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Michelle Williams Gets Ready to Spread the Love at ONCE ON THIS ISLAND
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Nov 1, 2022
As BroadwayWorld recently reported, Once On This Island will soon welcome Grammy Award-winning artist and Destiny's Child singer Michelle T. Williams as Erzulie in the Tony Award winning Best Revival starting Friday, November 30. Michelle T. Williams will play the role through Sunday, June 2, 2019.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams, is returning to Broadway in the Tony Award-winning Best Revival of Once on this Island, beginning on November 30th, and we dropped by the rehearsal studio to catch up with her
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You're about to return to Broadway. How excited are you? I'm super, super excited. I was just thinking on the way here from the airport this morning that, wow, I can't wait for my family to return, you know, to come and see me
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They live in Chicago, so they're going to already... to be used to the cold weather, but I can't wait
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I have nieces who are into the arts and theater, so giving them a chance to see what it's about
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And I haven't done Broadway here in New York since about 2010
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which was Chicago the Musical. And I was like, I have to do this, you know
0:48
I have to do this show. When did you first fall in love with On Somers Island
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You know what? I get to find out about shows. I follow Broadway World I follow Playbill on Twitter And I always kind of Googling or researching to see what are the newest shows that are coming out
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And I remember this show. And I remember Merle Dandridge. She is one of my, Heather Hetley, Audrey McDonald, and Merle Danridge, Heather Headley
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added to my like Broadway moms and divas. Merle doesn't know that she's my Broadway mom yet, but she is
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I don't know now at Broadway works. Yes, yes. I just love their power
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I love their art. Mm-hmm. Talk about the role and what you're looking forward to the most and this beautiful score
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Yes, so I listen to the musical a lot. And I find myself wishing that I could have been the one singing, oh, God, oh God
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I'm like, why can I sing that song? I'm going to be savage and bamboozle her and snatch her song on, oh
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opening night. But I'm so excited. I playing Ursuli you know the goddess of love And I in such a great place of love myself and about to be married And I just love that I get to spread that every single night telling this story
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You always return to Broadway. What makes it so special for you
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Well, it's a blessing because, you know, I'm not 15. I'm not 20, you know
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And that's the good thing that. There are roles and opportunities also for women of color
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That's a blessing, you know. And I will never forget auditioning for shows in the creative and performing arts department in middle school and high school and never getting the part
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And I'm like, but I'm on Broadway. You'll be bringing an audience who knows you from your music, who's never seen something live
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and you're going to enter them into this world at Broadway, what that means to you
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You know what I think it awesome because the fact that I get to come from you know the music world of singing but I get to sing every night on Broadway And this show with the style of music how upbeat and how it moves I think if it a person first time coming to a Broadway show
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they'll be like, man, what have I been missing all this time? That's what I want their reaction to be
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I want them to be subscribers of Broadway. My final question is, what are you looking forward to the most
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to your first performance back on Broadway and won Zemisle. Wow. What am I looking forward to
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I guess just being stable, you know, and meeting a new family
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The only thing I don't like about doing Broadway is that you boo-hoo when it's time to leave
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I don't like that feeling. I'm already anxious about that day when I have to leave
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but I'm excited to get to know new people, learn new things, and see where this takes me
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