Mark your calendars! On January 31st, Phylicia Rashad returns to NBC as Dr.Vanessa Young, the chief of surgery, in the new drama, Do No Harm. This Tony Award winner graces the screen with co-star and fellow Tony Club member, Lin Manuel Miranda. Do not fret theatre lovers Phylicia does not stay far from her love for the stage.
She returns to directing, after her success with A Raisin in the Sun at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, to Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles for August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. We are looking forward to hearing the full cast list! Joe Turner’s Come and Gone will run April 24th -June 9th, 2013, with May 8 as its official opening.
Below enjoy a fun clip of Phylicia singing “Stepping to the Bad Side” from Dreamgirls during a break on set.
http://youtu.be/HKOTQeQ5pDo
As an original cast member of Dreamgirls on Broadway, Phylicia was cast as Sheryl Lee Ralph’s understudy. *While Ralph (Deena Jones) was on vacation, Phylicia was to stand in for her, however, Michael Bennett thought to bring in Linda Leilani Brown to give her some stage time before the national tour kicked off. Knowing her worth, Rashad did not stand for it and quit the show. To the bad side she did step! Michael told her that she was making the biggest mistake of her life and that she would never amount to anything. Phylicia said, “Well I have an audition for a TV show”, and that show was “The Cosby Show.” Looks like Bennett had to eat his words.
*Alleged account of what occurred
