Jordin Sparks is headed back to Broadway!
The 29-year-old singer and performer sat down with Access Hollywood to discuss taking on the titular role of Jenna in “Waitress” from Sept. 16 – Oct. 27. “It’s been almost 10 years since I did it the first time, and I constantly said that I missed it every single day because I did,” she explained. “But it’s such a big commitment that I was like, ‘It has to be the right thing in the right time in the right show.’ And this happens to be the right thing in the right time in the right show!”
She added, “It’s a very welcome challenge. It’s a lot to learn. I think I leave the stage maybe a total of maybe five minutes out of the whole two-hour show, so it’s a lot of dialogue, it’s a lot of singing and it’s a lot of props… But I’m really excited. What I love about musical theater is that it’s everything under the creative umbrella that I love.”
The “American Idol” alum also reminisced about making her Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights.” She played the role of college student Nina Rosario in the production about the Latino community in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
“I am so proud of him because he’s just a genius!” she gushed. “He’s such a genius in how he does things, and it was so amazing. I felt so honored to be a part of ‘In the Heights’ when I was in it, and even looking back on it now, because it was so new and so fresh, and there really hadn’t been a musical like that before.”
She continued, “It’s amazing to see his rise, and he is still exactly the same. He’s exactly the same — so much fun, super inspired, super creative, and I would love to work with him again one day.”
This time around, Jordin, who welcomed son DJ with husband Dana Isaiah in May 2018, admitted she’s looking forward to her 1-year-old baby boy seeing her onstage following her dreams.
“When you have your own kid watching you, it becomes even more important that I only choose things that I actually love,” she said. “Because I wouldn’t want him to pursue things that he only kind of likes… I want him to be able to see me pursuing things that I do love and enjoy, and I want him to be encouraged with that.”
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