Review: Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert Lead Spectacular JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at the Hollywood Bowl

When it comes to the Hollywood Bowl's Summer 2025 production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice classic rock musical JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR—which opened August 1 for three sold-out performances playing throughout the weekend—there are just not enough superlatives to bestow upon one of the most astonishing, incredibly entertaining summer musical revivals this historic venue has ever presented on this stage. 

Seriously, this is so insanely good that future presentations of its annual summer musical will have a hard time topping it (though, personally, I still consider the Bowl's production of RENT from 2010 my favorite amongst the many they have mounted over the years).

A ferociously-performed, mesmerizingly robust new iteration that feels like an intentionally mind-blowing hybrid of arena-rock concert and musical theatre in its most explosive sense, this glorious production—directed and choreographed with caffeinated vigor by Sergio Trujillo—is appropriately amped-up both visually and sonically to fulfill its already elevated expectations, most notably starting with the jaw-dropping announcement that Emmy/Grammy/Tony winner (and recent greenified Oscar nominee) Cynthia Erivo is taking on the title role, followed by the revelation that Grammy nominee Adam Lambert (who recently—finally—made his Broadway debut in the current immersive revival of CABARET) will be belting high notes beside her as Judas, the man history has come to know as the ultimate betrayer. 

And to further stoke the hype, the star-filled production then later adds Phillipa Soo, Raúl Esparza, Milo Manheim, and Josh Gad into the mix (Gad, unfortunately, had to bow out a few days ago after testing positive for COVID, so John Stamos was immediately tapped to take his place for Opening Night).

So here's the immediate glaring difference between this and previous Hollywood Bowl summer musicals: while it has been a long-standing tradition to stunt-cast these shows with big, highly-recognizable marquee names in the entertainment world for the lead roles, they were almost always people who aren't necessarily known primarily for singing and/or musical theatre. Sure, they'll usually sprinkle in some legit Broadway vets for supporting roles or co-leads to, perhaps, even things out… but for the Hollywood Bowl's 2025 production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the casting feels like a more intentional, highly-supported directive to cast actual proven musical theater performers for every single role—and it definitely shows, even with such rock-concert-skewing machinations at play.

With a lead cast populated by extremely talented people with actual experience doing musical theater on stage—coupled with top-notch, eye-popping production values—this resulting Hollywood Bowl production made for an enjoyable program all around—from the superb singing and the rousing music, to its use of high-tech visuals and dynamic pacing. 

In their valiant efforts to revive this 1971 rock musical that reimagines Jesus Christ's final days leading up to his eventual crucifixion, Trujillo and his team have put together an impressive, brilliantly-staged, high-energy lights-and-sounds spectacular that aimed at being engrossing, high-caliber entertainment. Not only did they pull it off, they had a sold-out opening night audience of 17,000 utterly entranced and wowed after every single song. 

Yes. Every. Single. Song. 

At its starry, appropriately regal center, of course, is the gravity-defying Erivo, who, unsurprisingly, sounded absolutely flawless, both in her incredible singing and in her brilliant acting (yes, even the furthest seat a billion miles away from the stage witnessed her talents via giant jumbo screens). From her ethereal, fog-filled entrance befitting a rock star/god to her iconic, high-rising pose on the crossed-lightsabers crucifix during the show's finalé, Erivo commanded that stage and enchanted the audience with her superb vocal stylings (the riffs were there but not in sacrifice of familiar melodies) that has never been paired to that role before. She is just on an entirely different level as an artist.

The gender-bent conceit of her unconventional casting here isn't even brought up… Erivo is simply embodying this charismatic famous person from history—an almost otherworldly figure—rather than just, you know, some random man, and thus, did not feel the need to necessarily masculine-ize the performance, which is just such a great, boldly self-assured choice. It doesn't even really figure into the role at all—and her creatively-motivated performance of her version of Jesus is rooted mostly as an emotional feeling rather than a surface outer shell. 

Every fiber of Erivo’s acting and singing skills exploded out of the role, and it was just… wow. While many conservatives may predictably dismiss her work here, no one who witnessed this performance (or have watched the, ahem, bootleg footage) can ever doubt the talents of this black, openly-queer female artist who, apparently, can literally play anyone and slay and move masses to tears and cheers.

And while she was uniformly amazing throughout, Erivo does provide a lot of ohmigawwdd standout moments, including her vulnerable, guts-and-all performance of "Gethsemane" that receives a well-deserved extended standing ovation and a seemingly endless period of cheers and applause that went on for what seemed like 5 minutes or more. She doesn't break character (or does she?) until mid-way through this extended ovation, breaking out in an outburst of heartfelt appreciative tears knowing that the adulation she is loudly getting is for a job well done, and maybe a sigh of relief from all the anxieties that come with prepping to take on such a monumental, potentially groundbreaking task. Or, you know, she's expressing the heartbreak, confusion, and tumult that her character is feeling at the eve of his endgame.

Anyone doubting her staying star power stemming from Broadway and on the big screen has definitely been solidified here.

Equally enthralling, of course, is Lambert, whose Judas is a bonafide rock star saddled with a conflicted conscience. In the musical, Judas has always been seen as a person with a loyalty towards the overall cause rather than with the figurehead behind it, and Lambert amps that up with plenty of powerful, otherworldly vocal gymnastics that mirror that topsy-turvy struggle of needing Jesus to make better decisions and to just be a better person that their collective crusade warrants. 

Terrific vocals aside, Lambert is also quite a mesmerizing musical theater performer. But, my gosh, one sometimes forgets that this dude almost won American Idol for his power pipes and dramatic delivery. In this production, his impressive, wide-ranging voice heard LIVE! is still one of the best, most stunning, and most expressive you'll hear from a male singer working in concerts or on theater stages today. 

But what makes him a particularly awesome Judas is his palpably discernible dynamics in delivery—beautifully quiet and reflective in softer parts, decibel-defying and histrionic when Webber/Rice music and lyrics call for it. No wonder he's been tapped to front Queen—who else can sound/look that effortlessly fab and reach those stratospheric notes with such raw, emotional power?

Together, Lambert and Erivo are an excellent, dreamy dueling pair, enhanced further by the welcome additions of Soo as a sexy, empathetic, and street smart Mary Magdalene (her "I Don't Know How To Love Him" is so, so beautiful), a playful yet menacing Esparza as a snark-laced Pontious Pilate, and a swoon-worthy Manheim as the conflicted Peter. Also notable in the cast is Tyrone Huntley as Simon, whose outstanding vocal work during his solos in "Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem" elicited deserved, extremely ecstatic cheers (he is also the designated standby/understudy for Jesus, so the role seems to have been in good hands). Additionally, Operatic Baritone Zachary James's deep vocals as Caiaphas, America's Got Talent alum Brian Justin Crum's contrasting tenor as Annas, and Brad Sharp as their Priest associate also all make for intimidating, robe-clad threats against Jesus, bringing vocal drama with each interlude.

Kudos to Stamos who stepped in and donned a ridiculous wig and sparkly threads at the last minute to take over the role of buffoonish over-the-top King Herod, within what seems like a day's notice—and very little rehearsal time. He makes the best out of the playful, comic-relief role with his one featured number "Herod's Song." He does a fine job, but it also further stokes lots more curiosity of how Gad would have rendered his version of the role that many still feel was perfect casting. 

Luckily, as of the time of this writing, Gad has announced he will indeed be resurrecting, er, I mean, resuming the role after finally testing negative for COVID. I suppose us Opening Night patrons will have to settle for watching clips online of Gad's performance to make the comparison.

The rest of the supporting cast—made up of ensemble players and pit singers—is an excellent bunch. Their awesome dance moves are polished, intricate, and dramatically impactful and their vocal harmonies are just absolutely exquisite. The assembled 39-member on-stage band—conducted by the production’s adorably animated musical director Stephen Oremus—produced spectacular, often lush sounds throughout the evening, whether as gentle ballads, hard-rocking beats, or, surprisingly, soulful anthems.

If there is a weak spot to bring up, it might still be—at least for me—the exposition-heavy parts of the narrative imbedded into the musical itself that's expressed and laid out in song, which could get very abstract and confusing if you miss a word (or phrase) or two here and there. But, for the most part, we can all get the general gist of the globally-known story of who betrayed who, who doubted who, who followed who, who hates who, and who prosecuted who. The on-going power of this musical, after all, is its memorable music—and is only magnified by this well-executed production. 

Visually, this thrilling show is just as stunning as any high-priced, special-effects-filled concert from countless current pop stars, reiterating its modern arena rock concert vibe mixed with its edgy, pop-punk surface. And while, normally, projected animated backgrounds for me feel like an uninspired, economically-motivated go-to choice for musical theater shows, the use of them here—created by designer Peter Negrini—is just sensational and such a wow enhancement. Its showy integration with the industrial-flavored sets by Jason Ardizzone-West, Tyler Glover and Tyler Lambert-Perkins' arrestingly sublime lighting designs that really set the scenes, Emilio Sosa's hipster Dune-like costumes, and Jonathan Burke's soundscapes create a show environment around its cast that makes it such an extraordinary, full-throttle theatrical experience.

By the time the audience is awed and moved by the site of Erivo rising up on the cross during the climax of this spectacular production, everyone who experiences it will no doubt agree that this Hollywood Bowl JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will go down in theater history as the must-see theatrical event of the Summer of 2025.

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Photos by Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Phil / Hollywood Bowl.

Tickets to upcoming performances at the Hollywood Bowl may be purchased online at HollywoodBowl.com, by phone at 323-850-2000, or in person at the Hollywood Bowl box office. The Hollywood Bowl's 2025 season runs through Sunday, September 28, 2025. For tickets or for more information on the 2025 Hollywood Bowl season, visit hollywoodbowl.com.