First published 2024
Cynthia Erivo discovers her passion for performance at age five when she sings "Silent Night" alone on stage during a school Christmas production. Born in South London, she nurtures this early love of music and theater through years of dedicated training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her professional journey takes her from London stages to Broadway, where she transforms into Celie Harris in The Color Purple and wins the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The Grammy Award follows for the cast recording. Erivo then steps into the role of freedom fighter Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet, earning her first Academy Award nomination. Her career reaches new heights when she takes on the green-skinned Elphaba in the movie adaptation of Wicked. Crystal Hubbard traces this remarkable path from a young girl's first solo to international stardom, showing how talent, training, and determination can carry someone from South London to the biggest stages in the world.
Genres: biography, drama, african-american, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: rags-to-riches, underdog
Setting: Broadway, London, South London
Period: 21st-century
56 pages · Paperback · Penguin Workshop