Congratulations to Brittney Johnson who has made history on Broadway.
The actress is the first Black woman to be cast as Glinda in the Broadway hit play Wicked.
According to Essence, Johnson was out of work for a while due to COVID-19 shutting down Broadway when she found out that she landed the iconic role.
“I was in my apartment in LA sitting peacefully,” Johnson recalled. She went on to speak about how she manifested her singing career thanks to Mariah Carey.
“Honestly, she taught me how to sing. I used to listen to her and try to emulate her. And I do feel like a lot of how I sing is a result of listening to Mariah,” she said.
Wicked first went to Broadway in 2003, and it is now being turned into a movie starring Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande. Almost 20 years after its debut, leading Black actors on Broadway are still small. However, Johnson is happy about beating the odds.
“I have always been an optimist and a realist and I think that is a result of not having as many people doing what I wanted to do to look up to.”
Johnson looked up to fellow actress Audra McDonald and credits her mother for taking her to see McDonald live.
“I am so grateful that my mom took me to go see Audra because I saw somebody that looked like me singing the way that I loved to sing and that was a first for me.”
She added, “I always knew I would be successful in whatever it was that I chose to do because I am stubborn and determined and I was never told that I couldn’t by the people that loved me.”