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[0:00] Vanessa Williams: My name is Vanessa Williams and you're listening to ELEVEN, the official theatre podcast.

[0:17] William J Connolly: Hello and welcome to ELEVEN, the official theatre podcast that brings the biggest stars and creatives together in one place to discuss life in the arts. With an extraordinary 11 Grammy nominations, 3 Emmy nominations and a Tony nomination to her name, she has broken boundaries and captivated audiences for decades. From chart-topping music to unforgettable roles across film, television and the stage, she's become the definition of hard work, soaring talent and undeniable stage presence. Currently originating the ultimate boss from hell in the official stage adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, it's time to check in at Runway and celebrate her final chapter as Miranda Priestly, ahead of her major live solo show which begins touring next February.

So direct from her home, we reflect on her milestone journey at the Dominion Theatre in London, why performing in the West End is a dream come true and how British audiences have embraced her, including why she's proud to dive deep and explore more of the most famous fashion boss of all time. Plus, we talk about collaborating with Sir Elton John and Jerry Mitchell, her soaring love for co-star Matt Henry and why everything is iconic at Runway, from her entrance to those quotable lines and all that fashion. And with friends, industry peers and colleagues including Chita Rivera, Stephen Sondheim, Luther Vandross, Hal Prince and Barbara Cook, to name but a few, we celebrate a life on the stage that has allowed this superstar to flourish and shine and why she's never taken a moment of it for granted.

And above all else, why you shouldn't measure yourself by the opinions of others. Legend only edition now as it's time to enter the house of Vanessa. It's the Vanessa Williams here now on this, the next episode of Eleven, the official theatre podcast.

[2:08] William J Connolly: Please help me welcome to this, the next episode of Eleven. She's the singer, actor, model, producer, dancer and icon of the stage, screen and beyond, that has a whopping 11 Grammy nominations to her name, three Emmy noms, a Tony nom, three American Music Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards, alongside many, many more, and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She's also been nominated and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, alongside being the soundtrack to most of our lives across many mediums, including her most recent mega-bop, Legs, proving that once again, she really has got it. She's currently treading the boards as the ultimate boss from hell and one of the campus and most beloved icons in modern times as Miranda Priestly in the official stage adaptation of the Elton John penned musical, The Devil Wears Prada.

And if that isn't enough to keep her soaring high, she's about to travel across the UK with her own headline live show, with stories and live music mixed together in a night of pure theatrical magic. And I'm honoured to say that right now, I get to check in at Runway and officially be a Miranda girl. So I say, arise my queen, Vanessa Williams, are you there?

[3:18] Vanessa Williams: Wow, love that intro. Yes, I'm here. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. And I did just reveal it is my birthday today. And I feel like this is the most exciting birthday present. So first of all, thank you so much for agreeing to do this on my special day. I feel very, very honoured.

[3:36] Vanessa Williams: Well, happy, happy birthday. And it just keeps getting better and better. So at 63 years old, life is so good. Welcome to another year around the sun. You know, it's so interesting that you say that life is good, because my first question for you is going to be, I feel like it's probably very, very, very good to be Vanessa Williams, most of the time, if not all of the time. But actually, right now, you are having the most extraordinary journey here in London. London really has thrown its arms around you. And what feels so special is that while the journey in Prada is coming to an end, this isn't it. We get a huge new dollop of you as you travel around with the solo show. So let's start where we're at currently, and then talk about the exciting next chapter.

And that is a place that you know very well, the Dominion Theatre and this original Western production of The Devil Wears Prada. The response, the reaction from fans, from people that love that original movie in the books has been extraordinary. What's it been like for you in this? I think it was February 24, when the announcement first went out that you were going to be doing this role. So it's been a pretty lengthy journey now. What's it been like for you to come to this country and to have people go, Vanessa Williams, we love you?

[4:44] Vanessa Williams: Well, it's always been a dream to work here. And my first visit here to the UK was back when I was five years old. And my uncle, Earl Williams, was working for the US Air Force government. And he was living in Ripon, so up in Yorkshire. So we, as a family, one of our favourite photos is our passport photo. And then we did a family portrait while we were getting shot. So I have that in my dressing room here in the Dominion. I've always had an affinity for all things British. But also my great great grandmother is originally from Wales. I've done my DNA. I've got like, I think it's about 14% in the West Midlands, and I've got more in Southeastern England. So it's part of my blood. And also when I was at a university in Syracuse, majoring in musical theatre, one of the important things was the junior year abroad.

And I was supposed to come and study here for my junior year abroad and got famous that September as Miss America. So I've always wanted to live here and work here. And this has been a joy. I've been here for over two and a half years. Also creating a role. It's wonderful to step into somebody else's shoes. I've done that with Chita Rivera when I did Kiss of the Spider Woman and other roles that I've been able to do. But to create a role is wonderful because you're in the room and you're talking to the composer and the lyricist and the musical arranger and saying, this works for me, I think we should do this. And you get a chance to create and now my template will be used by anyone else that comes in my shoes.

[6:47] Vanessa Williams: You're Miranda and she very much is your Miranda. And that's one thing that's been so exciting is to get to go on this journey of something so fresh and so new, to be able to honour what we've seen before with the literature and with the film, but also to be able to have something that feels so quintessentially you. And I feel like that's celebrated each and every night, not just by the work that you do on stage, but by the response of the audience. You do have, and it's not spoiling it for anybody that hasn't seen the show yet, because the clip is online, the best entrance in the West End, hands down, full stop. Do you feel like a rock star when that audience goes absolutely batshit crazy every night?

[7:20] Vanessa Williams: Well, the majority of it, yes. There have been times where, and again, I don't know whether the audience doesn't know that it's okay to clap or whether they're, you know, but there have been a couple entrances that I've had that I've come up and looked at the audience and they say nothing, and then I nod to them that it's okay, and then they clap. So there's never been a no audience response at all. So thank God for that. But it's, you know, I thank Jerry Mitchell for that entrance. It's dynamic. It is just, again, the best entrance that I've ever had in my life, and it's wonderful.

[8:03] William J Connolly: It's so special. It's so Miranda as well. While obviously Miranda is a very insular character, and it's all about looks and probably saying less rather than more, it just feels so perfect in this world. And I think that's such is the charm of Jerry and Elton's production and this amazing creative team is it does feel like the next chapter in this world, which feels like we're not trying to replicate what came before, but celebrate a new version, a live experience, which again, feels so special that London was the home for it. Does it feel like when you think about the references about your connections to this country and the fact that you have such a deep respect for the creativity that comes from here that this was potentially always going to happen for you?

Does it feel like this was supposed to happen at this point in your life where you got to do that, that amazing thing you mentioned there, which is be in the rehearsal room and create and say, actually, this is what Vanessa would do. And actually, this is right for now, because everything is so perfect in your Miranda that it feels weird that anyone else could ever do this.

[9:00] Vanessa Williams: Well, I hope that I've created a template that people can walk in and feel wonderful. And the great thing about Miranda is, and again, my people that have seen the film and have not seen our show yet, and know Meryl Streep's take on Miranda, this is not a copycat version at all. And even the feedback that I've gotten from people that know the movie, but also see the show is there's way more information in our show, and a lot more dots are connected for the journeys of Andy and Miranda. So all those blanks are filled in. So people really get satisfied, like, oh, that makes sense. Oh, I see why Irv did that. And she did that. And so it makes it, I think the writing and the entire construction of the show are really solid.

So people really feeling like they've seen a journey and they are satisfied. And I do feel that the next actress or could be who knows, could be Jinx Monsoon, who is the new Miranda, I don't know. But the template that I have created should be something that acting wise, you can sink your teeth into. Vocally, you can, it's strong, but honestly, as a Miranda, you could speak the words in the music and still be effective. And that's what I hope that I've been able to create.

[10:38] William J Connolly: I'm conscious that this might come across as disingenuous to keep saying how fantastic you are in the role, but it is really, really genuine how you have taken your own lane and honours, as I said, what's come before. But also, this is the first time we've ever heard Miranda sing, of course, in this musical format. But also, I think she is and the first act is such a journey for her because she comes in full pelt from the beginning. But actually, in those latter stages of the show, you do realise that some of the tougher decisions that she makes are so beautifully wound up with the fact that the bow at the end comes when she does care so deeply. And she does show that. And that's not that we don't see that in the film, we genuinely do.

But there's a way in which you feel like even in the toughest of times when she's stone faced and stone hearted, you think you are just, as I joked at the beginning, like the boss from hell, she does really genuinely care about Andy. And I think that that's so beautiful. And I feel like that's a really important addition to this story and to this character. And I imagine for you, while it is fresh blood, and it is fresh water for you, it's probably quite exciting that you get to go on, you know, quote unquote, the journey with her that does feel like she ends up somewhere that she should be. It's not just about Andy's story.

[11:47] Vanessa Williams: Well, that's also the feedback that I've gotten. Sometimes when I exit, and I exit the same way, sometimes I get applause, and sometimes I don't. And in the beginning, I was like, Oh, my God, I didn't get applause. What was going on in the show? They didn't like it, you know, what's going on. And the feedback that I got was people were so overcome with how tender the moments were right before I exit, that they don't want to applaud because they're moved. So now I don't judge the audience by do they applaud or not applaud on my exit. But I relish the fact that they've been moved. And I do think that it shows the influence that Miranda's had over Andy, and also the growth, and that she respects, they respect each other.

[12:39] William J Connolly: Do you also look at how the audience responds to, let's say, the less kind moments of Miranda in the show where she's fully giving Andy both barrels, we went full stop, and there's no sort of kindness in there at all? Do you also measure how much the audience is listening by the fact that they do know her, they do love her, you know, everyone's on your side, she is like, genuinely iconic for a reason. But also, people kind of love when she's mean, people kind of love when she's giving Andy everything. And actually, do you measure the fact that when you really are sort of waving your finger and giving her some everyone's like, yeah, get it. And so they laugh, like we can say that they laugh, they do love it.

[13:11] Vanessa Williams: They do laugh. I think the youngest, we've been doing these wonderful Wednesday.

[13:49] Vanessa Williams: People that know the movie and the older ones that are seasoned do get a chuckle. But also, you know, we do have iconic lines. Obviously, we didn't lift everything from the movie, but there are iconic lines. And there have been times where, you know, by all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me. You'll get a, yay! People are waiting for like, oh my God, there's another one, you know. So that's been also fun too. I did have the pleasure of coming to, it was the, I think it was the final dress rehearsal, the performance just before the first preview in the West End. I had the pleasure of coming to, fabulous. And one thing that was so interesting is because it's like a friends and family and invited audience of people that have a connection to someone in there, everyone's sort of clapping and getting involved and enjoying it and encouraging, which was so lovely.

But when you get to that very iconic line just before the end of Act One, before Miranda Girl, where, and again, I don't think I'm spoiling this for anyone, because I refuse to believe there's a single human in the world that hasn't ever come in contact with this world, but when a certain person doesn't get chosen to go to Paris and there's a decision made there, when you say the words, Emily, there was a lady, and I don't know if you remember this, and I was talking to your lovely co-star, Matt Henry, because he was like, we remember that, who gasped so loud that it actually made you, you weren't laughing on stage, but you, you, you clocked it. It was so visceral. And it was so funny that someone was like, what?

Well, they didn't know, they didn't know the whole story. Yeah, so we always, because, and that's also happened when we were doing our Out of Town in Plymouth. A lot of young, I would say, normal Plymouth theatre goers had not seen the movie, they were of a certain age, so there would be lots of gasp and then giggles on the gasp that people knew what the plot twist was. So yeah, that was a long, long time ago. Boy, has the show changed.

[15:43] William J Connolly: Can I ask you then about it musically, because one thing that's very impressive about the roles that you've taken on in your career is that they're all very different. They sort of like, sort of opposite ends of a spectrum, and I feel like, for me as an outsider that can't sing, that would never be able to do what you do, that feels utterly terrifying. But I imagine for you as a creative and as a singer, that's something that you seemingly run towards. I'm just thinking the spectrum of Elton John versus like Stephen Sondheim, couldn't be further away, legend status on both sides, but musically. So how is it for you when you know, for example, Miranda is very insular, she has this massive song to sing, there's a lot of character-driven narrative there for you, versus say something like The Witch in Into the Woods, where she has so much to say, so fast, so many lyrics, that it's actually almost like less is more with Miranda and more is more with The Witch. How is it for you to be able to sort of navigate those two types of variables in this world? I feel terrified, I hope you would say exciting.

[16:39] Vanessa Williams: It's always a challenge, that's why I do it, that's why when I get the offer and you know, do you want to do this? A, it's what is the team I'm working with, and also what is the role and what can I do with it? So I'm always down for the challenge, and especially working with Sondheim and Elton John, and you know, how Prince directed me when I went into Kiss the Spider Woman. I've worked with incredible, incredible theater legends, so I'm always up for the task, and making it different. And even specifically for when I sing Stay on Top, I know that these young, amazing singers out there in the theater have incredible ranges and can show extreme power and range and vocal acrobatics. Yes, that is where we are sitting now in theater.

The template has been done, and you need to reach that high C, and you're going to do it. What I wanted to do with Miranda, and what I found when I was working after with Chita Rivera, after I took over for Kiss the Spider Woman, and what she had created as the legendary Spider Woman, but also as Chita Rivera, and I've been, you know, a legend, fan of hers my entire life. I saw how she created something that was powerful, but also doable, and that's exactly musically what I wanted to accomplish with Miranda. I belt three B naturals at the end of Stay on Top, as opposed to going all the way up an octave, as opposed to riffing, and I don't want to say showing off, but riffing and making it a showpiece.

I wanted to be able to construct it so whoever's working on that, who knows that they can hit that, if they're not feeling well, they know that, okay, as long as I've got my B natural three times, I can do it, or I can speak it with venom and still convince the audience that I mean business. So that's how I saw it musically. Powerful, but doable.

[18:58] William J Connolly: I'm in business, well done. Very on brand for the Devil Wears Prada, well done. Also, the only downside, actually, to you being so good in this part, and you being on stage, is that you'll never get to experience what we experience as an audience member, particularly in that moment. I remember the first time from that first, that sort of pre, it's the dress rehearsal, pre-first preview, was sitting there being like, Miranda has to have a moment. There has to be the moment where it's like, balls out, here we go, she is the devil, she is the boss from hell, let's go. And when it came, it was quite something, and everyone was like, and that is why she's Vanessa Williams. That is why you are you.

And I get your point about the riffs and everything like that, but there's a great classiness and power to singing the notes, and just standing there and giving the acting, and I feel like that's one thing that you've really let into, is the vocals are important. But there's no Miranda Priestly without great character, and I feel like that has been extraordinary. What's it been like for you to really dig deep, and to go, this is who Miranda is? Because I feel like it would be very easy, if I'm honest, to create a caricature version of her that is a little whimsy, and is just a bit mean, and a bit of a bit of a dick, to be honest. And it's like, nobody likes that, nobody wants to root for her. So what's it been like for you to do that part of it? And I imagine, you know, test yourself as an actor, and really sit with her and go, this is who she is.

[20:19] Vanessa Williams: Well, the wonderful thing about theatre is, it's a company. And with Andy and Emily, the cast changes when someone's ill, when someone's on holiday. So again, the energy changes, the tempos change. So if I feel like it's going too slow, and we're losing the comedy, I'll speed it up. I'll get, I'll use my own impatience to inform the character, let's go, this is getting too slow. So that's, that's the beauty of live theatre, it changes every night, which we know, and each person has their own chemistry. So I'm, that's why I come back, you know, eight shows a week. You know, yes, getting to the door, swiping it and going up to the dressing room and, and starting, yes, you know, when, but when the downbeat happens, it's like, okay, we're here, and we're doing it together. And it's a huge family.

[21:20] William J Connolly: Feels like that from audience perspective. And again, I think that is why it's been so successful is it meets so many different marks and so many different feelings. Of course, it's extraordinary when Matt does dress your way up like that is in, I mean, apart from the fact that man's literally got a voice from God, it's it's pure jokes. It's also just like big and powerful and camp. And while I think that's probably maybe the campus moment in the show, as an ensemble, and obviously the lift is pretty fabulous. I do think the title song with you coming down those stairs in that red number is exceptional. Do you feel like you could actually take on the world when you're stood up there? They're all looking and you've got on that gown?

[22:00] Vanessa Williams: Well, what am I thinking? I always do my nods and it all it always, it's an inside joke with everybody. If the audience is horrible, if the sound is not working, if there's something that just, you know, I will, people know exactly what I'm thinking when I hold hands and walk down the stairs. I'm looking at the photographers and, and doing our inside jokes. So at this point, it's all kind of an inside joke on stage. I'm glad it's got the impact that it does. And it's obviously one of the quickest changes that I do have, because I'm literally changing within the number. I start the number and change into that red gown. It's, it's spectacular to look at. And when I see footage of it, it does really, really look impressive. So I'm, but that's all kind of, it's all kind of a read of how is the day going when people are looking at me.

[22:54] William J Connolly: Can I say that's a very Miranda Priestly of you just slipping into your own little life. Do you find any parts of her have actually infiltrated into your life? Do you feel yourself sort of carrying yourself a little higher and perhaps a little harder? Do you sort of feel like you put your hand up to, to disrespect in a little way? Because while she is this firm character, I feel like there's a sense of ownership of oneself that's actually wildly endearing. And actually probably something that I think all of us would go, I could do with a little bit of that. I could do with just saying, do you know what actually palm to you? I'm not going to do this full stop. And I don't need to justify my actions in this moment. I feel like there's, there's a little bit of Miranda in all of us.

[23:26] Vanessa Williams: I think that attitude comes with age and wisdom and also the power of shades. When you're wearing a pair of sunglasses that no one can see behind you, you're, I don't want to say invisible, but you can look somebody up and down and you, you, people can't see you. So it does kind of create intimidation. So, and I had that kind of, I guess, art meets reality when I went to the Burberry show here and I went to her, and I've met Anna many times. I've been to the Met Gala back in 2000, I think it was 2009 or 10. And she's, I go to the US Open almost every year and she's always there and sit, you know, so I've been in her presence. She came to opening night at the red carpet, didn't say for the show, but did photos with us, which was lovely.

And she was pleasant and I think happy to be, you know, it's a musical because of her presence. So that's all I can say. So, but there, there is a power of, of the shades. There's a power behind people not knowing who you're looking at, what you're thinking, what your mood is, because it's all, it's all right here. So that's definitely something that I've embraced.

[25:00] William J Connolly: I feel like we feel that moment the strongest during, of course, the very famous cerulean moment where it's like, that's probably, I think, Miranda at her hardest, but also when the audience is like, and this is why I paid money to see this show because it's Vanessa Williams full out, to quote Jerry Mitchell, balls to the wall, fully as Miranda. You don't have the shades on, but you've got an iconic, iconic look on and it's the lines. And then it's the added little musical kind of swell behind. And then it's straight into a, it's, oh, it's just so good. And you must know that everyone in the, I mean, the gays in the audience basically wee themselves every night.

[25:37] Vanessa Williams: Well, what throws me is when people know it and I hear them doing it with me. And that's, you've got to, so either I speed up cause I like, I can't hear, I can't have this distraction. And it's also tempo too. Cause again, that's a really fine tune. We're talking about the cerulean speech. It's a really fine tune moment. So when she laughs, sometimes it's, it's done perfectly and people get the embarrassment. And sometimes if it takes too long for the last, then it gets awkward and like, we've lost the momentum. And then it, then I go into more anger at the top, then putting her into place. So that's a moment that is never the same. So the cerulean moment for those who've come time and time again, and I've had, we've got fans that have been there numerous times that, you know, one, one of my fans, Becky has my signature tattooed on her shoulder. She's a big fan. But

[26:38] Vanessa Williams: That's what I'm talking about. Tempo and comedy in the setup and then the ending, the button when I leave and you've got the huge swell and the ah. So I hope people feel like they're satisfied. But please, I don't want to hear the cerulean so loud that it distracts me. I promise I'll sit on my hands the next time I come. Apart from that, do you think that's kind of, is that the most famous thing? I do appreciate I'm sat here with a hat on with a quote from the show that says a million girls were killed for this job. That's my favorite quote. But do you think that's probably the most famous one that people quote to you?

[27:18] William J Connolly: Yeah, I mean, we do sell cerulean baseball caps in the cerulean blue. So I would definitely say that. And that sweater is iconic or the jumper is iconic. So I would definitely say cerulean for sure.

[27:31] Vanessa Williams: And let's go back to Matt Henry, because you mentioned about a voice from God, but and you also mentioned camp. The reason why this show works is it's not all just camp. It's not all just a caricature, which you mentioned, Matt has such seasoned grounding, Nigel, that you understand him as a man, you understand him as a gay man, you understand him as a dreamer, and then you understand his logic at the end when he doesn't get what he wanted. He's done such a tremendous job. You talk about me and who are they going to find as the next Miranda and Matt is one of those pros that who's going to be Matt Henry, because he has so many qualities like that, that ground Nigel, but also ground the musical.

And I think a lot of people have a preconceived notion, oh, it's going to be, you know, Devil Wears Prada with lots of songs, and it's not, it's going to be meaningless. And that's why I think it works as people come, they're moved, and they want to see it again and again. And that's why we have repeat audience members coming back to feel the joy, see the spectacle of the fashion, and the stakes of the high energy in a New York world, but also the journeys of disappointment and hope and aspiration, and the reality of making a choice.

[29:02] William J Connolly: Now, we've spoken about the musical, and we've spoken about these songs, and how iconic and fantastic they are, and how much variety there is. But when you have to sing them out of context, back to back with all of these, as I sort of semi-joked in the introduction, but it's absolutely true, these ridiculous accolades that you've rightfully earned, back to back to back being celebrated, particularly in the music world. How are you feeling about singing them all sort of together, with stories, with you on stage? There is no character, it's Vanessa Williams, front and centre, live in concert. Thrilling for me, again, go back to the question I asked at the very beginning, I imagine terrifying for you, or exciting? Where are we at at the minute?

[29:41] Vanessa Williams: I've been touring since 1997. My first tour was with Luther Vandross back in 1997, and part of my band has been with me since then, so it's almost, my God, almost 30 years together. So I have played the entire world, which has been amazing, and that's another wonderful thing about being in this business. I've travelled all over the world, and been able to sing and do symphony concerts, do my own concerts, be outside in festivals, do three songs, 50-minute set, 90-minute set with an interval, and also having my band that knows all my material, I can say, let's do the Sondheim, let's do from Showboat, let's do Bill, this is a Bill kind of audience, they know their theatre, so let's lean into the Broadway stuff, or this is R&B, I feel that this is a happening audience, let's do more R&B. So I switch it up, and that's the great thing about having a band that has been with me for years.

So in terms of my music and Broadway, I do, I probably will not do anything from this show, unfortunately, in my show, because I've done so many things, but I have, there'll definitely be Sondheim, since I've worked with him twice, knew him, and also I do a wonderful mix of my music into Children Will Listen, and also a duet that I did when I did Sondheim and Sondheim with Barbara Cook back in 2010. So there will be Sondheim there, there will be other songs that I've done from After Midnight, from St. Louis Woman, so the journey that I've gone through on stage, I can't fit them all in, because I've got my hits that I have to do as well, which is, I'm lucky to be able to still have hits like Love Is, and Colors of the Wind, and Save the Best for Last, and Sweetest Days, and work to do all that stuff. So there's a lot of material, so the people that know my music will not be disappointed, the people that know Broadway and theatre will definitely not be disappointed as well.

[32:02] William J Connolly: I love the fact you just casually reel off these names and all these people you've worked with, your life is so iconic.

[32:14] Vanessa Williams: I'm old, I've been around for a long time, I mean, you know, from the 80s, I've got a chance to work with, I mean, I had auditioned for Bob Fosse, I've worked with Tommy Tune, I mentioned Hal Prince, Mike Nichols directed my One and Only, I went in for that for one of my first auditions, so I've had the people that I, and in Sondheim, I mean, it's one thing when you're studying Sondheim, and you're, you know, a musical theatre major, and like, wow, amazing, there won't be trumpets, I'd love my favourite song, and then singing it for him, and doing, you know, Into the Woods, it's one of those, oh my God, I just sang for Sondheim, and now I'm doing The Witch, so I think my whole life has been the judgment and the proof, and that's what we do as humans, we judge, we put labels on people, oh, well, they're a beauty queen, oh, well, they're an actor, they can't really sing, well, they're a recording artist, can they really do theatre, well, they're a theatre person, can they really do pop music, I have been put in so many different categories in my entire life, always, and the joy for me is to say, okay, wait, just wait, wait and see, and prove it, so it's not, it's not, doesn't come from anger, it doesn't come from rage, it comes like, okay, just wait, and I love that, that's my superpower.

[34:05] William J Connolly: Could I be any more in love and obsessed with you, I feel like we've just peaked on that, I'm like, right, whatever she just said, write that down, I need that as a poster on my wall, which is like, just wait, let, do you know what, do you know what it's giving, really, really bluntly, it's giving fuck about, find out in a really crude way, which is like, think I can't do it, and let me prove you wrong, and I think that is, that for me, and again, this is not everyone, that for me is like lighter fuel, that's like putting coffee in me and watching me go, it's like, here, here we go, and I feel like that is, as crude as this is, why you've had the longevity that you've had, and that's where you're, you're originating roles at so many different parts in your career, and that you're, as you were, as you were sort of reeling off those names and stuff, you never stop smiling, it's why I can tell that it means something to you, and that you genuinely still enjoy it, and that fire hasn't gone, and unfortunately, it does go for so many people as they get weathered by the industry, and it feels like you haven't lost it, and you do still love it.

[34:31] Vanessa Williams: Yeah, I mean, you have to, this business is brutal, you, I would say after being in for 40 plus years, you cannot take it personally, and that's, when you're going into, as a young artist, and I don't, they don't even have, I guess they do have audition rooms now, because so many things are on tape, and, and, and, but when you are going in to be judged, and that's exactly what you're saying, oh my God, they're gonna judge me, they're gonna hate me, they're gonna love me, they're trying to, they're rooting for you, because they want to tick the box, and say yes, we found the person, so, and if it doesn't work out, sometimes as somebody that is, already has the role, but they have to go through the motions, so again, you can be so talented, but you have no idea, the deal that might have been done, is already done, so you're just doing that to, to say that they had to, and doing it, some people are very specific about what they want, sometimes there is a niche that they need to fill, so it's, it wasn't meant for you at that point, take a deep breath, and know that what's next, but never measure yourself by what am I not doing, what do I need to change, and, and beat yourself up by assuming that you're not good enough.

[35:54] William J Connolly: Obviously, we've spoken a lot about this chapter in your life, and you've referenced just some of the extraordinary artists and creatives that you've been led by, worked alongside, replaced, collaborated with, have become friends with, which I think is a testament to the great respect that they have for you, and their work ethic that you've put in, and as much as I joke about, you know, how camp is that entrance for Miranda in the show, I think that's also an audience saying, we can't quite believe Vanessa Williams is here, and she's playing this part, it felt so extraordinary in that sort of February 2024 announcement of, she's doing it, and she's doing it here, and it feels really special, and I hope that you felt a huge amount of the love from audiences that, that are, like myself, deeply sad to see you go at the, of this chapter, but also very excited to see what does come next, and see you on this tour, but if you think back to your Broadway debut, and way back to the beginning, and the fact that music and performing has been in your life, what do you think the Vanessa Williams, way back at the beginning, would think of the extraordinary accolades that I referenced at the beginning, and the fact that that sense of perseverance, and count me out, and I'll prove you wrong mentality, and has actually stood the test of time, and actually taken you to places that, as much as I joke about these extraordinary people, have become collaborators, and actually this has been the life that you, and only you, have created, what would you think of the, the journey so far, and the fact that you are, by all intents and purposes, a legend?

[37:17] Vanessa Williams: Well it, thank you for all of that, I just bring it back to my childhood, what I loved doing as a child, being, having both parents as music teachers, music playing constantly in my house, and being exposed to so many different things, also having my parents go to theatre, and Broadway, and come back with the cast albums of Pearly, and Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, and, and, and Hair, and all those musicals that were happening when I was growing up, so I always knew that Broadway was a train ride away, it was, you know, 50 minutes on, on the train into the city, so seeing that every year, whatever the Broadway show that, that we would pick to go see, I knew that that was a reality, so I knew that, okay, I can do that, wow, I'm good at it, and I can do that, and make a living out of that, the older that I got, because I danced and sang that, but the fact that, yeah, I could, I could be on Broadway, and do that as a living, but to be a star, to be, to have your songs being played on the radio, to be co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a gigantic thriller, those are the things that, like, what, I just sang Colors of the Wind at the Academy Awards, and it won, and they acknowledged my singing, and it was live, and Tom Cruise is sitting next to my dad, those are the things that are like, what, this has actually happened, when I look back at my life, those are the little things that I never would have dreamt of, but it was all because of stuff that I do naturally, and I got a chance to have, make a living out of it.

[39:03] William J Connolly: Thank you so much for your time with us, thank you so much for coming to London, and spending such a huge amount of time, you kept extending and extending, it was like, thank goodness we don't have to face that day, I know it is coming, while we will all be incredibly sad to see you go, thank you so much for having such a huge chapter, and spending so much time with us, and giving us the gift that is your version of Miss Miranda Priestly, she will forever live on, we have the album, thank goodness, and maybe some cheeky clips on YouTube as well, to feed us when we're feeling extra sad, but good luck with the tour, thank you so much for doing this, I really genuinely appreciate it, and I wondered, would you be able to send us off in only the way that Miranda would, whether that's all?

[39:34] Vanessa Williams: That's all.