“I’m like, ‘Okay, God, is this what you want me to do?’ Because I’m having so much fun,” singer/actress Michelle Williams told The American back in 2011.
At the time she was preparing to debut her acting chops before St. Louis audiences as the star of the urban play “What My Husband Doesn’t Know.”
As her Destiny’s Child group mates Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé held their own in the music industry, Williams felt as if the musical theatre stage was somehow tied to her purpose as an entertainer.
Next week she’ll return to St. Louis in a full-circle moment – she’ll make her Muny debut with the role that started it all for her in the arena. She’ll star as the title character in the Muny’s 98th season finale “Aida,” which opens on Monday, August 8 and continues through August 14.
“We’re thrilled Michelle will star as our Aida,” said Muny artistic director and executive producer Mike Isaacson. “It is one of the most iconic roles in contemporary musical theatre, and I can’t wait to see her create her particular brand of musical magic on the Muny stage.”
More than a decade ago, Williams made her theatrical debut when she replaced Toni Braxton, who followed role originator Heather Headley in the Tony Award-winning Broadway run of the Elton John and Tim Rice smash musical.
In a 2003 interview with MTV News, she likened the experience of filling the shoes of Headley and Braxton to when she joined Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland as a new member of Destiny’s Child in 1999.
“Taking over for someone else, it was like, ‘Wow, what are people’s expectations? Are they gonna like me?” Williams said. “I kind of have to put all that behind me. I’m here for a reason.”
The play centers around a love triangle involving an exiled Nubian princess named Aida, an Egyptian princess named Amneris and a soldier by the name of Radames.
“She is such a strong young lady,” Williams told MTV News about preparing for the role. “She’s not afraid to stand up and say what she has to say and yet be sweet about it. She knows the game [and how] to play it.”
Much like her tenure with Destiny’s Child – which included a Grammy Award (“Best Performance by a Duo or Group” for “Survivor” in 2002) and worldwide album sales of more than 50 million – “Aida” would be just the beginning. Williams became an accomplished stage actress while she simultaneously released four solo albums.
She starred as Laura Isadore in the national Broadway tour of “Fela!” When she assumed the role of Roxie in 2009, Williams became the first African-American lead on the London stage in a UK production of “Chicago.”
And she also assumed starring roles in the Broadway national tour of “The Color Purple” and the popular touring urban stage production of “What My Husband Doesn’t Know,” which came to the Fox Theatre five years ago.
“Every time I hit the stage, it’s such an incredible experience,” Williams said. “It’s hard to describe how amazing it is.”
The Muny’s 98th season closes with Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, which runs August 8- August 14, #1 Theatre Drive, in Forest Park. For tickets, a full schedule and additional information, visit www.muny.org or call (314) 361-1900.
