LaChanze

“'Feeling Good' is a peek into my life through song.”

“'The Little Mermaid' is my favorite of the Disney animated features. And, I could not wait to see it on Broadway.”

“In my house, we couldn't listen to 'Love to Love You Baby.' It was way too salacious back in the day. I remember my mom would turn the station off when that song came on the radio. But, of course, I played my album to death in my bedroom, with the door closed.”

“One of the greatest things about the theatre is how it can completely change the way you see the world around you. 'Dear Evan Hansen' did this for me.”

“Time just goes on, and... it doesn't stop for anything.”

“As an actress who has performed in theater for over 17 years, my experience performing in 'The Color Purple' has been a truly life-changing journey.”

“You rarely see a musical being told about the life of a black woman.”

“Without faith, life is futile.”

“I can't stand adversity and stress and drama and tension. I can't function in that environment. If I have anything to say about it, we're going to get rid of it so that everyone can just relax and have a good time.”

“You know when you see a play and there is a character whom you know so well that you hate them and love them at the same time? That is Michael Potts' portrayal of Turnbo in August Wilson's 'Jitney.'”

“I am working on music and telling my personal story and sharing my talent on stage.”

“The majority of the roles I've played are women who have been either impoverished or subjugated in some way. So while I've been fortunate enough to have success because these roles exist, they are stereotypical roles.”

“I believe that everything is divinely inspired. Bad things happen - they do - but I also think that when these bad things happen, there's an equal and opposite force that is happening, and there is good.”

“I believe in divine intervention.”

“We all have to believe in something in order to exist successfully in this world and to enjoy our time here, which is short. I know that.”

“What I always liked best about myself was my resilience, especially in this business with all the 'no's,' the doors closed in my face.”

“I was born in St. Augustine, Florida. I lived there till I was about 13, and then my family moved to Connecticut. I finished school there, and then I went to college in Philadelphia and came to New York in '87. I wasn't finished with school - I left school to go on the road.”

“I'm a Patti LuPone fan. She's incredible! I love Patti LuPone. I know people talk about her being difficult to work with sometimes. Whatever.”

“I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a darker hue. Let's start with 'Once on This Island': peasant girl. Let's go to 'The Color Purple': young girl, beaten. Let's go to 'Ragtime': Her baby's taken.”

“As singers, we're always taught to sing forward and place everything in the front of our resonating chambers. Donna Summer always sang in that space and had it naturally. Her muscle memory, the way she was built - she was a natural singer.”