Broadway's 'Phantom Of The Opera' Welcomes First Black Christine To The Full-Time Cast
Broadwayās longest-running musical took a significant, if long overdue, step toward diversifying its cast this week in conjunction with its 34th anniversary.
On Wednesday, actor Emilie Kouatchou will take over the lead role of Christine DaaĆ© in āThe Phantom of the Opera,ā becoming the first Black actor in history to do so on Broadway.
A Chicago native, Kouatchou joined the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webberās iconic musical last fall as an alternate for actor Meghan Picerno. Starting this week, sheāll be a full-time cast member alongside Ben Crawford as the Phantom and John Riddle as Raoul de Chagny.
The showās producers commemorated the milestone by releasing new production photos as well as a short trailer previewing Kouatchouās performance. (Catch the trailer above.)
Based on Gaston Lerouxās classic novel, āThe Phantom of the Operaā premiered on Broadway on Jan. 26, 1988, starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. The original production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Speaking to People last month, Kouatchou said she considered switching careers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Broadway theaters and other performance venues were closed for about 18 months.
Though happy to be making Broadway history, she stressed that she was āfrustratedā it had taken so long for the producers of āPhantom of the Operaā to cast a Black leading lady.
āI just think that Black women, especially in theater, have to be ā and it shouldnāt be this way ā 10 times better and work 10 times harder,ā she said. āIt took this long for any Black woman to play Christine, but there have been so many talented Black women who could have.ā
Kouatchouās casting comes about a month after Brittney Johnson became the first Black actor to assume the role of Glinda in āWicked.ā
Recent discourse, however, has brought a longstanding lack of diversity, both on- and offstage, in New Yorkās theater industry to light. Though shows like āHamiltonā are known for diverse casting, others have faced criticism for failing to provide opportunities for people of color.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
