Cynthia Erivo to Star in THE ROAD HOME Musical Directed by Bill Condon

Cynthia Erivo is teaming up with director Bill Condon for The Road Home, a musical drama centering on real-life musicians Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba and Hugh Masekela and their Graceland band, Variety reports.

The movie follows trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who is pulled between two worlds after a boycott from the Anti-Apartheid Movement against his friend Paul Simon over his Graceland album. The boycott is led by Masekela's mentor, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, who claims that Simon violated the United Nations’ Cultural Boycott with his township music-inspired album. In response, Masekela unites with Makeba for the creation of the Graceland band in an effort to bring the voice of South Africa to the world.  

Actor and producer Thabo Rametsi will play Hugh Masekela, with Academy Award nominee Guy Pearce as Trevor Huddleston. The movie will feature the music of Masekela, Makeba and Simon, with Hilton Rosenthal producing new recordings of songs from their catalog for the soundtrack.

Condon is no stranger to music-driven projects, having directed Dreamgirls, Beauty and the Beast, and 2025's Kiss of the Spider Woman, as well as serving as a writer on Chicago and The Greatest Showman. The Road Home will feature an original screenplay by Michael Bronner, from a story by Michael Bronner and Zakes Mda. The movie is being financed by Studiocanal. 

This marks the latest in a long line of recent and upcoming onscreen projects for Erivo, following her turn as Elphaba in the two-part Wicked movie. Forthcoming films include Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone, Suzie Millier's Prima Facie, and Othello. 

Erivo is currently starring in a solo production of DRACULA, now playing in London's West End. In this new adaptation from director Kip Williams, Erivo plays all twenty-three characters in the Bram Stoker tale. The production is running at the Noël Coward Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, for 16 weeks until Saturday 30 May 2026. 

Erivo is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and producer, as well as an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG nominee. For her performance in Wicked, Erivo received numerous accolades, including at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. She made her Broadway debut in 2015 as Celie in The Color Purple.