Tracee Ellis Ross on Making Her Broadway Debut in Every Brilliant Thing: "It Feels Like Flying"
The Emmy-nominated performer reflects on joining the audience-driven play and finding support in the Broadway community
What to Know
- Tracee Ellis Ross made her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre on July 7 and will star through the show’s August 9 closing date
- The solo play invites audience members into the story, a collaborative element Ross says made the production feel uniquely suited to her
- Co-writer Jonny Donahoe emphasized the warmth she brings to the show, while Ross reflected on the support of the Broadway community
Tracee Ellis Ross has stepped into the life-affirming play Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre. The Black-ish star joined the solo show on July 7 and will perform through its closing date on August 9. Broadway.com caught up with Ross at a red carpet event celebrating her brilliant Broadway debut.
Every Brilliant Thing relies on audience participation to tell the story of one person’s journey through life. Speaking to this symbiotic relationship, Ross says, “Theater is a shared experience anyway, but this collaboration that happens with the audience—and the fact that this story can't be told without them—just felt magic to me and felt so Tracee. It's kind of the way I tell a story.”
Jonny Donahoe, who co-wrote Every Brilliant Thing with Duncan Macmillan, praised his play’s latest leading lady. “Tracee is just a magic powerhouse of warmth and generosity. She envelops you in a sort of hug through the show that is just so her,” Donahoe gushes. “She's brought all sorts of new bits and pieces into the script. We always encourage performers to alter things to make it suit who they are and where they're from in their life and she's done that so brilliantly.”
Though making your Broadway debut is an intimidating feat, Ross takes comfort in her newfound community. Reflecting on this new chapter in her career, she says, “It feels like flying with my feet on the ground. It's one of those things that's challenging and frightening and extraordinary. It's like you're stepping into the legacy of what Broadway is. You're stepping into the greatness of that. I think the biggest and most delicious surprise about this is them, is the Broadway community. It makes me want to cry. They don't let you fall.”
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