The Wicked star will be performing in this landmark one-woman adaptation
BY VIOLET NEWTON-WILD, IMAGE BY FLICKR
Cynthia Erivo will play Count Dracula – and all 22 supporting characters – in a groundbreaking one-woman adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel. Adapted and directed by Kip Williams, Dracula is set to make its international debut in February at London’s Noël Coward Theatre in the West End. This innovative production will uniquely blend live performance with prerecorded video. Though Dracula is not a musical — disappointing Wicked fans — Erivo will showcase her versatility with one powerful song near the end, composed by Clemence Williams.
This performance marks Erivo’s return to the stage for the first time since her acclaimed performance as Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway, which earned her both a Tony and a Grammy Award. After a decade of success in Hollywood, Erivo explains that “returning to the stage feels like a homecoming, one that I’ve been craving for a long time.”
Beyond her roles on stage and screen, Erivo uses her platform to advocate for greater representation and visibility within the LGBTQIA community. A memorable moment came at the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, where she delivered a heartfelt tribute to the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando as well as honouring transgender women murdered in hate crimes, by performing John Lennon’s Imagine.
In 2022, Erivo publicly came out as queer and bisexual in a British Vogue cover story. In the interview, she expressed a strong commitment to shining a light on those who remain “invisible” in the LGBTQIA community. In March, her activism was recognised when she received GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award, presented to a “professional who has made a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” During her impactful acceptance speech, Erivo emphasised the importance of recognising and respecting non-binary pronouns.
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