I think that it's important to make criticisms of the government as a whole and criticisms of the policies, but to do so in a way that you can invite the individuals who maybe were on the opposition before, or who voted for somebody whom you are in disagreement with... that you open the door for a conversation with those people.
I always thought from my knowledge of London theater and the audiences here that they would appreciate a truly genius piece of theatrical work.
My business partner Warren Adams and I formed our company WalkRunFly as part of what felt like a logical progression: if you want to execute things to your satisfaction, then you want to have as much control as you can. That leads to helping create work for others, not just yourself.
I was a fan of 'Power' before I was working on the show, so I'm excited by every script that comes into my hands.
I always wanted to be a Broadway star. That's actually what I wanted to be when I was a kid. I wanted to be the 19-year-old sensation on Broadway. It took a little bit longer than that.
The first musical I ever saw was 'Ragtime.'
I'm a very philanthropically oriented individual. There are a lot of causes that I support, and I'm a big fan of advocacy.
I feel like the more we speak for and support others, the less we'll have to worry about speaking for and supporting ourselves.
Coming out in a bedazzled tank top and silver jeans and singing 'Superstar' with a 36-piece band and 28 dancers around me is one of the dopest things I've ever had the opportunity to do.
As artists, our job is to communicate thoughts and tell stories.
Style and image - it's what Motown is about. They had a charm school led by Maxine Powell. There was literally an artists' development department.
If people are coming to 'Hamilton' to leave their politics behind, you came to the wrong show.
Gymnastics is my favorite Olympic sport, hands-down.
I very rarely go back to do shows again. I'm done once I've learned the lessons I need to learn.
Telling diverse stories is at the heart of our culture.
Berry Gordy has always been this hazy legendary figure that I've known about in my childhood that was responsible for everything that I found important in the world.
The biggest thing Motown did was change our social fabric: the way we interacted with each other as human beings.
Oprah's such a wonderful spirit; she's been given a lot of gifts in her life, and she gives them back.
I spent summers in my room listening to cast albums, like 'Les Miserables,' every night. I knew it backwards and forwards. I want to be the first black Jean Valjean.
I got to meet Colm Wilkinson once, and I was ecstatic.
