Cynthia Erivo has been accused of 'using teleprompters' to remember her lines in the latest West End's Dracula adaptation.
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The Wicked icon, 39, plays Van Helsing, Dracula himself reaching a total of 23 characters played in the sole show.
The play kicked off at Noël Coward Theatre in London, but first impressions left many viewers 'disappointed' after spotting the star was being 'fed her lines', according to The Telegraph.
Disgruntled theatre-goers raced to social media, as Reddit, and various West End blogs to share their opinions, writing:
'I saw it last night and was SO disappointed. Interesting point about the last 30 minutes—I spent that time just wondering when the show was finally going to be over. I’m normally such a fan of theatre, but I left frustrated at spending £70 on a ticket, honestly'.
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Another fan replied to the comment echoing: 'Same I tried so hard to get into it and I just couldn’t.'
Cynthia Erivo, 39, has been accused of 'using teleprompters' to remember her lines in the latest West End's Dracula adaptation
The Wicked icon plays Van Helsing, Dracula himself reaching a total of 23 characters played in the sole show
Another pointed out: 'I wish I hadn't bought an early on ticket for this.
On my night there were technical issues and staging problems but worst of all Cynthia was struggling with remembering her lines and place in the script (despite visible auto cues on either side of her).
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'In my opinion, it was just a retread of the Dorian Gray experience with a weaker story line.
'I'm sure the issues will be ironed out in a couple of weeks and it will be fabulous and I totally accept that if you go for a ticket at the start of a run you have to be prepared for mishaps but honestly it was disappointing.'
Meanwhile, others were quick to raise the autocues were simply removed after the early performance.
The Daily Mail has contacted The Noel Coward and Cynthia's representatives for a comment.
Cynthia made a return to the stage with her one-woman show following a disastrous press tour for the fantasy films, which saw her co-star Ariana Grande, 32, ridiculed over their 'creepy' behaviour.
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In the gothic snap the actress can be seen with a red wig styled into finger waves while also sporting a pair of fans and her trademark acrylic fingernails.
The play kicked off at Noël Coward Theatre in London, but first impressions left many viewers 'disappointed' after spotting the star was being 'fed her lines'
Disgruntled theatre-goers raced to social media, as Reddit, and various West End blogs to share their opinions
No stranger to the West End Cynthia made her debut in The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg back in 2011, before winning the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in The Colour Purple.
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She recreated that award-winning role for the Broadway production and scooped the Best Actress In A Musical Tony in 2016.
Cynthia could finally start to receive the glory she deserves in her new one-woman following a disastrous Wicked press tour.
Since the release of Wicked in 2024 and its sequel last year, she and Ariana have been lambasted with criticism over their behaviour during the promo blitz.
Cynthia, who starred as Elphaba, and Ariana, as Glinda, were snubbed of an Oscar nomination this season despite the rave reviews the movie has received.