(upbeat music)
- [Tamsen] Phantom of the Opera is Broadway's
longest-running musical.
Charlie Cooper caught up
with the show's history making lead.
- Thanks, Tamsen. Emilie Kouatchou made history
last October as the first black actress to play Christine
in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
We're here at the Civilian Hotel
to chat about her history-making bow and so much more.
(upbeat music)
- We're really excited just to be in your presence.
The first black Christine.
What's that feel like for you?
- I mean, it's just, it's insane.
Like I, I keep having to remind myself
that this is happening,
'cause sometime you get like so caught up
in the show that you're doing
and you know, the eight show weeks and how hard it is.
And I really appreciate you saying that
'cause like yeah it is a big moment.
I really am just grateful that I have
a lot of support around me
'cause it hasn't been the easiest ride.
There's been a lot of days where I felt like,
you know I don't know if I deserve to be here
and that just comes with, you know,
just like the imposter syndrome of it all and the pressure,
but I'm really grateful to have people who support me
and who lift me up and help me realize that like
yeah, you deserve to be here.
You are the first black Christine.
So I really appreciate you saying that.
- An enormous role to take on.
And I know that you auditioned for the understudy role,
what, twice before you actually got it.
- Yeah. A couple times. Yeah.
- Yeah. What drew you to that role
and what had you coming back?
- I had been dreaming of me being
in this role since I was in college.
And I think what resonated the most with me was
that I felt like Christine was a character that
goes through a journey of growing into her womanhood.
And that story has always resonated with me.
Also, the music is just fricking amazing.
You know, Andrew Lloyd Weber's score is insane
so I've always wanted to sing it.
I've always wanted to tell that kind of story.
I think people had like a very specific idea
of who Christine was.
You know, she was a white woman with brown hair.
The beauty of me stepping into this role is
that like Christine lives in the spirit
and it lives in how you tell her story.
It's not the way she looks.
So I'm really, I'm an advocate for
anyone who can embody Christine's spirit,
who brings something new to the table
to be able to inhabit that role
because it shouldn't be based on your skin color.
- I imagine The Majestic is like your second home now.
- Yeah it is. It really is.
(Charlie chuckling)
- What's a mandatory thing that's in your green room
that gets you ready for the for the show each night?
- I, not gonna lie, I be going to Schmackary's
like every single day.
I know that's probably bad,
but like, I have to it's my kryptonite. I love cookies.
I also love getting a warm drink before a show,
doing some yoga.
I have like these really pretty lights
that actually Meghan Picerno gave to me before she left.
That kind of call me before the show,
so I turn those on for like a couple minutes
before I go on stage.
- So, yeah. Talk to me about how
you're making this Christine you're Christine,
and really like standing in this role?
- I really want to like emphasize Christine's arc
and make sure you see her go from someone who is
impressionable, naive,
extremely young in spirit
to someone who, although she is still like the same age,
that someone who grows into herself, into her body,
even in the way I stand towards the end of the show
is so different from the way I carry myself
at the beginning of the show.
And I really want that arc of womanhood
to be seen in Christine.
- So kind of a silly question.
So I know Christine is the Phantom's love interest, right?
If you were creating a dating profile for Christine
give me a one liner.
- Oh my God.
- Sell her!
- For Christine?
- Sell her to us!
- It would be something like sings like a bell,
but like gets down and dirty or whatever (laughing)
Something really, (laughing)
Is that okay to say?
- I love it
- It would be something really corny and cute like that
Like sings like a bell
but also has a sassy side or whatever.