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.

I also love the ability to challenge perspective. I love the idea of a sophisticated, fun, attractive, and driven female lead.

I love the idea of that woman being black.

Delta Nu’s favorite lawyer may be known for her beach blonde hair and pink skirt suits, but I’m sure Elle Woods would agree that blonde is more than a color– it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle is not constrained or reserved for a woman of any specific race. With that being said, I believe rising star, Alysha Deslorieux (Hamilton, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) should be cast as Elle Woods in a revival of Legally Blonde.

Legally Blonde will forever hold a special place in my heart because it’s the first professional show I experienced. I sat in the balcony of the theatre, with a couple of tears in my eyes, moved by the energy and enthusiasm behind Laurence O’Keefe’s music. I’ve always been in love with the story of a girl rising to the occasion and discovering that she’s “So Much Better” than what her peers thought of her, and even how she valued herself. Seeing the show on stage further fed into one of my life mantras: nonconformity still reigns.

Elle’s character represents transformation. She has everything going for her but the attention and love of the man she followed to Harvard Law. Everything that glitters isn’t gold and that rings true even with Malibu’s finest. When she’s directed within, we are introduced to a woman that understands her worth and teaches us the importance of forming a “Chip on Your Shoulder” to achieve the goals set for ourselves, while unapologetically refusing to change who we are. A woman that embodies strength, sincerity, and sex appeal must shatter expectations… by being portrayed by a Black woman. 

Alysha Deslorieux made her Broadway debut in 2012 in Sister Act. However, I was first introduced to her through her work at University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. Deslorieux has a commandng presence even in her supporting roles. I can’t wait to see her conquer a leading lady. You can hear Deslorieux on the Beautiful and Hamilton cast albums. She’s currently understudying all three Schyuler sisters in Hamilton.  

Light, yet soulful, Deslorieux will send the heart of audiences soaring as they connect with the first Black Elle Woods. 

I’ll be in the audience cheering in all pink! 

The post BB Casting Agency: Legally Color Blind? A New Elle Woods appeared first on Broadway Black.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of a fictional rock ‘n’ roll band, fronted by internationally ignored song stylist Hedwig, a transgender woman from communist East Berlin. Between rock songs, Hedwig regales the audience with stories about her life, including her botched sex change operation and her relocation to Kansas.  The Broadway production of Hedwig, with a book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, opened in April of 2014 with Neil Patrick Harris in the title role, and won Best Musical Revival at the 2014 Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Previous Hedwigs include John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote the play and originated the role, Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, and Michael C. Hall. Hedwig currently stars Darren Criss, perhaps best known for his role on FOX TV’s Glee. Criss departs the show on July 19 and Diggs will begin his stint on July 22.

“Taye is fantastic—he has theater cred, he has pop culture cred, he can sing, he can act, he can dance, he’s smart and he’s sexy,” said lead producer David Binder. “That’s why we cast him.” Diggs’ recent work has included both film and television work, and he is currently in production of season 2 of the TNT crime drama Murder in the First. Diggs last appeared on stage in the 2005 Off-Broadway revival of A Soldier’s Play.

The post Taye Diggs is the Next Lead in Hedwig and the Angry Inch appeared first on Broadway Black.

Aziza portrays legendary songwriter  Bert Berns’ first love Candace Carmichael — an older, wiser and more sophisticated seductress who sweeps him off of his feet. The couple’s racial differences are what initially bring them together, but  ultimately tears them apart. This show will run until August 31st Sept 14th (extended) at the Signature. Bert Berns wrote the song “Piece of My Heart” which eventually became a Janis Joplin staple.

Ironically, even though Aziza has been involved with the development of Piece of My Heart for a few years, its comes after the closing of the Broadway show A Night With Janis Joplin,  which was suppose to head Off-Broadway shortly after but in a shocking twist (right…) the powers that be pulled the plug and scrapped the revival two days before it was due to open. Everyone was out of work unexpectedly. Aziza was not apart of the revival but knew several people who were and she just couldn’t take it. She took to her Facebook, in her frustration and replied:

“I know a stankin’ rotten fish when I taste one, I don’t care how much you bathe it in OldBay,”

“In whose accounting meeting was it decided that a show that lost so much money on Broadway would be just fine off-OFF-east-off Broadway in a day and age where BROADWAY SHOWS that pull in $800,000 a week or less are sometimes seen as failures? Please explain.”

In a recent interview with Playbill she talks about weather she was worried about the backlash for speaking her heart:

“Ummm, I did not really care. Because here’s the thing with my life: It’s kind of like the Frank Sinatra song ‘That’s Life’ when he runs through everything he’s been. I can’t be concerned with what other people think whether they are producers or whether they are other actors. When something is heavy on my spirit, I have to express that whether it’s art or whether it’s something controversial. I really do not care… But I say, if this is the end of this career, then so be it. “

She had a lot more to say check out the entire interview HERE and get a good look at her new show A Piece of My Heart below.

The post de’Adre Aziza Gives A Piece Of Her Heart On & Off The Stage appeared first on Broadway Black.