After the curtain call, the entire cast took the stage to wish her happy trails by singing the gospel classic I Won’t Complain by Rev. Paul Jones. Led by Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo, and Antonyo Award winner Danielle Brooks, the emotional send-off was a Broadway Black moment to witness.

The cast also featured Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Jennie Harney as Nettie, and Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo. The production began performances at the Jacobs Theatre on November 10, 2015.

The post FLASHBACK! The Color Purple Revival Cast Sing ‘I Won’t Complain’ appeared first on Broadway Black.

Aida tells the story of two lovers who come from opposite backgrounds in Eygpt but despite all obstacles, they devote their love to each other until their last breath. Based on the opera of the same name, the show opened on Broadway in March 2000 and starred the incredible singer and actress Heather Headley.

Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, press releases announced that the show would return to the Broadway stage for a revival in 2021 with Schele Willams, an original cast member, as director of the production. While we patiently wait for the project to grow to fruition, we wonder what the cast would look like if told in a new, innovative, and ALL BLACK EVERY-THANG way?

Cynthia Erivo as Aida

Cynthia Erivo

Filling the iconic shoes of Heather Headley is NOT an easy task, so who’d better than another powerhouse voice such as Cynthia Erivo? The on-her-way-to-be EGOT actress has portrayed a wide variety of strong Black women on screen and on stage, so hearing her tackle classics such as “Easy As Life” and “Dance of the Robe” would give us more reasons to love her work!

Noah J. Ricketts as Radames

Photo courtesy of Courtesy Jacob Smith Studios

Noah J. Ricketts made his Broadway debut as a swing/replacement in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical but rose to fame in 2019 when he gained the starring role of Kristoff in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway. Ricketts. So let’s talk about UNDERRATED PERFORMERS! Noah’s rich, buttery tone has the level of fierceness to showcase Radames’s power as Captain of the Egyptian army while always showing the tender and complex side he develops when he falls in love with Aida.

Alysha Deslorieux as Amneris

Alysha Deslorieux

Another Broadway queen whose name we do not hear often…. but should. Queen Deslorieux has played a wide range of characters such as Andrea in Once on this Island, Deloris in Sister Act, and Eliza in Hamilton. Seeing her portray a role as deep and powerful as Amneris would take this show to the next level and her elegant and unique voice could take “I Know the Truth” to the Top 10 in no time.

Brian Stokes Mitchell as Zoser

Photo courtesy of Brian Stokes Mitchell’s official website.

Ragtime. Jelly’s Last Jam. Man of La Mancha. Kiss Me Kate. You name it- Stokes has done it. Brian Stokes Mitchell has graced Broadway’s catalog for over three decades and we would love to see him join the revival cast of a classic such as AIDA. His impressive baritone range would definitely bring a new, jazzy twist on “Another Pyramid”. As for portraying the father role to Ricketts, this would be one hell of a way to bring together the new generation of Broadway to the OGs that paved the way!

DeMarius R. Copes as Mereb

You last saw him play the vibrant Damian Hubbard in Means Girls on Broadway- and we would LOVE it see him take on Mereb in Aida. Mereb requires a young but capturing male who is first to recognize Aida as the Princess of Nubia. DeMarius’s fresh face and elegant voice in “How I Know You” could definitely pull all of this off.

DeMarius R. Copes

Nkeki Obi-Melekwe as Nehebka

Rising to fame as Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on West End, then as the alternate to Adrienne Warren on Broadway, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe brings a spark to the stage many do not see often. Her remarkable voice and dance skills add more fuel to the fire of a stellar cast for a long-overdue revival.

Photo: Emilio Madrid-Kuser

Nick Rashad Burroughs as Pharaoh

Give it up for strong Black men on Broadway! Nick has given us everything we’ve needed in Kinky Boots, King Kong, and Tina on Broadway, and bringing his rich voice and impeccable moves to Nubia as Pharoah would allow him to showcase the acting chops as well. *SPOILER* having to act like you being poisoned throughout the course of the show is not the easiest task for anyone.

Nick Rashad Burroughs

Rodrick Covington as Amonasro

Rodrick made his Broadway debut in The Lion King and rose to fame once more in the Tony-Award winning revival of Once on This Island in 2017. With the physical appearance and incredible dance ability, he’d make a great fit to portray the King of Nubia and fierce Nubian dancer in the production.

Rodrick Covington Headshot

If we have to search a hundred lifetimes, we will find the perfect cast for this highly anticipated revival of AIDA. Let us know who’d you like to see in the show!!

The post Dreamcasting: Aida appeared first on Broadway Black.

In an interview with Playbill about taking on the role of “The Witch”, Headley says, “My agent Joe Machota called me up. This is how he does it — Bodyguard, everything — he’s like, ‘Hey, I got something that I think you should do,’ and I’m like, ‘No.’ And he’s like, ‘Heath, it’s two weeks. By the time you’re going crazy… And, it’s “The Witch” in Into the Woods.’ And, I said, ‘First, again: No! Sondheim? No. I need like a year to figure that out. It’s not in my head.’ Sondheim: it doesn’t believe in the C Major chord, and I love the C Major chord. And, it’s so hard!”

But she’s come to have a new appreciation for the character; “I have to say that maybe five years ago, before I had my son, I wouldn’t understand “The Witch” as maybe ‘thoroughly’ as I am — not that I am understanding her thoroughly — but having both of them and being a mommy now has given me this different view of  “The Witch”. It’s been different to see her now from a parenting point-of-view and figure out that she’s not that crazy! Because I’m like, ‘I will do the same thing!”

As for a return to Broadway, “We were kind of looking at Bodyguard for a second, but I think they’re going to tour first, which I can’t do,” she explains, “but if it comes into New York, we’ll see. And, we’ll talk about that at that point. Aida was so good to me, and she spoiled me greatly, and Disney spoils me. I loved playing her, I loved being in that show with the cast that we had and everybody, so I think it’s just looking for that role. And, there are many times I think that way with Bodyguard. You read it, and you go, ‘That’s her.’ Even if you’re trying to pull away, you’re like, ‘Okay, that’s the girl. That’s the one.’ So I’m excited about that.”

The post Heather Headley Eyes Return to Broadway With The Bodyguard appeared first on Broadway Black.

This production is not only a beautiful telling of this story, but it allows for something that the recent film version did not — the inclusion of people of color in the cast. Too often in tales of the future, presumed antiquity, and even the realm of fantasy, artists of color are seldom seen. Sadly, this has been a long-standing tradition on stage and screen with a resolution only really beginning within the past decade.

Ken Page employs the humor and charisma that audiences enjoyed in Ain’t Misbehavin’ in his portrayal of “The Narrator,” and Heather Headley’s powerful and beautifully crisp voice wraps around Sondheim’s delicious music as  “The Witch.” The incredible ensemble fully inhabits a multi-dimensional set designed by Michael Schweikardt and bold, outstanding costumes by Andrea Lauer.

The outdoor Muny Theater in St. Louis has almost 11,000 seats, with 1500 of them offered free of charge for this production. Therefore, in every performance, audiences from all walks of life will not only be able to see an impactful story about humanity, they will be able to see humans of a different hue tell it — even some that look like them.

Directed by Gary Griffin (The Color Purple), this classic musical fable about wishes, choices, and consequences will run at The Muny in St. Louis’ Forest Park until July 27. For tickets and more information, visit www.muny.org.

Happily, The Muny has provided an extensive trailer for those of us who will miss this extraordinary production. Check it out below!

The post Look & Listen: Into The Woods with Heather Headley & Ken Page appeared first on Broadway Black.

The Bodyguard: The Musical was first mounted on the West End starring Tony Award winner Heather Headley (Aida, The Lion King) in 2012. The same director from the West End,  Thea Sharrock, will also direct the tour. Cox will star as Rachel Marron, the character made famous by Whitney Houston in the movie of which the musical is based.

We were expecting this musical to head to Broadway at some point but it doesn’t seem likely if the show is going straight into a national tour. However, you just never know what will happen.

Just In: @Deborah_Cox will star in The Bodyguard Musical National Tour as Rachel Marron starting in Fall 2016! pic.twitter.com/ai5rum5fR2

— Broadway Black (@BroadwayBlack) May 14, 2015

According to Playbill, Deborah Cox had the following to say:

“The opportunity to sing all of these songs that people have grown to love over the years — to share her legacy and her catalogue of music and bring it right to the people. I mean, ‘Bodyguard’ is one of my all-time favorite movies, and it just has the best music, and I think the show is going to be compelling and mysterious, and it’s going to have the backdrop of all this really beautiful classic music.”

Singing the music from the soundtrack made legendary by Whitney Houston, as we all know, isn’t the first time Cox will have had her voice around some of these tunes. Recently she sang the music for a Lifetime biopic on Houston’s life. The made for television film was directed by Angela Bassett and starred Yaya Docasta as Whitney Houston.

Read more of her interview to find out how she feels about stepping to this iconic role, what all she had to say about the life and death of Whitney Houston, and what the music means to her. READ HERE

Additional casting and cities will be announced at a later date. Visit TheBodyguardMusical.com.

Former Secret Service agent, Frank Farmer is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge – what they don’t expect is to fall in love… Based on the smash‑hit film, this breathtakingly romantic thriller features a whole host of irresistible classics, including One Moment in Time, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and, of course, the legendary I Will Always Love You.

Watch the trailer of The Bodyguard: The Musical from when Heather Headley starred in the show on the West End below.

The post Deborah Cox To Star In The Bodyguard National Tour appeared first on Broadway Black.

Mike Isaacson, the artistic director and executive producer of the theatre mentioned that Headley took his breath away when he saw Aida and that she was a “singular performer” according to the article. The director of this production Gary Griffin had a few words as well.

“Heather’s extraordinary talent, passion and humor will be thrilling in this role,” Griffin commented. “When we met to talk about the part I was thrilled by her ideas and energy. She’s going to give The Muny audience a once in a lifetime experience.”

Celebrating its 97th season, the MUNY is the largest outdoor musical theater venue in America, and some of Broadways best stars have graced its main stage, including Jennifer Holiday.

The role of the witch has been made popular as of late by thee Meryl Streep who took on the role in the recent movie version

This is definitely something worth seeing. Are you trying to make your way to St. Louis?

The post Heather Headley Will Go Into The Woods appeared first on Broadway Black.

Headley earned a 2013 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the superstar diva Rachel Marron, a role made famous by the late great Whitney Houston in the 1992 film.

The burning question: When will the Lion Queen, Nubian Princess, and Queen of the Night continue her reign on Broadway?

According to the New York Post, The Bodyguard producers are eying a Spring 2014 Broadway debut, but a date has yet to be confirmed.

It really doesn’t matter what Heather Headley does on Broadway–she can stop, drop and roll in the middle of Times Square eight times a week–we just want her back home.

Come home, Heather.  We’ll be good to you, promise.

The post Heather Headley May Return to Broadway with The Bodyguard appeared first on Broadway Black.