Latest news with #NewOrleans-set
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Actress Samantha Williams Harnesses the Headstrong Heroine In Tony-nominated ‘Pirates! The Penzance Musical'
'I'm just happy that our work is being recognized. [It's] super crazy,' says actress Samantha Williams on a Zoom call, just hours after finding out 'Pirates! The Penzance Musical' has been nominated for the Tony Award for best revival of a musical. Perhaps nearly as thrilling as the Tony nom, Williams is also fresh off a performance for a group of young students, which she says felt like headlining at Madison Square Garden. For Williams, the journey with this New Orleans-set, jazz-inspired adaptation of the comic opera 'The Pirates of Penzance,' has been this exhilarating since Day One. Williams stars as Mabel, the headstrong heroine, alongside David Hyde Pierce (who plays her father), Jinkx Monsoon and Ramin Karimloo in 'Pirates! The Penzance Musical' at the Todd Haimes Theatre through July 27. More from WWD EXCLUSIVE: Kiehl's Is Back in the Locker Room With Life Time Nicole Scherzinger Makes a Fashion Statement in LaQuan Smith and Thigh-high Boots at Broadway's Big Luncheon Honoring Idina Menzel Ana de Armas on 'Ballerina,' Breaking Barriers and Finding Balance in Hollywood 'Pirates! The Penzance Musical' follows a young man, Frederic, accidentally forced into being a pirate until he turns 21. Gearing up for his birthday, he meets and falls in love with Williams' character Mabel. However, a slew of challenges arise, deterring their relationship — and hilarity ensues. While many theater fanatics are familiar with the original Gilbert & Sullivan work, this adaptation has been surprising attendees since its opening night with this new setting and 'silly' approach, according to Williams. It also surprised Williams, who was originally reluctant to audition for the role when she was first approached about a one-night-only concert rendition in October 2022. According to Williams, it was a complete change of pace from the type of work she'd been doing. 'I was like, 'Girl, I don't really think that's my vibe,' because I was doing more serious contemporary theater,' she recalls. 'I was like, 'A lot of young people don't really know it.' I learned about it in theater school, but I passed on the original audition for the concert. Then the team, specifically Joseph Joubert, who rewrote all the music — he was my music director and the orchestrator on 'Caroline, or Change' — wrote to my agents like, 'She has to come in…it's not what she thinks it is. They've changed it all.'' Williams adds: 'The world of Gilbert and Sullivan, I'd never seen a Black girl. I was like, 'I don't really see where I would fit in that world,' and so it was more like the preconceived ideas of what that [world] is and what that looks like, that society has put on all of us, actors and theater makers alike, that I was giving into.' Upon digging into the updated score and production, Williams was hooked and did go on to star in the concert alongside many of her current cast members. The jazzy orchestration and new take on the character of Mabel in particular stood out to her. 'Mabel is very headstrong and in tune with her sexuality in this version. She knows what she wants, and she gets it,' Williams says. 'She's the one sister that's always up to her own thing, whereas the rest of the sisters work as a school of fish… It's been fun to dive into bringing this character back in a way that's not so much damsel in distress and has more ownership over what she wants.' Of the vocals, Williams says: 'It has the jazz, the soprano, a little belt. It is all over the place, so it's been really fun and a great challenge for me.' The show comes with some other challenges, most notably holding in laughter, particularly in scenes with costars Pierce and Karimloo, Williams says. 'We laugh a lot on stage… The audience loves when you break during a comedy. They eat it up,' Williams says, adding this was especially true of the student audience. In terms of who breaks the most with laughter, Williams immediately says: ' It's me, and [the cast] would all say me too.' While Monsoon, Pierce and Karimloo are constantly causing Williams to crack up on stage, she's grateful to be working with such a stacked cast. 'All three [are] so gracious and humble… We're only around each other. We don't really have lives, and so [I] kind of forget who they are until someone [is like] 'how is it working with these icons?'' she says. 'My mom is obsessed with David Hyde Pierce and 'Frasier.' She was fan-girling when she met him at opening. David is just so subtle with everything, which is what makes him so good, and Ramin [has] that voice, and Jinx is just such an icon.' Upon opening, 'Pirates! The Penzance Musical' was already set for a limited engagement, something that Williams is used to as she completed a short run of 'Titanic' at New York City Center last summer alongside Karimloo. 'I love being able to be like, 'OK, we did that. Now, let's jump to the next thing.' There's always something to learn with that,' she says. 'At the same time, it is a little bit scary because you just don't know what the next thing is going to be, and you have to just trust that something will come that's meant to be.' As far as what is next, Williams jokes about writing a 'Cheetah Girls' musical with her friends, adding that she's always been a Galleria, the character played by Raven-Symoné. 'It would be for a very specific audience, though, like our age girlies, [but] we can we make a dent,' she jokes, adding that she's been listening to the song 'Cinderella' from the first movie. As thoughts of a potential 'Cheetah Girls' musical rattle around Williams' brain, she says a bit more seriously that she is a part of several hopefully Broadway-bound new musicals. She's also ready to do something on television. 'What's next?' she asks herself. 'Lots of fun!' Best of WWD Celebrating Lenny Kravitz, Rock Icon, Actor, Author, Designer and Style Star: Photos Cannes Film Festival 1970s: Flashbacks, Celebrities and Fashion Highlights from WWD's 'Eye' Pages [PHOTOS] A Look Back at Cannes Film Festival's Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars: Blake Lively, Angelina Jolie, Princess Diana and More Photos
Buzz Feed
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
After Disney Suddenly Canceled The "Princess And The Frog" TV Series, Anika Noni Rose Expressed Her "Disappointment"
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Disney It's been 16 years since The Princess and the Frog first hit theaters in 2009. The hit Disney film notably revolved around Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), Disney's first Black princess. Since then, the characters from the beloved New Orleans-set film have popped up in various Disney properties, like Rose reprising her role in 2018's Ralph Breaks the Internet and in the book Tiana's Perfect Plan, which Rose wrote. Jenifer Lewis, Michael-Leon Wooley, Bruno Campos, and Rose also recorded new moments for Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride, which replaced Splash Mountain in Disney World and Disneyland. However, one upcoming project fans were especially excited about was Tiana, a Disney+ series that would act as a sequel to the beloved 2009 film. At the time, the series was announced alongside a Moana TV show, Zootopia Plus, and Baymax, which would all be sequels to their respective hit movies. Disney Since 2020, those projects have all changed immensely, with the Moana TV show turning into Moana 2. Meanwhile, Zootopia+ and Baymax! were released as a series of shorts with only six episodes each. Zootopia will also now be getting a feature film sequel, which will hit theaters in 2025. But, Tiana continued to seemingly be moving ahead in the five years since it was announced. In 2023, Variety reported that Joyce Sherri had been hired as lead writer on the series, and Rose and Oprah Winfrey were expected to reprise their roles as Tiana and Eudora, Tiana's mother, respectively. The show's description read: "Tiana sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn't far behind." Then, last week, it was reported that Tiana had been canceled by Disney, with Deadline confirming the news. While Disney did not respond to a request for comment, sources reportedly confirmed to the outlet that Walt Disney Animation "will be providing long-form content for Disney+" from now on. Apparently, Tiana will be reworked into a special event for Disney. Disney / Everett Collection The move from Disney+ shows to "long-form content" is no surprise, considering Disney films — namely sequels or continuations of beloved franchises — continue to dominate the box office, with Inside Out 2, Moana 2, and Mufasa pulling in big box office numbers in 2024. Inside Out 2 alone grossed a whopping $1.6 billion worldwide. Shortly after it was announced, fans quickly shared their disappointment: Rapunzel got a whole series with 3 seasons but Tiana can't get 8 fucking episodes????? Not even an special????? — Startboii (COMMS OPEN) (@Startboii1) March 3, 2025 Disney / Via but they can green light 200 sequels of toy story and frozen? — leo ✮ (@quaketano) March 3, 2025 Fox / Disney / Via Also, many pointed out that every other Disney princess has gotten a sequel movie or TV show, except Tiana and The Princess and the Frog: This was a chance for the first black Disney princess to truly have a moment & further develop her character & not be a damn frog the whole time..... Moana's show can get turned into a sequel but Tiana's show just gets cancelled.... let that fcking sink in. — Elizabeth🦇Invincible Era (@Elizabeth_JxJ) March 3, 2025 Disney / Via And now, Anika Noni Rose has issued a statement on her Instagram about her disappointment with the show's cancelation after years of development and hard work, saying she has been "getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support, and overwhelming disappointment." "I too am deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana's journey in series form has been cut short," Rose began. "The series was a long time coming, and a lot of beautiful work was put into it by all of the creatives involved, including – but not limited to – long time champion Jenn Lee [Disney Animation chief creative officer], our wonderful writer/director Joyce Sherri, some fabulous animators, and an amazing music team." She continued, saying, "As hurtful as it is for anything you've put your heart and soul in to be prematurely ended, my hope is that when what is now to be a ' Tiana Special Event ' airs, that all of you beautiful, loving, loyal fans who've been championing not just the series, but a Princess And The Frog sequel, tune in." "And when I say tune in, I mean, tell your friends, family, coworkers, baby sitters; all all the people you know who have loved Princess Tiana, Naveen, Louis, Charlotte, Mama Odie, and the magic they've created together over the years, and make sure you are watching. Show your love and your desire in the numbers. Make that desire an undeniable and real thing." Rose concluded her statement by saying that they will be "continuing to work hard to bring you the most beautiful content we can." She thanked everyone for "the love you have shown" on social media and for "every one of you who has lifted [her] heart in this space over the years and made it possible for Princess Tiana to still be such a vibrant, impactful presence."
