NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� as best lead actress in a musical cemented Joaquina Kalukango's place in the Broadway firmament. But it also, surprisingly, cemented Kalukango鈥檚 belief that she could actually do musicals.
鈥淚t was truly a powerful moment, especially for me, because I had such a fear of doing musicals for a very long time. I was an actor at heart,鈥� she says. "I think it was a great moment in my trajectory of owning a new side of myself that I wasn鈥檛 that comfortable with sharing for a while.鈥�
Kalukango's show-stopping performance in 鈥淧aradise Square鈥� and especially her heart-felt searing second act song 鈥淟et It Burn鈥� routinely drew audiences to their feet, a triumph of the 2021-2022 season.
Kalukango's astonishing acting and vocal outpouring has made her one of of the Year alongside , and more.
The Tony win capped an intensely creative period for Kalukango, who earned a 2020 Tony nomination as lead actress in a play for her work in the harrowing 鈥淪lave Play,鈥� a ground-breaking, bracing work that mixed race, sex, taboo desires and class.
On film, she played Betty X opposite Kingsley Ben-Adir in Regina King鈥檚 directorial debut, She also had a recurring role on the HBO series 鈥淟ovecraft Country鈥� and appeared in Ava DuVernay鈥檚 Netflix series
鈥淚 always felt like I wanted more than anything to be connected to work that kind of shifts the paradigm, that makes people think, that gets people to talk in their communities, that asks questions,鈥� she says.
Raised in East Point, Georgia, Kalukango grew up singing Shania Twain and Whitney Houston. 鈥淚 wanted to be a singer, but didn鈥檛 know that there was an actual path towards that,鈥� she recalls.
At an eighth grade talent show, she sang Monica's 鈥淔or You I Will鈥� with enough panache that a counselor suggested she audition for a performing arts high school. She got in and then saw their production of 鈥淥nce on This Island.鈥�
鈥淚 literally remembered just getting full body feels still sitting in the audience, seeing people that looked like me telling this amazing story,鈥� she says.
After graduating from The Juilliard School, Kalukango made her Broadway debut as an understudy in 鈥淕odspell鈥� and went on to join the ensemble in 鈥淗oller if Ya Hear Me,鈥� a musical inspired by Tupac Shakur鈥檚 music and as Nettie in the 2015 Broadway revival of 鈥淭he Color Purple鈥� starring Jennifer Hudson.
Kalukango's breakthrough happened when she landed a part in 鈥淧aradise Square鈥� about Irish immigrants and Black Americans jostling to survive in New York City in 1863. Her role was widened and deepened until she was the star. Amazingly, she didn't need to audition.
鈥淚t had to pinch myself,鈥� she says. "I was like, 'OK, kid, here we go. This is something you said you wanted to do and you鈥檙e about to face a fear, Let鈥檚 see you do it.鈥欌��
The past few years have been a coronation in many ways for this Broadway star. She recalls Sarah Paulson giving her a bear hug backstage after seeing her in 鈥淪lave Play.鈥� She remembers popping champagne after her Tony win with her 鈥淐olor Purple鈥� co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks.
A sign of her new status happened earlier this fall when she was invited to perform at the re-opening of Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center alongside such luminaries as Ren茅e Fleming, Bernadette Peters, Alicia Keys, Sara Bareilles and Vanessa Williams. Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 daughter introduced Kalukango, who sang his song 鈥淭ake Care of This House.鈥�
Next is a return to Broadway this holiday season as The Witch in an acclaimed revival of 鈥淚nto the Woods鈥� with an all-star roster of talent including Patina Miller, Montego Glover, Stephanie J. Block, Brian d鈥橝rcy James and Joshua Henry. Next year she also starts shooting a film about the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
She also wants to explore comedy after several serious roles. She is inspired by her 5-year-old son to mix it up. 鈥淪howing him just a world of imagination and all of that is kind of where I really want to start looking into, too. I want to have fun.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
