https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/02/23/brandy-norwood-will-step-into-d-c-chicago-as-roxie/?utm_term=.91939502b7d1
?Chicago? has been on the boards for 20 years now, but the vampy John Kander-Fred Ebb musical is not only making its Kennedy Center debut for two weeks starting April 4 ? it?s also adding pop to the marquee with R&B star Brandy Norwood joining the cast as Roxie Hart, the center announced Thursday.
?The show completely changed my life,? Norwood said by phone from Los Angeles. (Her sidekick in Washington will be Terra C. MacLeod, who has frequently taken the stand on Broadway as Velma Kelly.)
Norwood, 38, has enjoyed star status since she was TV?s teen ?Moesha? and the title character in the 1997 television version of Rodgers and Hammerstein?s ?Cinderella? with Whitney Houston. Her theatrical stage debut finally came in 2015 when she took on the Broadway ?Chicago? as Roxie for a run that lasted several months. She later reprised her turn in Los Angeles.
Brandy, a star at 17
Her eclectic entertainment career has spanned everything from selling millions of records to scripted series and TV competitions, including a stint with her brother Ray J in the current season of the Fox TV cooking show ?My Kitchen Rules.? But as Norwood talks about venturing into ?the real show business,? she sounds more like a Broadway baby than you might think.
How did you get started with ?Chicago??
One day I woke up and felt tired of being tired, and I decided to get my life together: going to the gym, changing my inner dialogue to myself, affirming I was getting ready for something big. Then ?Chicago? presented itself. I was nervous. I had never done Broadway before, and I didn?t know the discipline it would take to do eight shows a week. But I was surprisingly equipped for it, and it changed me for the better. It was learning how to trust the moment and trust the work I put into it. I plan to take this with me wherever I go.
You?re not joining the ongoing tour; you?re just in for this D.C. stop.
I?m good friends with the producers, and I made it clear I would love to do Roxie as long as they would have me, for the rest of my career, here and there. I would love for as many people as possible to see me in that role. I?ve already started inviting a lot of people to come.
Had you seen ?Chicago? before?
I saw it when Usher did it. [Usher played lawyer Billy Flynn on Broadway in 2006.] That was the first time I got the itch. You have to be very brave to do Broadway or a musical. That?s the real show business. You don?t have a lot of tricks. You have to really trust it and bring your best foot forward every night.
Why did Roxie seem like a good fit?
We were in the same place at the same time with our dreams. We were both visualizing what our life could be if this, that and the third thing happened. We were doing some sort of eclipse with each other ? even though she did shoot somebody. I didn?t do all that. But having my own show, what she was singing about, I was doing in my own life.
Did you have to make adjustments getting into the Broadway routine?
The show was all I really focused on, to keep my voice up. I had to pick and choose where to talk, and how to talk to my daughter, sleep a lot. Sleep really brings the clarity in your voice. And just 100 percent give yourself to the moment. You can?t think ahead. All the work ahead would have scared the crap of me if I thought about it while I was singing up on the ladder.
Watch the video of Brandy?s ?Beggin? and Pleadin? ?
Your video for ?Beggin? and Pleadin? ? is influenced by the blues singer Shug Avery in ?The Color Purple,? and it also feels a bit like ?Chicago.? Is the Broadway take on jazz and blues a new influence for you?
That?s definitely a new influence for me. [She sings] ?All that jazz?? Like I said, the musical changed my life, made me feel capable. It influenced me in various ways as a musician; I want to add theater to everything I do. There?s nothing like it. It?s not just about you. It?s about making everyone look good. Everything now is about competition, but theater is more about the story than about the person playing the part.
*sigh*
:ummwhat:
'Grats Bran!!!!
:ummwhat: can Roxie fucking die already? I want Brandy damn Norwood the singer.
:overit:
Well she's just doing the DC stop apparently :caramelapple:
:ummwhat:
Again for a 3rd time ? Jesus Christ
:ummwhat:
Gerl
I want Brandy to keep doing things like this. I hope she starts doing other broadway shows and movies, too. Why y'all want her stuck in a music studio all her days is beyond me. She's still not gonna put our music any sooner.
Quote from: The Brandy Barbie on February 23, 2017, 02:47:56 PM
I want Brandy to keep doing things like this. I hope she starts doing other broadway shows and movies, too. Why y'all want her stuck in a music studio all her days is beyond me. She's still not gonna put our music any sooner.
Nothing wrong with doing things like this but she needs to focus more on music or do some movies or tv shows something to get herself in the public eye and not my kitchen rules.
a damn gain? :ummwhat:
She's smart. This will expose her to a different audience. And being that it's D.C. they'll be a lot of important people there. So I'm not mad. Plus it's only for 2 weeks.
That's wassup. Can't wait for the Music tho
I love that she said she'll do it forever here and there.
It helped her a lot and became a huge part of her life , so why not. Love it.
I want to see her in Chicago
Can't wait. I will be there! Saw it twice in NYC and I bought a ticket for her Hollywood show, but I had to give it away.
I actually wouldn't mind if she hit the major cities again.
Quote from: Young on February 23, 2017, 03:13:15 PM
I love that she said she'll do it forever here and there.
It helped her a lot and became a huge part of her life , so why not. Love it.
I want to see her in Chicago
!!!!!!!!!!!
Aint nothing wrong with this. She good in it btw
Nice
n
Dope, I might catch it!!!
Love this! Do ya thang Brandy!
If there was some music simultaneously I wouldn't mind but there AINT so fuck Roxie. Sick of this shit
:19k:
It's a DC stop
are y'all ok
:diddraispoot:
Nope. We not and I speak on behalf of everyone
:ummwhat:
Get money!
I don't know about a different audience though. New York is not that far away from DC - only a $20 bus ride roundtrip lol Anyone from DC who wanted to see it on Broadway probably already has
Just glad she's active.
This is great! Get coin, Kwee'!
And I really believe she might play Annie Oakley in a Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun.
Kwee' wants to add a Tony to her rep. :feelinmyself:
If this keeps her off social media clapping back & @ing the shaderoom... I'm all for it! I do really want new music too but I've waited this long so I'll deal.
This would be dope if she were gearing new music.
fuck the music
roxie is epic
I want music! Damn! Drop some unreleased shit or something. I wouldn't care if she was doing both but she just stuck on this. It's been 5 years since a damn album
That album ain't coming soon either way, sorry to say...
I don't see how this would stop her for any significant period of time.
Love how she always mentions Usher
legendary selves
Not to be random but... Brandy deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Quote from: TheNextLew on February 23, 2017, 07:32:35 PM
fuck the music
roxie is epic
:shannonsmissing: R U THE FUCK OKAY?
Ehhhh
Brandy love u but dead Roxie please... if this was another role in a different musical then I would totally be here for it... but a 3rd time and u havent had any music out in 5 years, she's wylin now smh
she's gonna do this for as long as she can in her career, so i dont see the big deal. it wont effect music either way
if music doesn't come its because of Brandy, not 2 weeks every now and then of Roxie :dead: plus i like how she takes
care of her voice for broadway. It'll lend itself well to the new music
Quote from: Harlem on February 23, 2017, 08:38:47 PM
Ehhhh
Brandy love u but dead Roxie please... if this was another role in a different musical then I would totally be here for it... but a 3rd time and u havent had any music out in 5 years, she's wylin now smh
Agreed
Quote from: RIGS on February 23, 2017, 08:45:21 PM
she's gonna do this for as long as she can in her career, so i dont see the big deal. it wont effect music either way
if music doesn't come its because of Brandy, not 2 weeks every now and then of Roxie :dead: plus i like how she takes
care of her voice for broadway. It'll lend itself well to the new music
:butwait!: vocals be everything
Roxie being a career for ha >>>>
U can get others but brandy will be back
She has to do what makes her happy and makes her money; music, clearly, ain't it right now.
Her life and her career. An artist has to be inspired. This seems to inspire her and center her like nothing else she has done in her career in recent years.
Quote from: brocka4life on February 23, 2017, 09:45:48 PM
She has to do what makes her happy and makes her money; music, clearly, ain't it right now.
Her life and her career. An artist has to be inspired. This seems to inspire her and center her like nothing else she has done in her career in recent years.
Well as long as it doesn't inspire her next tour I'll be happy
Quote from: Harlem on February 23, 2017, 09:51:22 PM
Quote from: brocka4life on February 23, 2017, 09:45:48 PM
She has to do what makes her happy and makes her money; music, clearly, ain't it right now.
Her life and her career. An artist has to be inspired. This seems to inspire her and center her like nothing else she has done in her career in recent years.
Well as long as it doesn't inspire her next tour I'll be happy
How many tickets are you going to buy to her next tour? Realistically, we're each just one person typing what we want from her. There's a multitude of people who don't sit online and watch every single performance to critique it, who will enjoy whatever show she decides to put together. It's clear every time that she performs at events that people enjoy it. Hopefully over time, that will lead to more people actually supporting her music and whatever movement she has. One of her issues has been that she never really performed at these r&b type of events and that's part of the disconnect that was there with general public fans. The Roxie role, like DWTS, made her a better performer. She's doing what she enjoys.
:dead: :dead: :dead: :dead:
I'll wait until June or November for the 1st single.
Quote from: 1.7 on February 23, 2017, 10:16:43 PM
:dead: :dead: :dead: :dead:
I'll wait until June or November for the 1st single.
Might wanna make it december january hun :heythere:
I AM LOVING THIS.
If sis took over Broadway (mainly) for the remainder of her career, I'd be happy.
Those going up are probably the same ones going up for My Kitchen Rules
:plea:
:19k:
I was gonna fume, but I think I get where she's coming from so I'm not mad. But if she wants to make Broadway a part of the rest of her career, she should at least look into other roles besides Roxie.
Quote from: TAE! on February 23, 2017, 10:45:18 PM
I was gonna fume, but I think I get where she's coming from so I'm not mad. But if she wants to make Broadway a part of the rest of her career, she should at least look into other roles besides Roxie.
!!!!!!!!!!!
That would be more exciting for us and her resume if she kept booking other roles... Roxie again is kinda like ur not challenging urself to tap into a new character and continue growing... I think she's playing it safe for the checks which is cool but move on sis
Quote from: Harlem on February 23, 2017, 10:47:52 PM
Quote from: TAE! on February 23, 2017, 10:45:18 PM
I was gonna fume, but I think I get where she's coming from so I'm not mad. But if she wants to make Broadway a part of the rest of her career, she should at least look into other roles besides Roxie.
!!!!!!!!!!!
That would be more exciting for us and her resume if she kept booking other roles... Roxie again is kinda like ur not challenging urself to tap into a new character and continue growing... I think she's playing it safe for the checks which is cool but move on sis
!!! That's a good point. Just hope she doesn't challenge herself again until after this album lol. At least this Roxie stint isn't that long.
Quote from: TAE! on February 23, 2017, 10:45:18 PM
I was gonna fume, but I think I get where she's coming from so I'm not mad. But if she wants to make Broadway a part of the rest of her career, she should at least look into other roles besides Roxie.
Who's to say she hasn't auditioned for or sought other roles? She has auditioned for movies in recent years, she's just hasn't booked them. Could be the same thing with Broadway.
Ur right! But the Roxie role is a little too repetitive and safe at this point IMO
But get ur bread Queen
Quote from: RIGS on February 23, 2017, 08:45:21 PM
she's gonna do this for as long as she can in her career, so i dont see the big deal. it wont effect music either way
if music doesn't come its because of Brandy, not 2 weeks every now and then of Roxie :dead: plus i like how she takes
care of her voice for broadway. It'll lend itself well to the new music
Doing Roxie will keep her connected... I'm sure someone will create a role for her or ask her to do something in the future
Love her on Broadway
She's the BEST on THAT stage
If you haven't seen her on Broadway, you are missing out! She belongs there honestly. I hope she makes a career out of theater. I don't think I've ever seen so much talent radiating from her then when I saw her in NY. It was amazing. Ill be at the DC show!
Quote from: Harlem on February 23, 2017, 10:47:52 PM
Quote from: TAE! on February 23, 2017, 10:45:18 PM
I was gonna fume, but I think I get where she's coming from so I'm not mad. But if she wants to make Broadway a part of the rest of her career, she should at least look into other roles besides Roxie.
!!!!!!!!!!!
That would be more exciting for us and her resume if she kept booking other roles... Roxie again is kinda like ur not challenging urself to tap into a new character and continue growing... I think she's playing it safe for the checks which is cool but move on sis
its a little early to assume that she's settling for this tho
Got my ticket
Got my tickets, too.
What is really fun about going is being around people that are not "Brandy fans" witnessing Brandy's talent for the first time. On top of that, it's actually a funny show.
It's just two weeks, guys. This will have nothing to do with whether or not we get new music this year.
She is very good in the role so happy for her
Quote from: Angel In Disguise on February 24, 2017, 05:28:43 PM
Got my tickets, too.
What is really fun about going is being around people that are not "Brandy fans" witnessing Brandy's talent for the first time. On top of that, it's actually a funny show.
It's just two weeks, guys. This will have nothing to do with whether or not we get new music this year.
!!!!