Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Veteran Broadway actor and part-time Scandal star Norm Lewis made history this week by becoming the first African-American actor to star as the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s spectacle, The Phantom of the Opera.
According to Variety, Lewis will hit the stage this May alongside Sierra Boggess, who reprises her role as Christine. “I love the show but also to have hopefully set a precedent to see more diversity in casting,” he told the Associated Press.
Phantom of the Opera is based on Gaston Leroux’s novel about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a young singer. The show is Broadway’s longest-running musical and has grossed more than 5.6 billion worldwide.
Lewis has performed in a number of hit musicals including Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, The Little Mermaid, Chicago and Porgy & Bess, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
Congrats!
Photo Credit: Popwatch.ew.com