Sharon D Clarke: Lexi and I met in 1999. We have been in a “Cinderella” pantomime at Hackney Empire in London. She was within the refrain, and I observed her the minute she opened her mouth. She’s this funky mezzo-soprano, and he or she’s little, however she’s what we Jamaicans name talawa — she’s highly effective. That was her skilled stage debut, and it was additionally throughout that present that my spouse, Susie McKenna, who was directing, and I fell in love. Since then, I’ve finished extra jobs with Lexi and watched her have this phenomenal profession. She’s a kind of performers who genuinely strikes me, and her being the primary [full-time] Black Elphaba in “Depraved” [in 2008] was such an achievement. She’s additionally only a stable, attractive, glowing human being — and a beautiful baker.
You must keep in contact with why you’re doing what you’re doing. That’s what received me via the more durable occasions once I was sitting in a home I shared with my sister, not working and surrounded by papers for loans. Round 30, my profession took a flip and I began getting extra auditions. Now I can say, “My God. Inside one yr, I’ve finished a play and a musical on Broadway.” I really feel blessed, and proud to inform tales from a unique viewpoint that get folks pondering. That’s my means of being political.
For [the 2019 West End production of] “Dying of a Salesman,” our administrators gave us scripts with the stage instructions taken out. Normally, there are directions in there [regarding tone], like, “Linda tentatively. …” She’s usually seen as a doormat, however she isn’t actually written that means. She is aware of her males, their strengths and their faults. She is aware of herself, and he or she is aware of the state of affairs that she’s in. Once I performed her, I performed her in honor of my mother and all sturdy Black matriarchal ladies.
Alexia Khadime: Sharon was enjoying the fairy godmother and, to ship Cinderella off to the ball, she sang “Flying With out Wings” by Westlife. Her rendition blew everybody out of the water. With every job I’ve gotten since, she and Susie have been there cheering me on.
The pandemic was powerful on the humanities, however there was one thing about it — in all probability not all the time operating to the subsequent audition — that made a penny drop in my head. I moved away from all the time desirous to please, which has allowed me to play with completely different concepts. The great thing about theater is that it doesn’t need to be the very same present each evening.
I just lately reprised my position as Elphaba. To be trustworthy, I by no means thought I’d play her within the first place. It’s one other reminder that illustration issues. Like these clips of little women seeing the “Little Mermaid” trailer [for the upcoming film with the actress-singer Halle Bailey playing the role of Ariel] and saying, “She appears to be like like me.” Sooner or later, I’d love to do extra TV and voice-over work. Typically folks suppose you do musical theater and it stops there. Effectively, no. I need to do all of it.
Interviews have been edited and condensed.
Supply: NY Times