Jennifer Holliday on Her 'Third Act' at Provincetown

By the time she was 23, Jennifer Holliday was the very definition of a Broadway star. Her work in DREAMGIRLS would propell her to Broadway fame, especially when she took the stage at the 1982 Tony Awards to perform "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going." Now Holliday is enjoying what she tells the Provincetown Magazine is her "third act."

Jennifer Holliday talked to the Provincetown Magazine about what she's been up to and living in the shadow of her Dreamgirls persona. "There's a lot of hard years in between prodigy and legend," says Holliday. "I kept hearing I'm a legend. I'm a legend, but there were no opportunities. Yeah, I'm a legend, but I'm broke. There were some hard years. But now I say it's a wonderful time to be Jennifer Holliday. It's a wonderful time to be me. I'm a very happy dreamgirl!"

Holliday credits her recent resurgence of fans to her 2012 American Idol apperance where she got up on stage and performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" alongside contestant Jessica Sanchez. Her appearance allowed close to 14 million people to learn about her incredible talent and it spurred a new generation to look up her 1982 Tony Award performance on YouTube. She also credits the 2006 movie adaptation of Dreamgirls starring Jennifer Hudson for a recent interest in her "third act."

Holliday has been performing concert in recent years and this weekend she will be performing three Fourth of July shows at the Paramount Room at the Crown and Anchor. This makrs her first appearance in Provincetown since 2003.

In the interview, Jennifer Holliday talked about her LGBT fans and how she has always been open to their support. She discussed her respect for the gay community by saying, "I have always had respect from the gay community, and I have always unashamedly expressed my support for the gay community," She continues with "The love the gay community has given me was always unconditional. It didn't matter if I didn't have a hit record or was on Broadway, the gay community loved me. They allowed me to keep my dignity when I couldn't get any other work. I could perform at 4 a.m. in a gay bar and it didn't matter, I was treated with love and respect. I never, never received anything but love and respect. And I have never felt anything else in return but love and respect. And now the rest of the world has caught up. The gay community is where I got my love from during those tough years, even more than church people. I'll always be grateful for that."

Holliday continues to astound crowds with her gorgeous voice and outstanding personality. She says "The most touching comment you can receive is not that your voice sounds great, but that your voice heals my heart...It's what you live for."

Fans can catch Jennifer Holliday at the Paramount at the Crown and Anchor in Provincetown this weekend, July 5th through July 7th at 8pm. Tickets are $65-150 and for more information and tickets call (508) 487-1430 and/or visit onlyatthecrown.com.