INTERVIEW: NaTasha Yvette Williams travels back to ‘Chicago’ without leaving NYC
Photo: NaTasha Yvette Williams has returned to Chicago in the role of Matron “Mama” Morton. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by BBB with permission.
NaTasha Yvette Williams, the successful Broadway performer, has many theatrical memories in Midtown Manhattan. Last year, she wrapped her Tony-nominated performance in Some Like It Hot at the Shubert Theatre, but she didn’t stay away from her fans for too long. The actor has reunited with her Chicago family and is now appearing at the Ambassador Theatre as Matron “Mama” Morton.
“One of the best things about it is it’s always new,” Williams said of her return to Chicago. “It’s familiar, but it’s always new in terms of different people in and out and new cast members, old cast members. So it’s a reunion, and it’s also a refreshing as well.”
Williams has had a long history with Chicago, which continues to break records on Broadway and stands apart from any other revival that has ever played Midtown Manhattan. This show is legendary and historic, and Williams has been associated with the murderous mayhem for a decade.
“I saw Lillias White [as Mama] a long, long time ago when I first came to New York and got to see Chicago for the first time,” she said.
Around 2012, she first auditioned for the show, but she didn’t land the part of Mama. But fate was on her side because she did book Porgy and Bess shortly thereafter, and then two years later, she returned to the Chicago audition room. And this time she did win the part. “And I’ve been around ever since,” she said. “They’ve been calling me back ever since.”
The role of Matron “Mama” Morton is a key one in the narrative. The show tells the story of women who have been incarcerated for murdering their partners, and they find themselves facing life in prison (or worse). The woman who looks after them on the inside is Mama, and “When You’re Good to Mama,” Mama’s good to you.
“I like it because she gets to be a little maternal, a little sassy,” Williams said. “I like the fact that she can be naughty and nice at the same time. I like that she’s in control of her space. She’s a boss. I like that she’s also compassionate. One of the characters gets hanged, and she has a soft spot for her. I like all of the facets of Mama that I add to it and take from. Some Mamas are just the hard parts, and some are the softer parts. I think my Mama has a mixture with a nurturing element as well. … I think she looks at them as her babies. They’re her babies, and they also provide her with financial support. She’s also there to care for them. She takes both of those responsibilities into account.”
Chicago is the quintessential Broadway show, and many members of the audience are tourists in town for only a few days. They may have one or two opportunities to experience a theatrical spectacle in Midtown Manhattan, and often Chicago is their top choice. This reality is not lost on Williams and the rest of the company.
“What’s interesting to me is the audience and the way you are received is very different,” she said. “It depends on if the audience is English-speaking or they’re not, you get a different reaction. … Sometimes I learn a different way to interpret it or a different way to present it based on who is there. Staying true to the story and telling the story is always paramount, but the way it hits each night is different. That always make it a little special. … It is something that is worldwide. It is international. It is something that people are familiar with it. They know the city if nothing else. They’ve heard or seen this movie, so it feels like I’m familiar to other people or to a larger audience by being a part of this particular production. And I like that, that some people come here, and that’s the only thing they see. That’s what they know of Broadway, so it’s great to be part of that history.”
As Williams performs in Chicago, her memories of Some Like It Hot are never too far away. She called that award-winning musical the gift that keeps on giving. She won a Grammy Award for the original Broadway cast recording, and that trophy recently arrived at her doorstep.
“I have such fond memories,” she said of Some Like It Hot. “We are connected as a family because we spend so much time in the building with one another. So I’m connected to Chicago forever, and I’m connected to Some Like It Hot forever. Those kinds of things bring me joy, and as I see people on the street or in the community, it always bring those memories back. I don’t think either one of these shows will be something that I’ll ever be able to forget, so I’m grateful for that.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Chicago, featuring NaTasha Yvette Williams, continues at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
