Cynthia Erivo at the Hollywood Bowl: Covering Barbra & Whitney; Introducing Co-Star Kylie Minogue and Never Standing Still (7 Best Moments)

Never let it be said that Cynthia Erivo lacks nerve. She opened her Hollywood Bowl show on Thursday (Oct. 15) with covers of “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” the Barbra Streisand show-stopper from Funny Girl, and “I Have Nothing,” Whitney Houston’s power ballad from The Bodyguard. If Erivo didn’t quite match the sizzle Streisand brought to “Parade” or the vocal firepower Houston delivered on “I Have Nothing,” let’s be fair: Who on earth could?

Erivo, 39, was signaling that she would like to be considered in that company. Her show at the Bowl — her second time headlining the landmark venue — established that she deserves to be. She was warm and personable throughout the set. She was always in motion, walking the length of the catwalk and venturing into the audience more than just any performer this side of Bruce Springsteen. She certainly got her steps in.

Erivo engaged in improvised vocal riffing near the end of several songs. The first time or two it was impressive, but she overdid it. By about the sixth time, it became tedious.

In one of those extended outros to a song, Erivo told the audience (in song) that just four days before the show, she had a chest infection and no voice. “I held on to the hope that anything can happen,” she sang. That hope was fulfilled because Erivo was in strong voice on show night. She sang parts of several songs with little accompaniment, and borrowed a trick from Dionne Warwick, who often pulls the mic far away from her mouth to show that she really doesn’t need amplification.

The show left me wondering why Erivo hasn’t had more recording success. She has yet to crack the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and her second studio album, 2025’s I Forgive You, spent just one week on the Billboard 200 (at a less-than-impressive No. 165). When is her recording success going to catch up to her fame and stature? (Erivo has won two Grammys, a Tony and a Daytime Emmy and has received three Oscar nods.)

Erivo was backed by the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, consisting of studio musicians who work on Hollywood soundstages, conducted by Anthony Parnther. Mark Meadows is her musical director.

Here are the seven best moments from Erivo’s Hollywood Bowl concert.

• Covering a Personal Hero

  Erivo prefaced “A Song for You” by saying “I have resisted this song for a long time.” The Leon Russell classic has been recorded by many great singers, including one of Erivo’s heroes, Donny Hathaway, on his 1971 album Donny Hathaway. Erivo pointed out that the R&B great’s daughter, Kenya Hathaway, was present, adding to the pressure. Later in her set, Erivo sang “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know,” a song from Blood, Sweat & Tears’ 1968 debut album that Hathaway covered on his 1975 album Extension of a Man.

• Looking to the Future

  Erivo kept the focus on the present and future. She didn’t even mention — much less perform anything from — such past successes as The Color Purple, Harriet and Wicked.

  She plugged Bad Fairies, an upcoming animated musical film (due next May) that she will star in. She referenced “Hard to Believe,” which she sings in the film as the lead character Jayne Staplegun. The film also stars Jonathan Groff and Kylie Minogue. The Australian superstar was in the Bowl audience. During one of her forays into the audience, Erivo introduced her and the two women hugged.

• Passing the Bond Audition

  With her powerful voice and effortless cool, Erivo would be a natural to sing a James Bond theme. As if to audition for the role, she sang “License to Kill,” title song from the 1989 Bond film starring Timothy Dalton. The song was sung in that film by Gladys Knight.

• Bringing Back Disco

  Erivo sang the Ashford & Simpson song “I’m Every Woman,” which was introduced by Chaka Khan in 1978 and covered by Whitney Houston on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Erivo’s discofied version was a treat, and suggested that if Erivo had been around in the disco era (she was born in 1987, about eight years after the scene peaked), Donna Summer would have had some competition for her Queen of Disco title.

• A Duet Which Sparked an Idea

  Erivo sang “Remember Me” with Manana, a South Africa-based singer, songwriter and producer who has worked with such artists as Burna Boy. Since she covered so many classics in her set, I half-expected them to follow “Remember Me” with a cover of the 1972 Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway gem “Where Is the Love.” Not a bad idea.

• Going Back to Childhood

  Erivo said that when she was 11, her favorite album was Brandy’s Never Say Never. Erivo sang the closing track on that album, a cover of Bryan Adams’s “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” which David Foster produced.

• Doing Prince Proud

  The last song in the set before the encore was Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” “I do it all the time [because] it’s true,” she said by way of introducing the powerful ballad.

• The set list

  “Wonderland” (Stevie Wonder Medley) (orchestra only)

  “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Barbra Streisand cover)

  “I Have Nothing” (Whitney Houston cover)

  “Fields of Gold” (Sting cover)

  “License to Kill” (Gladys Knight cover)

  “At Last” (Etta James cover)

  “Let Me Go” (Mykal Kilgore cover)

  “Feeling Good” (Nina Simone cover)

  “A Song for You” (Donny Hathaway cover)

  (intermission)

  Bad Fairies segment

  “In the Air Tonight” (Phil Collins cover)

  “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan cover)

  “You First” (from her album)

  “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” (Donny Hathaway cover of a Blood, Sweat & Tears song)

  “Remember Me” (Manana cover) (with Manana)

  “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin cover)

  “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (Brandy cover of a Bryan Adams song)

  “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince cover)

  Encore: “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney Houston cover of a Dolly Parton song