Friday to Sunday.
Judging from the ongoing commentary and controversy over the casting on social media, a queer, Black, female actor playing Jesus and a gay actor portraying Judas feel like a revelation to fans grappling with mounting concerns about civil rights in America. Over the last six months, the Trump administration has curtailed diversity, equity and inclusion programs and attempted to roll back key legal protections for certain members of the LGBTQ+ community.
'The challenge for the audience of seeing a female Black Jesus is so exciting. And we all feel the excitement,' says Lambert, adding that the show doesn't change lyrics or pronouns. 'Maybe it doesn't have to do with male or female. I don't really know if it matters what gender Jesus was, because it was about the teachings and the love and the connection to faith. So shouldn't it transcend gender?'
Power — who has it and who doesn't — has emerged as a defining narrative in 2025. That was also the case 2,000 years ago when Pontius Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, who posed a serious threat to the religious and political primacy of the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Romans. The 1971 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice imagines the final days of Jesus' life, including his agony, before he ultimately accepts his fate.
Gad is keenly aware of the notion of power as historic through-line as he approaches his titular number, 'Herod's Song,' in which the King of Judea coyly mocks Jesus before taking a frightening turn into true menace.
'This is a man who's so insecure he can't afford to let Jesus out of his chains in order to actually face him without the help of soldiers around him,' Gad says. 'My hope is that I'm getting to bring one of the greatest hypocrites to life in a way that will both make people laugh and also make them recognize that archetype.'
The musical was first released as a concept album in 1970 and played at the Hollywood Bowl in 1971, before debuting on Broadway later that year. During its run, protests outside the stage door were commonplace, and although the musical has reached the pinnacle of success over the years, it has remained controversial.
Big summer musicals have been a staple of the Hollywood Bowl since 2000, but the shows went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the exception of 'Kinky Boots' in 2022, 'Jesus Christ Superstar' is the first of what Bowl leaders hope will be an annual resumption of the beloved programming.
'We wanted to make sure that when we came back, it was the most spectacular thing we could do,' says Meghan Umber, president of the Hollywood Bowl and chief programming officer at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
'Jesus Christ Superstar,' was always at the top of the Bowl's musical wishlist but wasn't available until now, adds Brian Grohl, associate director of programming for the L.A. Phil.
'The number of titles that can sustain three nights at the Hollywood Bowl is a narrowed-down list already,' Grohl said, so securing the title resulted in a lot of jumping and shouting around the office. And when it came to who would play Jesus, Umber and Grohl both say Erivo topped the list. Her 'yes' made all the others follow.
Gad calls Erivo — who was not present at a recent rehearsal because of a previous engagement — a 'generational talent.' And he's far from alone. Talk to anyone on the cast or crew and they will immediately hold forth on her extraordinary gifts.
'I see the hand of God in her,' Trujillo says reverently. 'Even now, me being in the room with her, I hear it and I see it, and it is transcendent.'
Trujillo decided to go back to the musical's roots as a concept album and is staging the show as a bare-bones rock concert. Instead of elaborate scenic design, there are black road boxes, microphones and cords. Even the costumes are contemporary with nods to their lineage. A rhythm band will play onstage and a 37-piece orchestra will perform behind a giant LED screen that will create the illusion that the musicians are hovering in the sky above the action.
Keeping the show in the present and infusing it with the raw energy of youth culture was crucial to Trujillo's vision, he says, adding that in the spirit of rock 'n' roll, the musical 'reflects the turbulent political times that we're living in.'
'As I set up each one of the characters, they're at a microphone singing and then they take the microphone and they step into the scene. I always want to remind the audience that we are in a concert, but we're also telling the story,' says Trujillo. 'Every single person understands the opportunity that we all have to take this monumental story, this monumental score, and to do it justice. So everyone is coming at it with such goodwill and so much joy.'
At a Saturday rehearsal in the church gym, Trujillo's words ring true. The ensemble cast of more than 20 talented dancers and singers, in sweats and hoodies, run through 'What's the Buzz.' Gad watches and cheers from a table on the sidelines next to conductor and musical director Stephen Oremus, who smiles and nods his head with the beat.
'If you need me to stand in for Jesus, I'll do it,' Gad jokes.
Lambert mesmerizes the assembled crew and onlookers with a potent rendition of 'Heaven on Their Minds' and Soo brings tears with a heartfelt performance of 'I Don't Know How to Love Him.'
'The more time I spend with this musical, the more brilliant I understand it to be,' says Manheim during a brief break. The 24-year-old, who's gained a tween following after playing Zed in Disney Channel's 'Zombies' franchise, is part of the youth cohort Trujillo wanted to cast. He wasn't as familiar with the score as the older cast members — which is part of the point.
'It's cross-generational,' says Trujillo of the show. 'This is the gift that you give to your children and then it just gets passed on.'