Tony & Emmy Nominee Vanessa Williams Takes the Cotton Club Stage in Broadway’s After Midnight

There’s a new diva taking the Cotton Club stage! Tony and Emmy Award nominee Vanessa Williams joins the cast of Broadway’s After Midnight on April 1, the latest special guest star to step into the musical at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Williams will take over for current guest stars Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.

Williams received a Tony nomination for playing the Witch in Into the Woods. Her additional Broadway credits include The Trip to Bountiful, Kiss of the Spider-Woman and Sondheim on Sondheim. She is well-known for her three-time Emmy nominated performance as Wilhemina Slater on TV's Ugly Betty, as well as her roles as Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives and Olivia Duran on 666 Park Avenue. Her film credits include Soul Food, Eraser, Dance With Me, Shaft and Hannah Montana: The Movie. As a recording artist, her many hits include “Save the Best For Last,” “You Can’t Run,” “The Right Stuff,” “Dreamin’,” “Runnin’ Back to You" and “Colors of the Wind.”

Set against a narrative of Langston Hughes’ poetry, After Midnight celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians. The show is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.

After Midnight also stars Tony winner Adriane Lenox and Dulé Hill.