On Wednesday, a crowd of excited fans braved cold temperatures to catch a glimpse of Cynthia Erivo, the star of Wicked, who was honored as Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year.
Wrapped in a parka and showcasing her signature long fingernails, Erivo waved and blew kisses to the cheering crowd as she rode through Cambridge in a car with costumed members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Fans eagerly handed her red roses, held up signs celebrating her, and some even gave her kisses on the cheek.
The lively half-hour parade included marching bands, a mechanical bull in the back of a pickup truck, and members of the Blue Man Group, who added to the festivities by shooting colorful confetti into the air.
“She’s such an icon,” said Onovughakpor Otitigbe, a 21-year-old Harvard student from New York who joined the crowd to celebrate Erivo.
“She has accomplished so much for Black women, particularly in theater,” Otitigbe shared. “As a Black woman in theater myself, it was truly incredible to finally see her in person. Oh my gosh, I took so many selfies. My friend and I were following her from the beginning to the end of the parade.”
A few hours later, Erivo was presented with the Pudding Pot award during a roast in her honor. The event featured a series of comedians who cracked jokes about the length of Wicked, before they were quickly escorted off stage. Erivo then participated in a finger-painting challenge, where she created an abstract piece that was meant to represent her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande. The fun continued as she wowed the crowd by belting out a few notes in a singing competition, before receiving her blue Pudding Pot from the Blue Man Group. One member was dressed as a witch, while another used a leaf blower to make her cape dramatically flow. Finally, she received the official Pudding Pot.
Erivo described her day as “fantastic” and later shared with reporters that being recognized by a theater group for her work was a great honor.
Erivo shared that receiving the recognition meant a lot to her, explaining, “Theater doesn’t really leave you—the craft you love, the work you put in, the standards you build. It helps shape the work you do on screen… To be recognized for my stage work means a great deal. It shows that it’s still shining through, which is quite nice.”
In addition to her role in Wicked, the British star is a two-time Oscar nominee and has won an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award.
Erivo first rose to fame with her standout performance in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, which earned her the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She performed songs from the show on the Today show, which led to a Daytime Emmy win for outstanding music performance. The musical’s soundtrack also took home the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2017.
In 2022, Erivo starred in and produced Drift, a film about a young Liberian refugee who escapes her war-torn homeland to a Greek island. She was also nominated for an Emmy in 2021 for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic series Genius: Aretha.
Hannah Frazer, the Coordinator for the Man and Woman of the Year Events, expressed excitement ahead of the celebrations, saying in a statement, “We are holding space for Cynthia Erivo’s arrival. We’re cleaning out our broomstick closets and preparing some wicked humor as we eagerly await her in February. Before she leaves with her Pudding Pot, she’ll need to work a little magic to earn it.”
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, founded in 1844, claims to be the world’s third-oldest theater group still in operation. Following the celebratory roast, Erivo was set to attend the performance of the group’s 176th production, 101 Damnations.
Actor Jon Hamm, best known for his role as Don Draper on Mad Men, was named the 2025 Man of the Year. He received his Pudding Pot on January 31.
Since 1951, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals has honored actors with its Woman of the Year award, with past recipients including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson, and Annette Bening.