Today we are talking to a world famous triple-threat star of stage and screen who first shot to fame in the 1980s as the first African American Miss America and found considerable success as a recording artist and actress thereafter, the simply divine Vanessa Williams. Sharing sage wisdom from her life and career as well as reflecting on many of her most popular properties to date, Williams reveals some of her many secrets to success while also looking ahead to next month's hotly anticipated all-star concert presentation of legendary Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein musical SHOW BOAT, co-starring Julian Ovenden, Norm Lewis, Jane Alexander and many more along with the vaunted New York Philharmonic under the direction of Ted Sperling. Also, Williams shares her enthusiasm for setting out to create new renditions of some of SHOW BOAT's most noted selections, including "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man". Additionally, Williams opens up about her multiple musical theatre endeavors highlighting the work of Stephen Sondheim, including the Tony Award-winning 2002 Best Revival production of INTO THE WOODS and the recent original Broadway anthology revue SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. Plus, Williams details her ongoing participation in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, after having starred in the well-received Broadway production last season and now finishing up headlining the Los Angeles production before soon bringing the drama to Boston, Williams also starred in the recent TV adaptation of the acclaimed Horton Foote play. All of that, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN memories, saving Audra McDonald's wedding day, comments on starring in five major theatrical productions this year alone and much, much more with one of Broadway's brightest stars!
More information on Vanessa Williams in the New York Philharmonic's SHOW BOAT on November 5-8 is available at the official site here.Can't Help Lovin' Dat Woman PC: Will SHOW BOAT be the first time you sing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"? I don't think you have sung it before.
VW: Yes, it will be the first! Well, actually, the very first time I sang it was when I auditioned for SHOW BOAT...
PC: When was this?
VW: Well, in the early 90s, Garth Drabinsky was producing SHOW BOAT in Canada - in Toronto - and there was a possibility that
Lonette McKee was not going to do Broadway. Of course, I was in New York and I had my kids at the time, so I thought, "This is the ideal - I don't have to do the out-of-town; I can just jump in and do the New York run of SHOW BOAT." So, when I auditioned I sang "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and that's when Garth said, "Listen, we're going to stick with what we have already for SHOW BOAT, but what do you think about replacing
Chita Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN?" And, so, that's how I sort of got into the SPIDER WOMAN role.
PC: No way!
VW: It's true! It's true. I went in to audition for SHOW BOAT and came out of the audition with KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.
PC: What a great story!
VW: Yeah, it was really great. I was thrilled.
PC: Have you seen Garth Drabinsky since he's been out of jail?
VW: [Pause. Sighs.] No. I don't think he's allowed in the States anymore, is he? Whatever - I haven't spoken to him.
PC: Did you end up seeing that Hal Prince production of SHOW BOAT? It was pretty spectacular.
VW: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah - I saw it up in Toronto, actually.
PC: Was Hal Prince at that SHOW BOAT audition or did you first get to work with him on the Broadway production of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN?
VW: I think that I met Hal for the first time when he came in to direct me for KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.
PC: Did you find it difficult to replace an icon like Chita Rivera?
VW: Well, we were lucky because it was kind of a whole new cast between me and
Howard McGillin and
Brian Mitchell - he wasn't Stokes yet back then. It was basically the three of us stepping into the show fresh - I think Brian had been doing it a month or two before we got there. It felt like a whole new production. We were all finding ourselves in our roles together - the three leads. So, we didn't have to slip into somebody else's groove - we got to create our own new vibe. And, clearly, it was a young, hot, sexy trio and that's what the people responded to, for sure.
PC: Given your affinity for his work, I'm curious if you could recount your very first meeting with Stephen Sondheim?
VW: The first time I met Sondheim was when I went in to audition for INTO THE WOODS - before they cast the show and everything.
PC: When was this?
VW: It was right before 9/11, so it had to be August or so of 2001 - they were just getting the production together then. Of course, we were rehearsing in New York after everything happened and then we came out to LA to do the out-of-town out here and then came back to New York to open in May in time for the Tony Awards.
PC: Billy Porter was considered originally for the production as the Witch in early stages...
VW: Yes, I've heard that.
PC: What are your thoughts on how the Witch was revised for the revival, particularly the all-new "Last Midnight"?
VW: Well, when we were in rehearsal, I know that one of the big changes - and, for me, what made it meatier for me as an actress - was to help my intention: the Witch actually holds the baby and sings "Last Midnight". There's much more at stake when she is the one that is holding the baby and literally holding it for ransom, you know?
PC: To say the least.
VW: I felt that plot-point-wise that that action and that staging really helped physically show the power that the Witch did have and how it stuns and stops the Baker and the Baker's Wife in their tracks. I remember when we were rehearsing the lyrics coming in - you know, back then they were faxes! [Laughs.]
PC: It was that long ago now, somehow.
VW: I know. James would usually bring us the faxes from Steve and we would read them through. At one point, though, I remember there was a new direction that said, "The Witch takes her bloody hand and smothers the baby," and James said, "No, Steve, she's not going to smother the baby!" [Big Laugh.]
PC: Too dark!
VW: Yeah - so, that got cut out!
PC: This isn't SWEENEY TODD, right?
VW: Right! This isn't SWEENEY TODD. But, it was so tremendously exciting - I mean, I majored in musical theatre and these were people that I studied and always wanted to work with. The fact that I am getting handed lyrics written for me by somebody that I had admired for so long was just crazy.
PC: There will never be a "beautiful Witch" reveal as breathtaking as yours!
VW: [Laughs.] Aww, thank you for saying that.
PC: What do you personally think happens to the Witch after she vanishes? Your production added the line, "Mother, here I come!"
VW: Well, I know I went under the stage and then back to my dressing room and just kicked up my feet for a bit! [Laughs.] I mean, 8 shows a week, you know?!
PC: For sure.
VW: But, seriously, I didn't think that far ahead, really. I knew that there was some place that she was going, but I never mapped out the literal interpretation of where that was or what that meant.
PC: "Our Little World" was also used for that revival, further magnifying the more malevolently maternal characterization of the Witch.
VW: I don't know if you know this, but I am not sure if they originally had intended for "Our Little World" to be a part of our production, but they sent us all the full score and we sang through it and just loved the song. We begged - my Rapunzel, Melissa [Dye], and I - we begged and said, "This is going to be so much fun, can we please, please, please do it?" And, once we got it up on its feet and started playing with the braid and the rest of it, it brought a comic element to it, as well, which was a lot of fun to play.
PC: Do enjoy musical comedy equally to drama?
VW: Well, I think that most of the shows that I have done have had equal amounts of drama and comedy. I mean, in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, the Spider Woman was no lightweight!
PC: You can say that again.
VW: There were times when she was really scary and powerful, and, then, the Russian segment is pure camp; then, "Gimme Love" is light and fun and flirty. So, I've really been lucky to not have to just do one type of genre. Even SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM - you know, you do a little dance and then you do something that's really heartfelt and deep. So, I've been lucky.
PC: And THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL certainly follows suit as a play.
VW: Yes. In TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, what I'm working on right now, I get a chance to deliver laughs and then make people cringe - because of how selfish and absurd my character is at times; but, then, I have opportunities to show how people can relate to her and say, "OK, I see her point of view and now I understand her." You know, "I'm not like her, but I understand her." The best stuff always has lots of dimension.
PC: Performing in LA right now with TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, and also before that with INTO THE WOODS, do you find audiences there are different from those in New York?
VW: Not really. We're actually in the same house right now where we did INTO THE WOODS - The Ahmanson. It's double the size of where we did the show Broadway, so they're a little further back. They are not right up on you, so you don't feel them quite as much, but they are singing along and they are reacting - we definitely hear the laughter... and we hear the sniffles, too.
PC: How illuminating.
VW: Again, I think it comes down to the piece you're doing. The people that didn't see it in New York are happy to be out here catch it - which is the reverse of what we had with INTO THE WOODS, where we started it out here and then came to New York. So, you know, since we won the Tony and this is an award-winning production coming out here, people are coming to see it again and people that missed it in New York are coming to see it, too - and, they are all enthusiastic.
PC: How wonderful to hear.
VW: The only thing we don't have here is Wine Wednesdays! [Laughs.]
PC: What is that?!
VW: When we did BOUNTIFUL in New York, they would serve free wine... and, you know, all the ladies would get a little loud at the matinees! [Laughs.]
PC: I bet!
VW: We don't have a Wednesday matinee out here, sadly, so that is the main difference.
PC: Which do you personally prefer, red or white?
VW: It depends on the season! Summertime, white; wintertime, red.
PC: I saw on your WhoSay and Instagram all the international culinary experiences you've been having.
VW: Israel, Spain, Japan - I've been going a lot lately!
PC: Does Spain really have the best food in the world?
VW: In the world?! I don't know - I mean, I've been pretty happy every place I've gone, to be honest. I've been lucky enough to find some great spots. [Pause. Sighs.] I don't know, Italy is pretty good, boy!
PC: I wanted to thank you and the cast of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL for contributing such awesome Saturday Intermission Pics to our weekly #SIPs features.
VW: Oh, it's our pleasure! It's been a lot of fun to do those.
PC: Do you get them in the can ahead of time or are they actually taken at the matinee?
VW: Oh, no - they are real! We do them right at the matinee - and that's why they are always late, because we are three hours behind! It's five o'clock your time when we start out here. But, yes, we do them right at the matinee out here.
PC: Are you bi-coastal these days?
VW: No, no - I live in New York. I am from New York, so I've never given up my house in New York. I've lived there since '92.
PC: Is it true that you saved Audra McDonald's wedding? Her hairstylist got sick on the way to the wedding and you got somebody to fill in at the very last possible moment?
VW: [Big Laugh.] Yes, yes, it's true. I can't believe you know that.
PC: What a hilarious story.
VW: She calls me The Encyclopedia because whenever she runs into any sort of issue she calls me. "I need an interior designer," or, "I need to get a divorce lawyer," or, "I need a good school for Zoe." I usually have a great Rolodex for that sort of thing, so I am happy to help a sister out in a crunch.
PC: Speaking of weddings, congratulations to you on your engagement.
VW: Oh, thank you!
PC: Your daughter Jillian is certainly following in your fierce footsteps, as well - she is so amazingly talented.
VW: That's nice of you - her new single is coming out at the end of this month, you know! I am so proud of her.
PC: Have you two ever recorded a duet or sang together?
VW: Well, she comes with me when I am out on the road and sings with me. So, she's sung with me, but I've never recorded a duet with her. The one time that she did record with me was when we did the recording for ST. LOUIS WOMAN and we had a children's choir for one of the tracks and she is on that - I think she was probably 9 or 10; it was 1998. Her name is on the album credits for that, too. But, yes, to answer your question: I would love to sing with her.
PC: I'm shocked you didn't release "Gimme Love" from KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN as a single. Did you ever do a dance remix?
VW: No, we just did the version that's on the cast album. I never hear our versions on the Sirius Broadway channel, either - they always play the original version of SPIDER WOMAN and the original version of INTO THE WOODS. But, it's nice that we have those cast albums out there as an alternative, I think.
PC: Absolutely. Having just done the TV adaptation of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL and now with the NY Philharmonic SHOW BOAT being filmed, what do you think of the lines being blurred between mediums more than ever before in a post-GLEE, theatre-embracing age?
VW: I think that as long as they are well-done and you've got somebody that understands the material that it is a good thing. You know, with BOUNTIFUL, I worked with
Michael Wilson, who did the stage production and also did the made for television production - there was a commonality that we all had with the material, with the approach and with the history of the piece. We weren't trying to rework it, we were trying to bring what worked onstage to the small screen. Unfortunately, all the humor and the laughter that you experience as an audience is not something that translates to TV. But, hey, if it brings more people to enjoy the artform of theatre, I'm all for it!
PC: It's a full-circle journey to bring it from Broadway to TV and then to Hollywood.
VW: Yes, it is.
PC: Are you still honing your performance after all this time in the show?
VW: Oh, well, it changes! It constantly changes. Theatre is a living thing - no two performances are ever exactly alike. Human beings are different and actions and reactions are different every night and audiences bring something different every night. Also, with BOUNTIFUL, I had never worked with Blair [Underwood] onstage before - we only did the TV movie together. He's fantastic. So, the trio that we have right now is really amazing and different - the people I have spoken to that have seen the Broadway production and the LA production say that it is a completely different show, so that is really exciting because it makes it fresh and new and we are discovering new things every night, so it's great.
PC: You are going right from BOUNTIFUL in LA into SHOW BOAT in NYC, yes?
VW: Yes, I am taking the red eye from LA to New York on Sunday and then I show up for rehearsal on Monday. I just got my script and start learning that and get the keys down in all the music. My work begins. After I finish that, then I have a concert in Chicago and then I go to Boston to do three weeks of BOUNTIFUL at the Arts Emerson.
PC: What do you sing in your concerts these days?
VW: All the hits - all the hits.
PC: Do you do Christmas concerts, too? Your "Silver & Gold" is the most popular version of that song now. Do you feel privileged to "own" a Christmas classic?
VW: [Laughs.] I actually didn't know that! Thank you for telling me. I remember that STAR BRIGHT was the first Christmas album that I did - back in '96 - and that is where I met Rob Mathis, who has produced a lot of my albums and who has a Christmas show that he does every year at SUNY Purchase. I sang with him there last year because it was our 25th anniversary of working together last year and he had been doing that Christmas show for 25 years. It was great to sing the Christmas songs again, because I don't often get a chance to do those.
PC: Why not?
VW: Well, if I've got an album out I get a chance to sing them, but unless you've got an album out you don't really get a lot of Christmas gigs. I've done CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON and I've sung at the White House, though, so it's nice to have some material that I usually get the chance to sing every year one way or another.
PC: I saw on Twitter that you were a big fan of Geoffrey Holder. Did you know him personally?
VW: The first time I met
Geoffrey Holder he was doing a production of TIMBUKTU! at a dinner theater in Pleasantville, New York, which is the town next to where I grew up. So, I saw him and
Eartha Kitt - I was probably about 12 years old. I remember Eartha walking by me and stopping and putting her hand under my chin and saying, [
Eartha Kitt Accent.] "Beaaaaaaaautiful! You look like my daughter!" I was fascinated - fascinated. I thought, "I wonder what her daughter looks like?!" And, I ended up meeting her one day because Eartha ended up playing my mom in a movie called AND THEN CAME LOVE and she came with her. Eartha had just come back from recovering from some sort of cancer surgery and she was doing better. I remember she insisted on wearing 3-inch heels in every shot and just looking fabulous. You know, I am just lucky that I got the chance to meet her and work with her in her lifetime. And, so, I met Geoffrey that night at TIMBUKTU! and then I had also seen him at several events in New York since then, with his lovely wife, Carmen.
PC: What a vivid memory.
VW: Just recently, I think it was for
Lena Horne's estate auction, I posted a photo on Instagram of a portrait that he had done of her. A friend of mine sent me the booklet of the items that were up for bid and I was out in LA shooting a DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and I said, "Oh, my God, I wish I could get this piece." And, my mother ended up buying it for me and giving it to me for my birthday.
PC: How fabulous.
VW: At the auction, my friend took a picture of Geoffrey and Carmen - who where there - in front of the painting. That's the picture I posted on Instagram [available
here].
PC: Is Lena Horne a big influence on you?
VW: Oh, yeah.
PC: Hers is one of the great untold showbiz stories. Would you be open to portraying her someday onstage or onscreen?
VW: Yeah, I think so. As you probably know, she never gave anybody the thumbs-up to do her story while she was alive. I understand that - you have the right to have your own story played by whoever you want it played by. There is a project that a dear friend of mine wrote that could work if we were going to do anything like that...
PC: Can you tell me anything more?
VW: It has to do with Lena and her relationship with
Billy Strayhorn. Darius DeHaas and I would love to do that together. It's a dream project. We wouldn't have to actually do the
Lena Horne story, but it would incorporate her music and also explore the relationship between her and Billy.
PC: How far along is that project?
VW: It's written. We did a reading about 6 years ago, I think.
PC: Bringing Lena Horne to a new generation like Audra McDonald recently did for Bille Holliday in LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL.
VW: Yeah. Exactly.
PC: Did you get to see your friend Audra in that?
VW: Of course! Of course. I saw it right before I came out here, in August. We started here August 25. Audra is going to be at the Disney Performing Arts Center across the street from us out here in LA soon, too.
PC: In one year's time, you will have done a run in AFTER MIDNIGHT, then THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on Broadway, in LA, in Boston, your own concerts and SHOW BOAT with the New York Philharmonic. Wow.
VW: [Laughs.]
PC: Do you have a dream role you want to do next?
VW: Hmmm. [Pause.] I've got a couple of things that I would really like to work on and have them come to fruition - it's just a matter of having the right time. Obviously, as you know, coming up for new musicals these days is extraordinary, but I have a couple of ideas so we'll see. I'd love to originate something and I've got an idea.
PC: You are re-teaming with your SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM co-star Norm Lewis for SHOW BOAT, so perhaps you can collaborate once more!
VW: Oh, yeah. I love Norm.
PC: Are you a DOWNTON ABBEY fan? Julian Ovenden is stealing the show lately.
VW: I have to admit that I am not a DOWNTON ABBEY fan, but I have heard it is fantastic and so is he.
PC: So, this NY Philharmonic SHOW BOAT will actually be your first time performing in the show?
VW: Yes, it is. And, on another ironic note,
Ted Sperling, who will be conducting this SHOW BOAT, was actually my musical director when I went into KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. We go way back. Small world.
PC: Lastly, your UGLY BETTY co-star Michael Urie spoke so favorably of you and how amazing you are when he did this column that I just had to mention it to you.
VW: Awww! I love Michael.
PC: Have you seen his solo show, BUYER & CELLAR?
VW: Yes, I've seen BUYER & CELLAR twice. I saw it when he first started out at the smaller theater and then when he did it at the bigger theater in New York. I loved it both times. I love him.
PC: Are you happy for his success?
VW: Absolutely! It's a great opportunity for people to see how brilliant he is. He's a great, great guy.
PC: Thank you so much for this today, Vanessa. You are divine.
VW: I'm so happy you enjoyed our Saturday Intermission Pics and this was good, good, good today, Pat. Thank you so much, too. Bye.
Photo Credits: Walter McBride, Joan Marcus, Matthew Murphy, etc.
