Jesus Christ Superstar songwriter Tim Rice has voiced his support for Cynthia Erivo ahead of her leading performance in a new production of the hit musical over this summer.

Tim and Andrew Lloyd Webber co-wrote the rock opera together in the 1970s, with Cynthia set to play Jesus in an updated version of the show at the Hollywood Bowl later this year.

However, when the news was announced last week, manynewsoutletsreported on a supposed “backlash” from some critics upset about the idea of a woman playing the role of Jesus.

During an interview on LBC on Monday, presenter Nick Ferrari remarked that “some people were saying that was a bit of a stretch”, to which the EGOT recipient agreed: “It is a bit of a stretch, but I think it’s quite exciting.”

Hailing Cynthia as a “wonderful performer” and “great singer”, Tim was then asked: “But Jesus doesn’t have to be a man?”

“I don’t think so,” he insisted. “Nobody knows exactly what Jesus looks like and probably the image of Jesus a lot of people have is probably inaccurate.”

Tim continued: “It’s an opera and it’s an established work [so] I think there’s no earthly reason [it can’t be done].

“I mean I’ve seen it done by women before. The first time I saw it was at my daughter’s school, an all girls school. And it really worked, and they were amateurs and they were teenagers.”

He added: “I think [in] a piece that is established, there’s no reason it can’t be done in lots of forms, and I think Cynthia, who is one of the best singers on the planet, will do a great version.”

When the host questioned whether this meant Petula Clark could play Nelson Mandela on stage, his guest responded: “It could be. It’s unlikely, but, yes, absolutely. Why not?”

Cynthia does already have a connection with Jesus Christ Superstar, after performing the role of Mary in an album recording of the musical featuring an all-female cast.

After a huge year that saw her winning massive acclaim for her leading performance in Wicked, it looks like Cynthia has an epic 2025 ahead of her.

In addition to her Jesus Christ Superstar role, she’s heading into the Oscars this week as a third-time nominee for her performance as Elphaba, and has already landed another exciting gig for later in the year.

She’s also poised to release her debut album of original material, after which she’ll be back on the big screen as Elphaba in the movie musical sequel Wicked For Good.