Review: Jimmy Choo-less Cynthia Erivo Opens Keith Lockhart's 30th Pops Season in Spectacular Fashion

It's fair to say that the Zeitgeist gods were smiling down on Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops with their choice for the opening night guest for the start of his 30th year as the orchestra's conductor. Could there be a more in-the-moment star than Cynthia Erivo? After one false start when she didn't appear after Lockhart called her name, she confidently strode across the Symphony Hall stage dressed in a simple black dress with a plunging neckline adorned with gold jewelry. Surprisingly, what was missing were her Jimmy Choos. She was barefoot.

What also was surprising were the songs not on her set-list. Erivo sang nothing from either the film "Wicked" (for which she was Oscar-nommed in a performance that has made her an international sensation) or "The Color Purple" (the musical that made her a star and won her a Tony Award). Nor were there cuts from her first album, "Ch. 1, Vs. 1," released in 2022, or from her upcoming (June 6) sophomore outing, "I Forgive You." Instead, her list was comprised of covers of titles from some of the best (mostly) Black female vocalists of the 1960s and 1970s (the exception being Barbra Streisand).

It was a Black Diva Homage by the latest Black diva who possesses seemingly limitless vocal prowess, superb musicality, and emotive delivery. Put simply, she's a triple-threat: A pop singer, a jazz stylist, and a Broadway actor, all in one. She didn't disappoint in a set that stretched over the full Pops evening. (Usually, the guest artist only performs in the second half.)

At the onset, Lockhart led the orchestra in two pieces – the dynamic mambo from Lin Manuel-Miranda's "In the Heights," and a medley of Broadway tunes associated with dance master Jerome Robbins, both served up with the expected Pops gloss. Then Erivo appeared (belatedly) and tore into "Don't Rain on My Parade" with such fierceness it left you wondering, "Barbra who?"

Next, she referenced Nina Simone with stunning bluesy versions of "I Put a Spell on You" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," two lesser-known R&B songs that Simone helped make more famous.

Erivo's versions of Aretha Frankin's well-known "I Never Loved a Man" and the less well-known "Ain't No Way" played to the gospel richness of both, and to the seemingly limitless depth of Franklin's voice, which was something that Erivo could ably evoke. (Erivo played Franklin in the eight-part National Geographic series "Genius" in 2021. When the two met up in 2016, Aretha told Erivo, "Oh you, you can sing!") She ended the first half with a jazzy "Feelin' Good" (an iconic Nina Simone cover) that Erivo made a joyful noise all her own with her full-throttle vocal.

In her second half, she paid tribute to Dame Shirley Bassey ("I Who Have Nothing"), Etta James (a radiant "At Last"), and Roberta Flack ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), the latter sung with luminous, hushed reserve, notably during the a cappella first verse – a remarkable moment that got a nod from Lockhart. Her friendly rapport grew as the concert continued, which made it easy for Erivo to recruit the audience as back-up singers for the Aretha classic "Natural Woman."

Her lush version of Dionne Warwick's "Alfie," beautifully accented by the orchestral arrangement, brought out the lyrics' pathos. When Erivo felt the rhythmic hook played by the xylophone to kick off "I Can't Stand the Rain" wasn't quite right, she calmly corrected the orchestra, then sang Anne Peeple's 1973 pop hit her way.

Perhaps Erivo had been made aware of Boston's Spring, because she concluded with three songs dealing with rain: First, the great "Stormy Weather," the song introduced by the great Ethel Waters nearly a hundred years ago, in an interpretation that was more jazz than Broadway. Next came two by Prince – his title tune from "Purple Rain" and "Nothing Compares 2 U" (famously covered by Sinéad O'Connor), both rendered with such pop insight you were left wondering if there is anything Erivo couldn't do on the concert stage.

As she linked arms with Lockhart, it was all too clear they had developed a remarkable creative rapport with each other in very little time – and with the audience, as well. No one, it appears, cared that she did not sing "Defying Gravity." She just defies it every time she sings.

Cynthia Erivo appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart, on May 8, 2025, at Boston's Symphony Hall. For upcoming concerts this Spring season, visit the orchestra's website.