Ledisi To Take On Her First Principal Broadway Role in This Fall’s ‘WANTED’

Singular vocalist Ledisi is no stranger to Broadway — or the world beyond the recording studio in general, for that matter. In addition to roles in the films Selma and Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story , the Grammy-winning, genre-blending R&B singer (who is featured on the new Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack) has previously made notable appearances on the New York stage in Caroline, or Change and Hair .

But she will take on her biggest Broadway role yet this fall: Billboard can exclusively announce that she will join the cast of the highly-anticipated new musical WANTED .

WANTED tells the “mostly true story” of twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke, two Black women who “passed” as white and became legendary outlaws in post-emancipation Texas. Ledisi will portray family matriarch Tallulah alongside Solea Pfeiffer (who memorably portrayed Penny Lane in the Broadway musical of Almost Famous ) as Mary and Liisi LaFontaine as Martha.

“I am thrilled to join the cast of WANTED . My first Broadway principal role, and I still can’t believe it,” says Ledisi. “I love being a recording artist, and that will never change. Theater has always been a part of my vision as a storyteller. This isn’t a pivot…It’s another expansion of me.”

WANTED features a book and lyrics by Broadway first-timer Angelica Chéri, a direct descendent of the Sisters Clarke, and music by composer Ross Baum; Tony-nominee Stevie Walker-Webb ( Ain’t No Mo ‘) directs, with choreography by Chelsey Arce. The show, previously titled Gun & Powde r, has made a long journey to Broadway, starting in 2020 at Arlington, Va.’s Signature Theatre before a prominent off-Broadway production at New Jersey’s Papermill Playhouse in 2024.

That iteration garnered a New York Times “critic’s pick” honorific, with praise for Baum’s “wide-ranging, powerhouse score,” an irresistible revenge-fantasy narrative, and strong roles centering Black women in the spotlight.

Ahead of WANTED ‘s opening Nov. 8 (with previews starting Oct. 15), get a taste of “Inheritance” from the new musical — recorded at a one-night only concert held at Artist House in New York — below.

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ledisi-wanted-broadway-announcement-1236246169/)._