Singular vocalist Ledisi is no stranger to Broadway — or the world beyond the recording studio in general, for that matter. In addition to roles in the films Selma and Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story, the Grammy-winning, genre-blending R&B singer (who is featured on the new Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack) has previously made notable appearances on the New York stage in Caroline, or Change and Hair.
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But she will take on her biggest Broadway role yet this fall: Billboard can exclusively announce that she will join the cast of the highly-anticipated new musical WANTED.
WANTED tells the “mostly true story†of twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke, two Black women who “passed†as white and became legendary outlaws in post-emancipation Texas. Ledisi will portray family matriarch Tallulah alongside Solea Pfeiffer (who memorably portrayed Penny Lane in the Broadway musical of Almost Famous) as Mary and Liisi LaFontaine as Martha.
“I am thrilled to join the cast of WANTED. My first Broadway principal role, and I still can't believe it,†says Ledisi. “I love being a recording artist, and that will never change. Theater has always been a part of my vision as a storyteller. This isn't a pivot…It's another expansion of me.â€
WANTED features a book and lyrics by Broadway first-timer Angelica Chéri, a direct descendent of the Sisters Clarke, and music by composer Ross Baum; Tony-nominee Stevie Walker-Webb (Ain't No Mo‘) directs, with choreography by Chelsey Arce. The show, previously titled Gun & Powder, has made a long journey to Broadway, starting in 2020 at Arlington, Va.'s Signature Theatre before a prominent off-Broadway production at New Jersey's Papermill Playhouse in 2024.
That iteration garnered a New York Times “critic's pick†honorific, with praise for Baum's “wide-ranging, powerhouse score,†an irresistible revenge-fantasy narrative, and strong roles centering Black women in the spotlight.
Ahead of WANTED‘s opening Nov. 8 (with previews starting Oct. 15), get a taste of “Inheritance†from the new musical — recorded at a one-night only concert held at Artist House in New York — below.
