It wasn’t so long ago that Fantasia was making headlines for grabbing a bottle of aspirin and doing the most with it inside of a closet. In fact, her bad headlines were as recent as a few months ago.
Say, a gay bashing insinuation here and a beef with a JET magazine cover there. Oh yeah, there was that whole “Is she broke?” narrative running in the press, too. Poor thing…no pun intended.
Fortunately for her though, Fantasia has gotten her Instagram comments in order and her great new album is getting rave reviews. The former American Idol champion has turned things around and now she’s got even better news to share.
Fantasia has signed on for another Broadway role — starring in the forthcoming production of After Midnight.
Yahoo! (via the Associated press) has the word:
Grammy Award-winner Fantasia Barrino will star in the Broadway-bound “After Midnight,” a musical revue celebrating Duke Ellington’s years at the famous Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem.
Producers said Thursday that Barrino, last seen on Broadway in “The Color Purple,” will be their first guest star in the show. Performances start Oct. 18, with an official opening night set for Nov. 3. Barrino ends her run Feb. 9.
Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with musical direction by Wynton Marsalis, the show appeared off-Broadway last year at New York City Center under the name “Cotton Club Parade.” Songs include “Stormy Weather” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.”
Now I learned from Vanessa Williams that Broadway checks aren’t the biggest, but this is a fantastic look for Fantasia all the same. Plus, if she gets this right, it will lead to the kind of work that’ll keep her employed well into her AARP years. So good for her, although I still say that she, Kelly Rowland and Brandy need to go on a theater arena tour.
