Cynthia Erivo performs with the Florida Orchestra in St. Petersburg, May 3, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Florida Orchestra.
In Monday’s (5/5) Tampa Bay Creative Loafing, Gabrielle Reeder reports, “Fresh off ‘Wicked’ promo, and months before releasing her solo album, ‘I Forgive You,’ on June 6, Cynthia Erivo stunned a packed Mahaffey Theater last Friday night. Erivo, an Oscar shy of EGOT status, joined the Florida Orchestra for an exploration into her vocal artistry. The evening coincided with a mayoral speech from St. Pete’s Ken Welch, who explained St. Pete hopes to establish the Mahaffey Theater as the Florida Orchestra’s permanent home.” Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis led the concert. “Appearing in a sleek blue dress, the barefoot singer opened the night with a touching rendition of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ … Francis and Erivo’s playful demeanor with the crowd allowed attendees to settle into their chairs, while each extended mutual respect to the other’s cues … Though the artist didn’t perform ‘Defying Gravity’—you can thank copyright for that—her vocals defied expectations. Erivo paid respects to a catalog of the best names in music, like Nina Simone, Prince, and Harry Warren … by [performing] their songs with ease, spicing up the covers with that distinct Erivo sound. She especially favored musical numbers from Miss Aretha Franklin.”
