Cynthia Erivo to Play Jesus in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

38-year-old actress Cynthia Erivo, who was recently nominated for an Oscar, will play Jesus in the play "Jesus Christ Superstar."

According to Variety, the production will premiere in Los Angeles in early August. It will be directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the creators of the original rock opera that was staged on Broadway in the 1970s. Erivo has played the role of Mary Magdalene in other versions of the production.

On her Instagram*, Cynthia commented on her participation in the play: "A little busy this summer. Can't wait." However, after that, subscribers in the comments were outraged by such a choice for the role. In their opinion, Jesus should not be played by a dark-skinned bisexual** woman: "They chose the complete opposite of the image of Jesus", "This is unforgivable", "Like some kind of mockery", "I expected nothing less from Hollywood."

The choice of black actors for roles is often criticized online. For example, hate recently fell on 34-year-old actor Paapa Essiedu, who is rumored to play Severus Snape in the new Harry Potter series.

One of Erivo's most high-profile works is her role in the film "Wicked: The Tale of the Witch of the West", for which she received an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actress". Cynthia also writes and sings her own songs, and has about 9.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify.