Beginning May 2nd, Woods will step into the role of Audrey. No stranger to Skid Row, she returns to this production after having originated the role of Chiffon in this 2019 Off-Broadway revival. In this interview, she talks about how she got here to this full circle moment, all she’s learned, and how she hopes her work impacts future artists. Check out the full interview below.

Broadway Black: Joy! Joy Joy!

Joy Woods: That’s me!

Broadway Black: Talk to me about this full circle moment. How did we get here?

Joy Woods: Well, we opened in 2019. We were in previews when I graduated college (AMDA). I was 19 years old. I was only in school for a year and a half, so there was still so much to learn. And those six months we had to do the show before the pandemic was a dream. We all got so close really fast. We baked bread every day, and we were always laughing. Always, always. And then the pandemic happened. And I had so much life to live because I was 19, freshly 20, and didn’t know what I was doing with my life, with theater, everything. I was go, go, go. I was doing workshops, I did a City center show all right as the pandemic hit. So when we went back in September 2021, I was about to be 22. I’d lived, I’d loved, I’d have my heart broken. I traveled, and I was just a little bit older. We came back. It was really nice to revisit and meet everybody again. By that point, I was in a place where I could do the show and have a life and learn about myself and be a person at the same time while learning how to do all this.

And then it got to a point where one of my deepest fears is like, I’m in a show and I don’t feel like I’m learning anything. And so I asked the producers if I could cover Audrey, and they said yes.

BB: Wow! Girl, What??

JW: Yeah, we were out. And I said  “Why not me? What would be the thing that would keep me from doing this?” COVID was happening, and we were running out of covers, and I was like, I think this is the perfect time for me to say something. And it ended up going well. 

But I think, like, a week after it was added to my contract, I booked SIX (Broadway). So I’d only gotten to go on maybe three or four times before leaving. I’d gotten, like, two and a half rehearsals, and then I was put on, and then we just didn’t have any more rehearsal after that because I was just going on, and it was fine. Because when you’re in the show for three years, you know it you know it like the back of your hand.Which is why the put-in today is hilarious.

And then I left. I did SIX. I learned my voice. I never thought I was much of a singer, but I learned about myself and about my body. And leaving from six to do The Notebook (Chicago), I learned. I loved more, I hurt more, I grew more. And I’m just really grateful for the time that I’ve spent away from Little Shop because it’s made coming back so much sweeter every time. And the last time I was doing Ronnett, and when I left this January, I thought, oh, that’s my last time. And then a week later, they asked if I could come back to do Audrey. And I was like, how much? (laughs)

But yeah, even, like, leaving to do Dreamgirls (North Carolina Theatre), there is so much that I learned.

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BB: Yes. Dreamgirls. You sounded fantastic. I wish I could have been there. Tamara Jade, who played Effie, is a good friend of mine.

JW: Hopefully, she’ll be here on the 17th. We have a press opening. She’s trying to make it over. But we all got really close there, too. 

I think being in Little Shop was so important in teaching me how to navigate community in a show when these are the people you see every day. You want to act like you’re family, but you need to respect everybody’s boundaries as well. Like, you saw the dressing room. All the girls share one. And the boy’s dressing room, they’re all together, so it can get really ugly really fast. 

But this has been the first time where unrest is something we can navigate together, and I’m really appreciative of that. And I just hope that I can continue to be a role model or a leader in that way, creating community and keeping it intact, and making sure that show’s on stage while also being able to learn and do laundry. 

Like, last night, I was sitting panicking about the put-in, writing in my notes all these thoughts, all these notes that I might have. All this feels good, to grow and learn. I’m really enjoying learning here, and it’s really great that I haven’t stopped learning.

BB: As someone who has now played all of the roles in Little Shop of Horrors, what would be the best piece of advice that you can give to help someone navigate this show?  

JW: I would say that the show itself, the material itself, is so good, all you have to do is listen to what it says, and the missing piece is you. How do I put this? It’s all there. You don’t have to try to dig for anything. There is no secret to doing it right or doing it the best. What’s going to make it the best is the fact that it’s coming from your literal person, how you sound, how you walk, how you think. It’s going to be different for everybody. I know that’s so cliche, but after seeing so many people do the same roles, it’s like each one was magic. They’re doing the same thing, but it’s the individual that’s making it special. And the more you really lean into saying the words the way you do, you’ll be set.

BB: Now, you also talked about how you didn’t consider yourself much of a singer. Where is that coming from?

JW: That was a confidence thing. And it still is. When I did MCC’s Miscast a few weeks ago. We ended up recording it, and it was released today. And even listening to it, I was like, “oh, I don’t know how it feels. I don’t know how it sounds.”  But I just never thought I was much of a singer because I just never thought I would be hired to be anything other than an ensemble dancer.

BB: And so, are you leaning into that now?

JW: I am! Even if I didn’t want to. Last year, I even got tattoos about it. It was special.

BB: What tattoos did you get?

JW: This one is for SIX. It’s got a little six in there. And then I just got a 22. Because I was 22 in 2022, and it was a very intense, special year for all of the reasons.

BB: What did you learn?

JW: Too many lessons! (laughs) I learned the usual early 20s lessons about boundaries and, speaking up for yourself, choosing yourself. Learning how to walk away even when you want something, but you know it’s not good for you. And that goes with relationships and work and habits and all the things. 

Showing up is the hardest part. That’s been a lesson that I’ve been saying for years, but really it came into play last year because when you’re moving that fast, when life keeps giving you these opportunities, you get tired, you get fatigued, you wonder, what was the point? “Am I ready for this? Am I right for this?” But you are! You wouldn’t have been put there if you weren’t. And the only person to shine a light on that is you. You can build community as much as you want. You can receive all the external validation and affirmation from the universe and from the people around you but if you’re not showing up, it doesn’t matter.

BB: Tell me, how do you think being one of the first Black women to play off-Broadway Audrey will affect this community?

JW: I would first like to give a shoutout to Jana Djenne Jackson, who was the first Black woman to go on in this production for Audrey. I’m just the first one to be on stage every day for it. But, I want to give all my props to her because I really did watch and learn from her. Even when she was an urchin, she was so talented and so sweet. Working with her was a dream.

But I would say, we’re making space, y’all. The door is opening, and we’re allowed to walk thru it. Even when it looks like it’s closed, it’s open. Just push it. Closed mouths don’t get fed. We have to keep trying. We’re making our way, and Audrey is Black AF at the Westside Theatre until September. Come see truly one of the funniest shows in New York right now.

The post Count It All Joy! Joy Woods Brings It Full Circle with <em>‘Little Shop’</em> appeared first on Broadway Black.

The burly bass will join an all-male cast at the New Jersey space for the hilarious Tony Award-winning musical farce.

Cooper was most recently seen as Audrey II in the Encores! City Center Production of Little Shop of Horrors after stepping in to replace his father, Tony Award Winner Chuck Cooper (The Life). The elder had decided to commit to his role in the then-upcoming Broadway musical Amazing Grace.

“He was in shows all the time when I was a kid, and my first question when I went to go see him in a show was, ‘Can I go on the stage?,'” Eddie told TheaterMania of his young experiences with his father.  “I just always wanted to go on the stage and I loved the feeling of being on the stage. It stuck, I guess.”

Cooper is one of three stunningly talented siblings in the deservedly dubbed “Cooper Clan.”  A graduate of LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and Ithaca College, the powerhouse has also been seen in TV roles including “Forever,” “Banshee,” and “Crime.”

A Funny Thing Happened… is a hysterical musical comedy with music and lyrics by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim.  Set in Ancient Rome, the musical tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus who attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door.  The role of Pseudolus was brilliantly recaptured by Whoopi Goldberg and David Alan Grier in the 1990’s Broadway Revival.

The must-see spectacle, directed by Jessica Stone, begins previews on Nov.14.  Opening night is set for Nov. 20.  Visit tworivertheater.org to purchase tickets or call (732) 345-1400.

The post Eddie Cooper Joins All-Male Cast of A Funny Thing Happened… appeared first on Broadway Black.

From The New York City Center Website;

Before Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, there was a sinister little houseplant saying, “Feed me.” Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s giddy, gory musical Little Shop of Horrors was their first major hit, running Off-Broadway for five years and spawning a 1986 cult-classic film. Now the show returns to City Center in a special event starring Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal as Seymour Krelborn, a hapless florist who pursues a doomed romance with his ditzy, lovable co-worker Audrey (Tony Award nominee Ellen Greene) by acquiring a plant that feeds on human blood.

The production only ran for three performances July 1 – July 2, and each show was completely sold out! And for good reason, as the show received mostly positive reviews from critics.

What made this production particularly exciting was forgoing the usual extensive special-effect puppet that is Audrey II, and instead having the plant on stage as a fully visible little boy (play by Anwar Kareem) that eventually transforms later, to a large man with a soothing bass voice (played by Eddie Cooper). The choice seemed to sit well with most critics as the USA Today stated;

Eddie Cooper brought a booming voice and a chilling gregariousness to the part of the bloodthirsty plant (named Audrey II), who brings money and fame to Seymour and the shop but makes increasingly heavy demands on our hero’s conscience.

Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller lent witty, sultry support as the three ladies who function as the show’s girl-group chorus. “You know the meek are gonna get what’s comin’ to em,” they tease Seymour towards the end.

The show was last seen on Broadway in New York in a 2003 production starring Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler, the show closed on August 22, 2004 after 40 previews and 372 regular performances.

Next up for Encores! Off-Center, The Wild Party which begins July 15 and stars Sutton Foster, Steven Pasquale, and Brandon Victor Dixon.

The post Encores! Little Shop of Horrors Scores Big At New York City Center appeared first on Broadway Black.

Amazing Grace at the Nederlander Theatre

Eddie Cooper is a native of Hell’s Kitchen and a graduate of the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. Cooper is also the recipient of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Ithaca College. Other television credits include ABC’s Forever as well as a role in an upcoming HBO series Crime.

The show presented by Encores! Off-Center is running at New York City Center starring Ellen Greene, Jake Gyllenhaal and Taran Killam; it is directed by Dick Scanlan. The musical composed by Alan Menken and book by Howard Ashman is based on the 1960’s film of the same name.  The comedy horror rock show follows the story of florist Seymour Krelborn (Gyllenhaal) who tries to court his lovable, but slightly daft co-worker Audrey (Greene) with a blood sucking crooning plant named Audrey II(Cooper).

Ramona Keller, Marva Hicks and Tracy Nicole Chapman as The Radio in Caroline, Or Change

The character is traditionally voiced offstage with the actor over a microphone. An R&B girl group, The Urchins, provides commentary on the action and will feature the original cast members of the Radio from Caroline, Or Change. Tracy Nicole Chapman as Chifon, Marva Hicks as Crystal and Ramona Keller as Ronnette.

The run is from July 1 to July 2 with only three performances. The New York Center is located and tickets can be purchased at 131 W 55th St (btwn 6th & 7th) New York, NY 10019 or by calling CityTix® at 212.581.1212. You can also visit nycitycenter.org

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