June 3, 2025 • 29 mins
And we're back! We know you've missed Michelle, but baby she was focused! In this highly anticipated Season 4 premiere, Michelle opens up about where she's been, her role in the Broadway musical - Death Becomes Her - and the Tony award nominations. We know y'all are upset.. but check in to see how Michelle feels!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Wait a minute, where's season four? Michelle? Where are you?
Where have you been? Oh? Where's your Toty nomination? Well?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I discuss all of that on this new episode of
Checking In. Hey, everybody, welcome to another episode of Checking In.
Are we really at season four? I can only be
at season four because you listen. Not only do you listen,
(00:51):
you download and you share my podcast with other people.
So I want to say thank you. I'm excited about
season four and beyond. I'm really excited about where Checking
In can go. I know, I know I've been away
a while, probably too long, but a lot of life
(01:14):
has been happening, and I want to come back when
I was ready, when I had the mental capacity to juggle.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
More than one thing.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I really really admire and envy those that can juggle
eight things at once, or have the mental capacity or
bandwidth to do so. I have to compart, mentalize and
create space to have more than one thing going. I
feel like if I have more than one thing going
(01:49):
for me, I like to make sure that this thing
is good. Right here now, it's good. We're in a rhythm.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Now I can add on something else. So that's what's
been going on.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
So the thing that has been keeping me away for
about the past year has been this musical Death Becomes Her.
It was something that was a surprise to me. I
was literally minding my business at home in Georgia and Atlanta,
Georgia area, and I had been enjoying the coaching space,
(02:28):
my public speaking space, and baby.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Mother was traveling you hear me, and.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I just needed to, you know, get to know me,
get to know what I need to be doing versus
what I want to be doing. Although what I want
to be doing matters because I am doing what I
want to do. But I had to think about a
lot of things. Okay, what are the things that I
want to do? But hey, it takes planning, it takes strategy,
(02:59):
it takes a team, It takes shuffling people around, you know,
until you get things together. But really, what's been so
demanding of my time was Death Becomes Her.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It started in what March of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I didn't have long to make the decision, and I
talked to a few people in my life, John Murray,
Kelly Rowland, my cousin Britney Phillips, doctor Amira, Just y'all,
do I need to do this? And they were like, girl,
if you don't get your tel in this new musical.
(03:39):
The crazy thing is I kept saying that I want
to originate a role on Broadway. I've done Ada, I've
done Chicago, the musical fell out, the color purple, and
those were the.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Roles that I had, were roles that.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Were already done by amazing trailblazers in the musical theater community.
So I'm not hating that. I just knew it was
time that if I did another Broadway production, that it
would be time to originate a role. But even when
the opportunity presented itself, I tried to talk myself out
(04:18):
of it. But I'm so grateful that I listened to
my friends who sometimes know me better than me, who
talked some sense and to me. And it wasn't because
of their own selfish reasons why they thought I should
be doing Broadway.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
But they were like, girl, no do this.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
And when I tell you, guys, it has been a
bountiful blessing. Just my cup runneth over, And I'm so
thankful for those of you who have come to see
the show in Chicago and here in New York on Broadway.
So the process between the pre Broadway production was I
(05:01):
had to hurry up and get to New York to
start rehearsals. We started Death Becomes Her rehearsals in New York,
but we did a pre Broadway run in Chicago. You guys,
the city of Chicago has a beautiful theater community. It's
literally called Broadway in Chicago, and that is where a
(05:21):
lot of.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Theater kind of gets on its feet. I'll never forget.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
We started the Color Purple, the original Broadway tour. We
rehearsed in Chicago and we put it up on its
feet at the Cadillac Palace Theater. It's like one of
the biggest theaters in Chicago, and that is where we
opened Death Becomes Her in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
At the Cadillac Palace Theater.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
The rehearsal process was insane, you know, working along Torrian Everett,
Josh Lame and Meghan hill Ty, Jennifer sa Martin and
Christopher Sebert. It is a masterclass for me every single day.
But rehearsals, baby, I would literally when you're trying to
(06:14):
retain so much information it was like information overload. And
then I'm also trying to study this character, trying to
create something amazing for Broadway, y'all. Like it was a lot.
So that kind of kept me from doing some other things.
I'm telling you what kept me again. I envy those
(06:37):
that can do eighty new things at once. I cannot. Well,
I can curl my hair and talk on the phone
at one time, you know, if I'm babysitting, I guess
I can hold a baby on my hip, and you know,
open the refrigerator and grab something to.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Drink, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
But there is just some other things that I did
not want to overwhelm myself. My mental health, y'all, is
so important. I know how I get when I get overwhelmed,
and I do overwhelmed can be, it's normal.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
But I know how much I can take. I know me.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And so again, thank y'all so much for allowing me
the space to do what I need to do so
that I can come back to you guys in a
good space, excited versus dreading. You know, Oh, I got
to do this today and this and this and this
and this. But I am in a place where okay,
(07:42):
I can record my podcast in the day and then
head to the theater at night.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Speaking of, I did have this.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Life that I wanted to live where I wanted to
do a talk show in the morning and then do
theater at night. Well, fast forward to the year twenty
twenty five, and I'm pretty much recording episodes for I
guess I consider my podcast a talk show and I
get to do theater at night. That's why what we
say or write is so important, because the things that
(08:14):
we say are the things that.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We write can actually come true.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So again, I have wanted that life of doing a
talk show in the morning and then going to the
theater at night. Fast forward to coming to New York.
So we were in Chicago from about April to June
of twenty twenty four. Then we pretty much had the
(08:38):
summer off. Then in September, top of September of twenty
twenty four, I moved to New York City and I've
been here ever since. It is now practically we're in
spring of twenty twenty five, and New York has been lovely.
New York cracks me up because everybody gets in a
(09:01):
better mood when the sun is out and the weather's
a little warmer, So that's been kind of cool to
see the transition of our moods since it's warmer out.
I guess the saying is true, suns out, muns out.
So yeah, New York has been absolutely fabulous. The Broadway
theater community second to none. I wouldn't want to be
(09:25):
anywhere else right now. I'm really thankful to be back
on Broadway. In the musical Death Becomes Her that was
based off the incredible movie from the early nineties, the
movie starred Bruce Willis, Goldie Han, and Meryl Streep and
at the time, Death Becomes Her was ahead of its
(09:51):
time as far as the special.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Effects in the movie.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I mean, and that is I'm looking it up right
now when the movie came out, and it was so
ahead of its time with the special effects, the illusions,
and I remember a few people close to me was like, well,
how are y'all going to do the illusions of death
becomes or how from the movie? How are y'all going
to translate that onto to the stage. And when I
(10:18):
tell you, I believe Death Becomes Her. The Broadway production
has gone above and beyond as far as bringing those
allusions to the stage. It has been phenomenal. The people
that have come to see the show. Y'all know, my
sisters have come to see this show. Goldie Hahn has
been to see this show. Cynthia Arrivo has come. So
(10:40):
many people who are christ and CHINNOWI came to.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
See the show.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
We've had so many amazing, amazing folks that have come.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
To support us.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
My sisters Beyonce and Kelly Rowland came to see the show,
Miss Tina.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So many people, the original.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Composers of the film score of Death Becomes Her have
come to see the show. It's been It's just been
so cool when we get notifications that, you know, folks
are coming to see the show.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Mistaken, I believe Felicia Rashad and Debbie Allen came to
see the show. So many of my friends and family
have flown in. Folks are trickling on in and so
it's really cool to have support, you know what I mean.
So it has been phenomenal. We opening night was what
(11:32):
November of twenty twenty four, and people keep asking how
long are you in the show? How long is the
show going? All I know I can tell you this,
the show could run for years tickets have been extended
for at least till April of twenty twenty six, and
it could go even longer than that. Hamilton has been
(11:55):
here for ten years, Chicago the Musical has been here.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
For a long time. Lion King Wicked.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So my prayer is that Death Becomes Her is also
a show that gets to stay around.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
For a long, long long time.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I love the cast. I love everybody that I work with.
There is not a day that I dread walking into
that theater because I already know we're gonna laugh. Something
funny's gonna happen. That's the excuse me. I'm on zipping.
This is a little too tight around my throat. So
(12:34):
if y'all heard something on zip, that's I'm trying to.
I was like, why, I'm having a difficult time talking,
and it's like, dub your little outfit.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
This little zipper is a little too tight.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yes, I was saying just how much I love who
I work with, and that is so important. I pray
that everybody listening you and say the same thing that
you love everybody you work with. And I was about
to say the beauty of live theater. You never know
(13:09):
what's gonna happen on any given show. The thing about
doing a podcast that's not live, you can edit it.
The beauty of doing TV and film that's not live,
you can edit it, no editing with live theater, all
(13:30):
the bloopers, whether or not the audience knows it. We
know when a blooper a wrong lyric has been saying.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
A wrong line.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You know, listen, we do it all the time, especially well.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I know for me, if I'm.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Really tired, sometimes my brain can just blank out and
I'm like, wait a minute, what are the words to
this song?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Or it does happen. It happens to everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
But the thing about being a professional, the thing about
being able to maybe improve you know, again, the audience
might never know, but it is amazing that we get
to cackle backstage when we know someone has had a
blunder out there. I also want to talk about all
(14:31):
the amazing opportunities and the people that I get to
talk to, like Tammeron Hall, Robin Roberts, Deborah Roberts, phenomenal interviews.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
With some of everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
I've gotten to perform on the Today's Show, which was incredible,
the Amazing's Thanksgiving a Parade, Oh.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Some of us were so sick. I don't even yeah,
thank that for Thanksgiving Day parade, so sick, and then
I just remember, I don't even know. I didn't even
have Thanksgiving dinner. That's how sick we were. That was
a time where some bug was just kind of roaming
around the theater community in New York City. Everybody was
(15:21):
getting sick. But AnyWho, Yeah, so that's been the That's
that's the joys of live theater. Eight shows a week,
I know we have sometimes you will even have a
five show weekend where okay, you have a show Friday,
two Saturday, and two on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Well, we normally only have one show.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
On Sundays, and sometimes we have to have two shows
because it's a holiday or something. So I try to
get all my IV treatment to get my energy, my
B twelve and.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Vitamin C and stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I try not to talk a lot during the day,
and that's another thing, you know, also putting the podcast
to the side and doing multiple episodes. You know, that's
a lot of talking. And I'm trying to prioritize my
vocal health as well, because when people come see the show.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I know, for me, I hate when I'm hoarse.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
I hate when I can't really give the energy that
I need vocally. So there are just some things that
I try to do during the day. I don't talk
a lot, or I'll use this vocal nebulizer that really
hydrates the vocal cords, and you know, just a lot
of things to stay healthy working out. I have to
give up dairy. I can't have red wine. Y'all know
(16:45):
a girl loves some cabernet. All of those things that
I named are drying to the vocal cords and trying
to do eight shows a week. Is like, well, what
am I willing to sacrifice to make sure that I
know that I'm doing everything that I can do to
be healthy, And that means sacrificeing the things I love,
which is dairy, caffeine, and red wine. As far as
(17:09):
the caffeine though I can have. I'll have a cup
of coffee on like a Sunday or a Wednesday, and
that's it. Sundays is because I have all day Monday
to recover. We don't have a show on Monday to hydrate,
and then Tuesday go back to the show. That's just
for me. There are some folks in the show who
(17:29):
can drink coffee? I actually do have an espresso machine
in my room, but it's for d Calf coffee. But
there are some Honey. They walk into the theater honey
with their coffee, their Starbucks, their Tim Horton wherever they
get their coffee from, and I'm always so jealous that
they get to have regular coffee.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Okay, Oh, I also want to address the Tonies. Do
I feel snubbed by the Tony.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Awards committee because that's who essentially nominates the performers and
the show, the designers and all that stuff. So I
don't want y'all to be mad at the wrong people.
Some of y'all been mad at the show. Death becomes Her.
Death becomes Her is not the reason why I did
not get a nomination. There is an actual committee who votes.
(18:33):
It's kind of just like the Grammys. You know, I
am a voting member of the Grammys.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
There is a process for the Grammys, just like there
is a process for the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
So I want y'all to know that do not be.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Upset at the producers or the director or choreographers or
anyone associated with Death Becomes Her. They are not the
reasons why I did not get a nomination, But do
I feel snubbed?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Am I mad? I was never mad.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
I was disappointed because I was like, I had high hopes.
I was like, man, this is an actual chance that
I could be nominated. And the reason why I had
high hopes is because my role became eligible for a nomination.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And I was like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
So people that are on the Tony Awards committee, the
nominations committee, they have to come and see the show.
They have to go see every eligible Broadway show. They
have to go see every show. They have to look
at every character. They have to look at so many
things wardrobe design, set, lighting design, sound design, all the
(19:55):
actors and performers, the music, so many things that are
taken into consideration for the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
So I was not mad. I actually.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I have to admit and say, I don't even know
if I feel snubbed.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
That's because of this hard shell of a mindset that
I have because I don't feel like I'm entitled to anything.
I feel like the only thing I deserve is respect.
The only thing I.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Deserve is for you to pay me for the work.
That I do.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Other than that, I can't say that I even that.
I don't feel entitled to anything. I you know, I
deserve love, I deserve honor, I deserve respect, and I
deserve for my name to be on the part of
the check that says paid to the Order of Right.
(21:03):
And I deserve for those funds to be in that
bank account with sufficient funds. Because I work hard. I
had to ask myself, did you deserve a Tony nomination?
And that is a very hard question that I have
to ask myself because I really wasn't feeling a way
(21:27):
about it until certain key people that work with me
or who I know personally, they reached out in just
pure disappointment. And then I started reading the comments on
social media and I was like, Wow, people are writing
for me.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
People are really.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Upset that I did not get this nomination. And when
I tell you, I thank you for that. I thank
you that you see greatness in me, or that you
felt my work was so good great that it deserved
a nomination. So I want to thank all of you
guys out there for seeing me. And I think that's
(22:10):
actually what brought me to tears. The thing that brought
me to tears. Was not that I did not get
a nomination. It was that no, people actually see greatness
in me, and they felt that the work that I
am doing every night, eight shows a week was deserving
of a Tony nomination. All of the folks that I
(22:34):
work with in the show have been so loving, so supportive.
Meghan Hillt walked in my room with this beautiful gift.
Christopher Seber, Jennifer Samard, the producers, everybody had been so lovely.
Once everybody, everybody was disappointed and shocked, and so I
(22:56):
kind of got down a little bit and I was like, no, no,
I don't want to get but again, I just felt
people's disappointment and I started to kind of carry that
for about a day, and I was like, Nope, You're
gonna be fine. I am blessed, y'all. I am blessed.
(23:17):
I am blessed. I am so blessed. And when I
look at everybody that has gotten a nomination for the
Tony Awards this year that our June eighth, I'm gonna
be there. I hope to be there standing up, clapping,
cheering everybody on, because it's hard work, y'all.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It is hard work.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Y'all, the tech process of a Broadway show is so
freaking difficult. Once we got out of tech and previews,
it's smooth sailing. Now we are practically on autopilot. We
come in and we know our show. But it everybody
(24:05):
works hard, from stage management to the carpenters, to the
prop department, to the people who do the spotlights, the
lighting design, the sound design, the folks who work in wardrobe,
the lady who dresses me all eight shows, the person
who might have to smell my armpits after doing two shows.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Like, it ain't about me at all.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
It's about the sum total of so many people that
keep shows going. So I wanted to just tell y'all
that I thank you. I felt the love and I
felt the heat. Honey, you hear me, but don't be
(24:52):
mad at the wrong people. Some of y'all was going
in on the death becomes Her posts and I was like, Yo,
death becomes her is not the reason why I do
not have a Tony nomination.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
I do know that one.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Day I will have a Tony nomination. I'm excited. It's
actually made me hungry. It's made me want to I
actually want to do a play. I want to do
something that does not have music or there is. Now
you have a music hall and then you have a
(25:28):
play with music, and maybe that could mean some amazing underscoring,
you know. But I want to try a play next,
and so we'll see what happens. But again, it's made
me hungry. It's made me want to dive deeper into
the character of Viola and I get to discover we're
(25:50):
all in a I think we're all in the show.
We've all been a place in a place of discovery.
I can tell when somebody does even something as small
as a vocal inflection in places.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Where they normally don't. We're all discovering so many things
day by day, and.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
It also kind of depends on the mood you're in
and if that works for the character, put it in there.
It's y'all, it's it's really magical. It's really magical. And
so I just kind of just wanted to check in,
do a check in and let you guys know what's
been going on and what I've been doing. And I
(26:31):
had to sneak in that Tony nomination stuff because y'all were,
y'all were going ham for your girl, and I so
appreciate it. I so appreciate it. But there there will
be a next time. There will be a next time.
I've said it, I've spoken it, I've written it down.
(26:53):
It is going to happen. And I'm excited because you
all will be right. They're alongside me and helping to
make it happen. And thank y'all again checking In. We're
season four gonna be some great, great, great episode, some
great interviews, and if y'all don't mind, every now and
(27:13):
then I have a call to action. I would love
for you to send me a message on my socials
and let me know what you'd like to hear or
who you'd like to hear from.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I really appreciate that. It's been fun.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
It's been an amazing, amazing ride. Yeah, season four it's
going to be absolutely amazing. Hey, y'all, thank you so
much for the support of my podcast checking In. You
(27:51):
all are a delight to talk to, you are a
joy to serve, and we've got some great things in
store for season four. Again, let me know who you
want to see, let me know who you want me
to talk to, even let me know what you want
me to talk about. All Right, I'm excited. I'm excited
(28:14):
to continue to talk with y'all again. I cannot do
this podcast without your love. Continue to listen, continue to download,
and continue to share checking in. Not only are you
checking in with me, make sure you're checking in with yourself.
I want to make sure you're all right until we
meet again. All right, I'll talk to y'all soon.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Wait a minute, where's season four? Michelle? Where are you?
Where have you been? Oh? Where's your Toty nomination? Well?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I discuss all of that on this new episode of
Checking In. Hey, everybody, welcome to another episode of Checking In.
Are we really at season four? I can only be
at season four because you listen. Not only do you listen,
(00:51):
you download and you share my podcast with other people.
So I want to say thank you. I'm excited about
season four and beyond. I'm really excited about where Checking
In can go. I know, I know I've been away
a while, probably too long, but a lot of life
(01:14):
has been happening, and I want to come back when
I was ready, when I had the mental capacity to juggle.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
More than one thing.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
I really really admire and envy those that can juggle
eight things at once, or have the mental capacity or
bandwidth to do so. I have to compart, mentalize and
create space to have more than one thing going. I
feel like if I have more than one thing going
(01:49):
for me, I like to make sure that this thing
is good. Right here now, it's good. We're in a rhythm.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Now I can add on something else. So that's what's
been going on.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
So the thing that has been keeping me away for
about the past year has been this musical Death Becomes Her.
It was something that was a surprise to me. I
was literally minding my business at home in Georgia and Atlanta,
Georgia area, and I had been enjoying the coaching space,
(02:28):
my public speaking space, and baby.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Mother was traveling you hear me, and.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I just needed to, you know, get to know me,
get to know what I need to be doing versus
what I want to be doing. Although what I want
to be doing matters because I am doing what I
want to do. But I had to think about a
lot of things. Okay, what are the things that I
want to do? But hey, it takes planning, it takes strategy,
(02:59):
it takes a team, It takes shuffling people around, you know,
until you get things together. But really, what's been so
demanding of my time was Death Becomes Her.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It started in what March of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I didn't have long to make the decision, and I
talked to a few people in my life, John Murray,
Kelly Rowland, my cousin Britney Phillips, doctor Amira, Just y'all,
do I need to do this? And they were like, girl,
if you don't get your tel in this new musical.
(03:39):
The crazy thing is I kept saying that I want
to originate a role on Broadway. I've done Ada, I've
done Chicago, the musical fell out, the color purple, and
those were the.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Roles that I had, were roles that.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Were already done by amazing trailblazers in the musical theater community.
So I'm not hating that. I just knew it was
time that if I did another Broadway production, that it
would be time to originate a role. But even when
the opportunity presented itself, I tried to talk myself out
(04:18):
of it. But I'm so grateful that I listened to
my friends who sometimes know me better than me, who
talked some sense and to me. And it wasn't because
of their own selfish reasons why they thought I should
be doing Broadway.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
But they were like, girl, no do this.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
And when I tell you, guys, it has been a
bountiful blessing. Just my cup runneth over, And I'm so
thankful for those of you who have come to see
the show in Chicago and here in New York on Broadway.
So the process between the pre Broadway production was I
(05:01):
had to hurry up and get to New York to
start rehearsals. We started Death Becomes Her rehearsals in New York,
but we did a pre Broadway run in Chicago. You guys,
the city of Chicago has a beautiful theater community. It's
literally called Broadway in Chicago, and that is where a
(05:21):
lot of.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Theater kind of gets on its feet. I'll never forget.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
We started the Color Purple, the original Broadway tour. We
rehearsed in Chicago and we put it up on its
feet at the Cadillac Palace Theater. It's like one of
the biggest theaters in Chicago, and that is where we
opened Death Becomes Her in Chicago.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
At the Cadillac Palace Theater.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
The rehearsal process was insane, you know, working along Torrian Everett,
Josh Lame and Meghan hill Ty, Jennifer sa Martin and
Christopher Sebert. It is a masterclass for me every single day.
But rehearsals, baby, I would literally when you're trying to
(06:14):
retain so much information it was like information overload. And
then I'm also trying to study this character, trying to
create something amazing for Broadway, y'all. Like it was a lot.
So that kind of kept me from doing some other things.
I'm telling you what kept me again. I envy those
(06:37):
that can do eighty new things at once. I cannot. Well,
I can curl my hair and talk on the phone
at one time, you know, if I'm babysitting, I guess
I can hold a baby on my hip, and you know,
open the refrigerator and grab something to.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Drink, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
But there is just some other things that I did
not want to overwhelm myself. My mental health, y'all, is
so important. I know how I get when I get overwhelmed,
and I do overwhelmed can be, it's normal.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
But I know how much I can take. I know me.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And so again, thank y'all so much for allowing me
the space to do what I need to do so
that I can come back to you guys in a
good space, excited versus dreading. You know, Oh, I got
to do this today and this and this and this
and this. But I am in a place where okay,
(07:42):
I can record my podcast in the day and then
head to the theater at night.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Speaking of, I did have this.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Life that I wanted to live where I wanted to
do a talk show in the morning and then do
theater at night. Well, fast forward to the year twenty
twenty five, and I'm pretty much recording episodes for I
guess I consider my podcast a talk show and I
get to do theater at night. That's why what we
say or write is so important, because the things that
(08:14):
we say are the things that.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
We write can actually come true.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So again, I have wanted that life of doing a
talk show in the morning and then going to the
theater at night. Fast forward to coming to New York.
So we were in Chicago from about April to June
of twenty twenty four. Then we pretty much had the
(08:38):
summer off. Then in September, top of September of twenty
twenty four, I moved to New York City and I've
been here ever since. It is now practically we're in
spring of twenty twenty five, and New York has been lovely.
New York cracks me up because everybody gets in a
(09:01):
better mood when the sun is out and the weather's
a little warmer, So that's been kind of cool to
see the transition of our moods since it's warmer out.
I guess the saying is true, suns out, muns out.
So yeah, New York has been absolutely fabulous. The Broadway
theater community second to none. I wouldn't want to be
(09:25):
anywhere else right now. I'm really thankful to be back
on Broadway. In the musical Death Becomes Her that was
based off the incredible movie from the early nineties, the
movie starred Bruce Willis, Goldie Han, and Meryl Streep and
at the time, Death Becomes Her was ahead of its
(09:51):
time as far as the special.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Effects in the movie.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I mean, and that is I'm looking it up right
now when the movie came out, and it was so
ahead of its time with the special effects, the illusions,
and I remember a few people close to me was like, well,
how are y'all going to do the illusions of death
becomes or how from the movie? How are y'all going
to translate that onto to the stage. And when I
(10:18):
tell you, I believe Death Becomes Her. The Broadway production
has gone above and beyond as far as bringing those
allusions to the stage. It has been phenomenal. The people
that have come to see the show. Y'all know, my
sisters have come to see this show. Goldie Hahn has
been to see this show. Cynthia Arrivo has come. So
(10:40):
many people who are christ and CHINNOWI came to.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
See the show.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
We've had so many amazing, amazing folks that have come.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
To support us.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
My sisters Beyonce and Kelly Rowland came to see the show,
Miss Tina.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So many people, the original.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Composers of the film score of Death Becomes Her have
come to see the show. It's been It's just been
so cool when we get notifications that, you know, folks
are coming to see the show.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Mistaken, I believe Felicia Rashad and Debbie Allen came to
see the show. So many of my friends and family
have flown in. Folks are trickling on in and so
it's really cool to have support, you know what I mean.
So it has been phenomenal. We opening night was what
(11:32):
November of twenty twenty four, and people keep asking how
long are you in the show? How long is the
show going? All I know I can tell you this,
the show could run for years tickets have been extended
for at least till April of twenty twenty six, and
it could go even longer than that. Hamilton has been
(11:55):
here for ten years, Chicago the Musical has been here.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
For a long time. Lion King Wicked.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So my prayer is that Death Becomes Her is also
a show that gets to stay around.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
For a long, long long time.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I love the cast. I love everybody that I work with.
There is not a day that I dread walking into
that theater because I already know we're gonna laugh. Something
funny's gonna happen. That's the excuse me. I'm on zipping.
This is a little too tight around my throat. So
(12:34):
if y'all heard something on zip, that's I'm trying to.
I was like, why, I'm having a difficult time talking,
and it's like, dub your little outfit.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
This little zipper is a little too tight.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yes, I was saying just how much I love who
I work with, and that is so important. I pray
that everybody listening you and say the same thing that
you love everybody you work with. And I was about
to say the beauty of live theater. You never know
(13:09):
what's gonna happen on any given show. The thing about
doing a podcast that's not live, you can edit it.
The beauty of doing TV and film that's not live,
you can edit it, no editing with live theater, all
(13:30):
the bloopers, whether or not the audience knows it. We
know when a blooper a wrong lyric has been saying.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
A wrong line.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You know, listen, we do it all the time, especially well.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I know for me, if I'm.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Really tired, sometimes my brain can just blank out and
I'm like, wait a minute, what are the words to
this song?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Or it does happen. It happens to everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
But the thing about being a professional, the thing about
being able to maybe improve you know, again, the audience
might never know, but it is amazing that we get
to cackle backstage when we know someone has had a
blunder out there. I also want to talk about all
(14:31):
the amazing opportunities and the people that I get to
talk to, like Tammeron Hall, Robin Roberts, Deborah Roberts, phenomenal interviews.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
With some of everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
I've gotten to perform on the Today's Show, which was incredible,
the Amazing's Thanksgiving a Parade, Oh.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Some of us were so sick. I don't even yeah,
thank that for Thanksgiving Day parade, so sick, and then
I just remember, I don't even know. I didn't even
have Thanksgiving dinner. That's how sick we were. That was
a time where some bug was just kind of roaming
around the theater community in New York City. Everybody was
(15:21):
getting sick. But AnyWho, Yeah, so that's been the That's
that's the joys of live theater. Eight shows a week,
I know we have sometimes you will even have a
five show weekend where okay, you have a show Friday,
two Saturday, and two on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Well, we normally only have one show.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
On Sundays, and sometimes we have to have two shows
because it's a holiday or something. So I try to
get all my IV treatment to get my energy, my
B twelve and.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Vitamin C and stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I try not to talk a lot during the day,
and that's another thing, you know, also putting the podcast
to the side and doing multiple episodes. You know, that's
a lot of talking. And I'm trying to prioritize my
vocal health as well, because when people come see the show.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I know, for me, I hate when I'm hoarse.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
I hate when I can't really give the energy that
I need vocally. So there are just some things that
I try to do during the day. I don't talk
a lot, or I'll use this vocal nebulizer that really
hydrates the vocal cords, and you know, just a lot
of things to stay healthy working out. I have to
give up dairy. I can't have red wine. Y'all know
(16:45):
a girl loves some cabernet. All of those things that
I named are drying to the vocal cords and trying
to do eight shows a week. Is like, well, what
am I willing to sacrifice to make sure that I
know that I'm doing everything that I can do to
be healthy, And that means sacrificeing the things I love,
which is dairy, caffeine, and red wine. As far as
(17:09):
the caffeine though I can have. I'll have a cup
of coffee on like a Sunday or a Wednesday, and
that's it. Sundays is because I have all day Monday
to recover. We don't have a show on Monday to hydrate,
and then Tuesday go back to the show. That's just
for me. There are some folks in the show who
(17:29):
can drink coffee? I actually do have an espresso machine
in my room, but it's for d Calf coffee. But
there are some Honey. They walk into the theater honey
with their coffee, their Starbucks, their Tim Horton wherever they
get their coffee from, and I'm always so jealous that
they get to have regular coffee.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Okay, Oh, I also want to address the Tonies. Do
I feel snubbed by the Tony.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Awards committee because that's who essentially nominates the performers and
the show, the designers and all that stuff. So I
don't want y'all to be mad at the wrong people.
Some of y'all been mad at the show. Death becomes Her.
Death becomes Her is not the reason why I did
not get a nomination. There is an actual committee who votes.
(18:33):
It's kind of just like the Grammys. You know, I
am a voting member of the Grammys.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
There is a process for the Grammys, just like there
is a process for the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
So I want y'all to know that do not be.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Upset at the producers or the director or choreographers or
anyone associated with Death Becomes Her. They are not the
reasons why I did not get a nomination, But do
I feel snubbed?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Am I mad? I was never mad.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
I was disappointed because I was like, I had high hopes.
I was like, man, this is an actual chance that
I could be nominated. And the reason why I had
high hopes is because my role became eligible for a nomination.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And I was like, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
So people that are on the Tony Awards committee, the
nominations committee, they have to come and see the show.
They have to go see every eligible Broadway show. They
have to go see every show. They have to look
at every character. They have to look at so many
things wardrobe design, set, lighting design, sound design, all the
(19:55):
actors and performers, the music, so many things that are
taken into consideration for the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
So I was not mad. I actually.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
I have to admit and say, I don't even know
if I feel snubbed.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
That's because of this hard shell of a mindset that
I have because I don't feel like I'm entitled to anything.
I feel like the only thing I deserve is respect.
The only thing I.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Deserve is for you to pay me for the work.
That I do.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Other than that, I can't say that I even that.
I don't feel entitled to anything. I you know, I
deserve love, I deserve honor, I deserve respect, and I
deserve for my name to be on the part of
the check that says paid to the Order of Right.
(21:03):
And I deserve for those funds to be in that
bank account with sufficient funds. Because I work hard. I
had to ask myself, did you deserve a Tony nomination?
And that is a very hard question that I have
to ask myself because I really wasn't feeling a way
(21:27):
about it until certain key people that work with me
or who I know personally, they reached out in just
pure disappointment. And then I started reading the comments on
social media and I was like, Wow, people are writing
for me.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
People are really.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Upset that I did not get this nomination. And when
I tell you, I thank you for that. I thank
you that you see greatness in me, or that you
felt my work was so good great that it deserved
a nomination. So I want to thank all of you
guys out there for seeing me. And I think that's
(22:10):
actually what brought me to tears. The thing that brought
me to tears. Was not that I did not get
a nomination. It was that no, people actually see greatness
in me, and they felt that the work that I
am doing every night, eight shows a week was deserving
of a Tony nomination. All of the folks that I
(22:34):
work with in the show have been so loving, so supportive.
Meghan Hillt walked in my room with this beautiful gift.
Christopher Seber, Jennifer Samard, the producers, everybody had been so lovely.
Once everybody, everybody was disappointed and shocked, and so I
(22:56):
kind of got down a little bit and I was like, no, no,
I don't want to get but again, I just felt
people's disappointment and I started to kind of carry that
for about a day, and I was like, Nope, You're
gonna be fine. I am blessed, y'all. I am blessed.
(23:17):
I am blessed. I am so blessed. And when I
look at everybody that has gotten a nomination for the
Tony Awards this year that our June eighth, I'm gonna
be there. I hope to be there standing up, clapping,
cheering everybody on, because it's hard work, y'all.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It is hard work.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Y'all, the tech process of a Broadway show is so
freaking difficult. Once we got out of tech and previews,
it's smooth sailing. Now we are practically on autopilot. We
come in and we know our show. But it everybody
(24:05):
works hard, from stage management to the carpenters, to the
prop department, to the people who do the spotlights, the
lighting design, the sound design, the folks who work in wardrobe,
the lady who dresses me all eight shows, the person
who might have to smell my armpits after doing two shows.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Like, it ain't about me at all.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
It's about the sum total of so many people that
keep shows going. So I wanted to just tell y'all
that I thank you. I felt the love and I
felt the heat. Honey, you hear me, but don't be
(24:52):
mad at the wrong people. Some of y'all was going
in on the death becomes Her posts and I was like, Yo,
death becomes her is not the reason why I do
not have a Tony nomination.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
I do know that one.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Day I will have a Tony nomination. I'm excited. It's
actually made me hungry. It's made me want to I
actually want to do a play. I want to do
something that does not have music or there is. Now
you have a music hall and then you have a
(25:28):
play with music, and maybe that could mean some amazing underscoring,
you know. But I want to try a play next,
and so we'll see what happens. But again, it's made
me hungry. It's made me want to dive deeper into
the character of Viola and I get to discover we're
(25:50):
all in a I think we're all in the show.
We've all been a place in a place of discovery.
I can tell when somebody does even something as small
as a vocal inflection in places.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Where they normally don't. We're all discovering so many things
day by day, and.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
It also kind of depends on the mood you're in
and if that works for the character, put it in there.
It's y'all, it's it's really magical. It's really magical. And
so I just kind of just wanted to check in,
do a check in and let you guys know what's
been going on and what I've been doing. And I
(26:31):
had to sneak in that Tony nomination stuff because y'all were,
y'all were going ham for your girl, and I so
appreciate it. I so appreciate it. But there there will
be a next time. There will be a next time.
I've said it, I've spoken it, I've written it down.
(26:53):
It is going to happen. And I'm excited because you
all will be right. They're alongside me and helping to
make it happen. And thank y'all again checking In. We're
season four gonna be some great, great, great episode, some
great interviews, and if y'all don't mind, every now and
(27:13):
then I have a call to action. I would love
for you to send me a message on my socials
and let me know what you'd like to hear or
who you'd like to hear from.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
I really appreciate that. It's been fun.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
It's been an amazing, amazing ride. Yeah, season four it's
going to be absolutely amazing. Hey, y'all, thank you so
much for the support of my podcast checking In. You
(27:51):
all are a delight to talk to, you are a
joy to serve, and we've got some great things in
store for season four. Again, let me know who you
want to see, let me know who you want me
to talk to, even let me know what you want
me to talk about. All Right, I'm excited. I'm excited
(28:14):
to continue to talk with y'all again. I cannot do
this podcast without your love. Continue to listen, continue to download,
and continue to share checking in. Not only are you
checking in with me, make sure you're checking in with yourself.
I want to make sure you're all right until we
meet again. All right, I'll talk to y'all soon.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
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