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. Was Cynthia’s performance a strive to push that agenda forward, or simply a coincidence? Difficult to pinpoint, however, you’d have to be oblivious to ignore how both parties complemented each other’s unwavering, brilliant musicianship.
“Her talent is a shining example of how art has the power to move the soul as we all know it,” Welch added before inviting Michael Francis, The Florida Orchestra’s musical director, to the platform.
Appearing in a sleek, blue dress, the barefoot singer opened the night with a touching rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” singing with such effortlessness, the majority of the guests wiped a few tears from their eyes.
The 38-year-old informed the audience of her single house rule: “I’d like to ask you to join in from time to time. That actually means join in. Sometimes, there will be songs where I will need you to join me. And I will look to you, and we will [try], and we will practice. If the practice does not work, we will practice again. We will sing out loud and be brave.”
Francis and Erivo’s playful demeanor with the crowd allowed attendees to settle into their plush maroon chairs, while each extended mutual respect to the other’s cues, solidifying the professionalism in theater venues, which can miss performances in arenas or stadiums.
Tending to Elphaba who Erivo plays in “Wicked,” she transitioned into “I Put a Spell on You.” The crowd stared back at her, under that spell, mouths agape, enchanted by her ethereal voice and playful humor. 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, extending gratitude by covering their songs with ease, spicing up the covers with that distinct Erivo sound. She especially favored musical numbers from Miss Aretha Franklin. “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)” incited an audience battle over who could shout “I love you” the loudest to Erivo.
Typically, this kind of behavior elicits a quick response from the performer. They ignore the comments or flash a look of annoyance, depending on their mood, eager to continue singing. But Erivo accepted the praise, laughing with each shout-out. She demonstrated her acting skills with improv responses, claiming she likes the kind of competition where whoever loves her the most wins.
Erivo explained she’d gain even more brownie points if she kept singing. Silencing the rambunctious crowd with a clean, mesmerizing rendition of “Ain’t No Way,” she reserved the final minute of the song for a spread of crisp falsettos.
She crooned, “Birds flying high, you know how I feel,” a clever way to hush up the rambunctious bunch. Although asking 2,000 people to remain quiet for any amount of time is a feat not even the songstress can manage.
“How you feel, girl?” an audience member planted in the balcony shouted. Erivo met the guest with a chuckle again, illuminating her capability of handling audience outbursts by acknowledging the guest, yet never compromising her insane vocal ability.
Honoring the original intro of the bluesy pop song “Feeling Good,” she danced through octaves void of orchestra backing, which crescendoed the audience’s excitement (metaphorically), and the orchestra’s instruments (literally).
Second acts of shows may reflect an artist’s teetering energy level or focus. Not for Cynthia. The second segment of her show elevated her talent with intense performances of “I (Who Have Nothing)”—where she performed a life-altering demonstration of vocal runs to the lower register resulting in a collective, “Wow” uttered from the crowd– the best rendition of “Purple Rain” minus, of course, the original from Prince (RIP to His Royal Badness), “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “Alfie.”
“I think she’s my new favorite human,” a guest in the orchestra whispered to her neighbor. That thought resonated with the crowd, considering each song resulted in a standing ovation.
During the second act, a child seated in the first few rows of the orchestra screamed, “Good job,” causing Cynthia to whip her head, scanning for the culprit. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” she asked in her British lilt, her eyes descending on the kid responsible for the praise.
Simultaneously, an older man seated to the right of the child stood up, shouting for recognition, too. “Steve,” the man yelled over the child’s high-pitched, quiet answer. Erivo laughed, “Steve, give me a second… I’m dealing with sweetness here.”
After learning the child was six, Erivo replied, “That is the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. You just yelled out, ‘good job’…. Mom and Dad, well done.”
Erivo swiveled back to Steve. “Now Steve,” she stared him down, collecting audience laughter. Steve buckled, starstruck. The man eager for attention couldn’t muster a single word. “Thank you, Steve, for coming today.”
Many artists refuse to interact with their audience, driven by the sole purpose of performing their setlist, then leaving the stage. Erivo takes the time to learn select audience member names, recognizing their unique contributions to the show, because what is a live show without audience/artist involvement?
A mix of flabbergast and childlike wonder blankets the crowd at live musical performances—a feeling all ages are subject to. Take Steve and the six-year-old as a prime example. Music has no age.
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This article appears in May 1-7, 2025.