Tell us a little about what you have coming up after your appearance in San Diego with the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops concert. I finish the two dates in San Diego and that following Monday I go right into
rehearsals for The Trip to Bountiful at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. We open in September and we run through early November. After that, I’m doing Showboat at the New York Philharmonic in November for
three nights and then three weeks at the Emerson Theatre in Boston, again with the same The Trip To Bountiful production. So I’m pretty much booked until December. I am so excited to see The Trip To Bountiful, it’s one of my favorite plays. It has such a great script and plot line. It’s the same one that we did on Broadway with Cicely Tyson, but Blair Under-
wood is going to play Lutie, instead of Cuba Gooding, Jr. It’s great to be able to bring the same production with Michael Wilson as director; we’re even using the same sets. Horton Foote’s work is amazing and Michael Wilson is a wonder as a director. He
worked with Horton for so many years that it really was like having the playwright there with us throughout the whole process. Plus Halley Foote, Horton’s daughter was one of the producers and she was there almost every moment as well. The time frame Bountiful is done in makes it so incredibly moving, it’s just one of
those jewels of the theatre and I am so happy that I have had the chance to do it. On top of that, to have Cicely Tyson involved and doing a role that she has said
that she’d always wanted to do, made it perfect. You have done so many great television roles, is there one that stands out for you? I would have to say Wilhelmina on Ugly Betty, it gave me the range to do so many
different things on an episodic basis. It really was one of those thrilling career moments. Each time I was on a cast read through, I’d be thinking, “what… is she really… how?” (Laughs) It was so fun, pitching softball, taking a baseball and mur- dering a mannequin, taking the sperm out of a dead body (laughs) to impregnate her… she was so unbelievable (laughs). That is what was so much fun about the show… you could never tell what was going to hap- pen next. Our first read through was often even more out there, the fact that the writers
could really spread their wings allowed them to be as broad as they wanted to. But, the show also had something to say; Betty wasn’t just there to do pratfalls. Even with as broad as the scripts did get, it also touched on a lot of serious top- ics—Immigration, health care, bullying, being gay, there were a great number of current issues that were covered. How about an Ugly Betty reunion? It would make a great film. I would love that; I think that we all would love it. And yes, it would make a great
film. I don’t know what the specifics are about the possibilities, but we love each other dearly and if it were to ever happen, we’d all gladly jump at the chance. I ran across another of your shows while doing my research, After Midnight. Tell me a little about that role. It was so great and I had the chance to dance again. We thought it was going to
run forever, but unfortunately, it just closed at the end of June. I did six wonderful weeks with amazing material, plus we had the Wynton Marsalis Jazz Orchestra at Lincoln Center behind us every night, it was magical. When I finished, I actually asked them to put me back in after December for holiday time, so I could do it again. I was so sad that it closed and especially sad for the 28 cast members who worked so hard and were so phenomenal—it was the best dancing on Broadway. Is there anything else that you would like to cover, anything that we’ve missed? I love doing symphony dates like the one coming up in San Diego. I grew up with
music, both parents were music teachers and I played the French horn. I studied it for nine years and it is so wonderful to have a real, solid full orchestra behind you
36 RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2014
when you sing. Can you tell us more about what audiences can expect from your San Diego show? I am lucky enough to have a few great hits, so I do “Saved the Best For Last,” “The
Sweetest Days,” and “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas, those are always my go to songs. I will add a few other things from theatre that I’ve done as well. I’m trying to get the charts to a couple of the songs that I did in After Midnight so I can add those to the concert, which would be great. I am in the process of trying to work that out. Your career has longevity and such continuity; do you get a sense of that when you’re on stage? I get it when I see people in the audience mouthing every one of the words to my
songs; it makes me realize that the music really must mean something to them. In particular, I get that sense when I go to Japan, they are always so consistent, they know every word and have everything on vinyl or on CDs. I know because I sign so many of them, I get to see my whole career in front of me. Also, when people tell me their stories; things like “your music is the reason I
asked my wife to marry me,” or “this is the theme song to our wedding,” things like that make me realize that I have been around for a while and maybe have made a difference.
Vanessa Williams is performing at Embarcadero Park in Downtown San Diego with the San Diego Symphony as a part of their Summer Pops series on Friday and Saturday, August 22 and 23. For tickets and more information call 619.235.0804 or go to
sandiegosymphony.org.
The Trip To Bountiful is playing at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from Wednesday, Sep- tember 17 through Sunday, November 2. For tickets and more information call 213.972.4400 or go to
centertheatregroup.org.
photography by rod spicer
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80