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Cynthia Erivo is looking back on playing iconic roles like Harriet Tubman, Aretha Franklin, and more. In a new video with Variety, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner is tasked with guessing the lines and lyrics from her former projects.
After being prompted to look back on her iconic “Defying Gravity” riff, Erivo politely declined, stating that she would like to talk about more than Wicked.
“I feel like I’ve spent the last two years talking about [Wicked] and I feel like we have the opportunity to start to talk about something else. Is that okay? I love Wicked, but I’ve just talked about it ad nauseam.”
Erivo was also handed lyrics to “I’m Here” from The Color Purple, which she won a Tony Award for starring in on Broadway. When asked if she would return to Broadway, she responded that she taking a break from theatre after starring in Dracula.
“I am currently and have just spent quite a bit of time on stage right now so I think I need some time away from it for a second.”
The 2025 Tony Awards host 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, 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.
2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats
Best Direction of a Play – Top 3
1.
Joe Mantello – Death of a Salesman
20.9% of votes
2.
Duncan MacMillan, Jeremy Herrin – Every Brilliant Thing
15.4% of votes
3.
Whitney White – Liberation
9.3% of votes
