Cynthia Erivo Does What “Security” Doesn’t

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo arrive at the
“Yellow Carpet” in Singapore

Curmie is behind, to say the least, in pretty much all things Pop Culture, and frankly isn’t much concerned about that failing.  Maybe it’s the “re-retiring,” this time almost certainly permanently; maybe it’s achieving septuagenarian status.  Whatever the reason, a fair number of big deal movies, for example, have gone unwatched.  Many, perhaps most, will stay that way: things Curmie should see are becoming increasingly replaced by things he wants to see.  Some few, however, are in the “someday” pile, films Curmie fully intends to see… eventually.

“Wicked” is in that category, and one suspects that its soon-to-be-released sequel will be, as well.  Curmie knows the basic story-line and that the two leads, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, are excellent singers; apparently, they’re both at least competent actors, too.  The films will be worth a look, even if musicals aren’t Curmie’s usual fare.

The pair of “Wicked” movies have also generated a fair amount of press for something that ought not to be particularly newsworthy: Erivo and Grande are actually close friends in real life.  Go figure, huh?  But that friendship really came to the forefront today in Singapore.  More on that in a moment.

Ariana Grande was already an established star in 2017 when Curmie became aware of her in a more substantial way than simply noting her fame.  On May 22 of that year, a suicide bomber killed 23 people (including himself) and injured over 200 (not counting about another 800 or more who were subsequently treated for psychological trauma) as people were leaving Grande’s concert in Manchester, England.  Victims included concert-goers and parents who were waiting to pick up their children from the event.  We heard about it here in the States, of course, but as it happens, Curmie arrived in London on university business a couple days later, and the coverage was unsurprisingly more extensive there.  Grande’s tweet after the bombing, “From the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words,” became, at the time, the most-liked tweet in the platform’s history.  Yeah, that’s fine, but it’s really only what would be expected.

Understandably shaken, and indeed suffering from PTSD, Grande cancelled part of her tour and flew home to Florida.  No one could criticize her for that.  It’s what comes next that matters.  Only a couple of days after the bombing, she announced a benefit concert.  Such events take time to organize.  Or, at least, that’s the Conventional Wisdom.  Not this time.  The One Love Manchester concert was held in Manchester at the Old Trafford Cricket Grounds less than a fortnight after the bombing, and included appearances by a host of well-known performers, including Grande herself, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That, the Black-Eyed Peas, and Liam Gallagher, among others.  A host of others appeared on video: U2, Paul McCartney, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Hudson, Twenty One Pilots, Dua Lipa, David Beckham, members of both the Manchester City and Manchester United football teams, and more.

The capacity 50,000 tickets were sold out in less than 20 minutes; fans who had attended the May 22 concert could apply to attend free of charge.   Manchester’s public transportation system offered free service to and from Old Trafford, and Uber said fares for fans travelling to or from the event would be donated to charity.  The event was streamed live to 50 countries, and the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund raised more than $23 million; not all of this was a direct result of the concert, but the lion’s share was.  And this doesn’t count the estimated £19 million raised by the British Red Cross during and in the immediate aftermath of One Love Manchester.  Oh, and Grande also donated proceeds from her singles “One Last Time” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” not so coincidentally the two songs that closed the benefit concert.

Here’s Dee Lockett, writing in New York’s Vulture section:

Less than two weeks after the attack, and with only a few days to privately process and mourn, Ariana returned to Manchester with an entire benefit concert she coordinated. ... She called in every favor, pulling in famous friends like Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber to show up for the grieving city. After meeting with a parent of one of the victims, Grande said she shifted the tone of the show from somber to celebratory because she understood that it was what her fans needed. ...

All night, Ariana performed without breaking, but that was when she had others by her side. ... When it was just her alone with her fans for her finale cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the floodgates opened. In what will likely go down as one of the defining moments of her career, she paused the song, looked out to her audience, which was already sobbing along with her, then resumed the music to nail yet another impossible note.

Yeah, Ariana Grande is Good People.

You know who else is?  Cynthia Erivo.  As the stars were arriving on the yellow (as in Yellow Brick Road) carpet for the Singapore premiere of “Wicked: For Good,” a young man leaped over the barrier, charged towards Grande, grabbed her and pulled her towards him.  We know who it was and what he looks like (he’s done this kind of shit before, most recently at a Katy Perry concert), but he’s seeking publicity for himself and Curmie will be damned if he’s responsible for even one person knowing his name.  This guy will be referred to here, now and forevermore, as Assclown Boy.

Remember, Grande still suffers from PTSD, so this assault had to be especially disturbing.  Plus, of course, she might weigh as much as 100 pounds after a big meal; she’s going to be pretty easily overwhelmed physically.  She was quite apparently shaken by the incident.  The so-called security team failed utterly.  Cynthia Erivo did not.  Responding both sooner and with considerably more urgency than the folks whose job it was to protect the stars, Erivo went Full Mama Bear, no doubt at some risk to herself, immediately interposing herself between Assclown Boy and Grande, pushing him away and screaming at him.  He’s lucky the security team did belatedly arrive on the scene, or ritual disembowelment might have been on the day’s agenda.  Fucking with Ariana when Cynthia is around is extremely contra-indicated.  (Michelle Yeoh gets credit, too, but it was Erivo who really took charge.)

No one can solve every problem or prevent every bad thing from happening.  And it’s easy to be empathetic if it doesn’t cost us anything more than a few hollow words.  What’s harder and far more admirable is to recognize what can be done and to do it.  Female singers don’t have a monopoly on this stuff, but a lot of them sure to seem to be good at it: Dolly Parton.  Taylor Swift.  Ariana Grande.  And now Cynthia Erivo.  Whether we’re fans of their music or not, we need to recognize that the world is a better place for their presence in it.