(Brownville) -- Longtime Broadway actress and esteemed performing artist Amra-Faye Wright is making her way to the heartland for a series of cabaret shows in Brownville, Neb., this weekend.
A native of South Africa, Wright began on the trail to stardom at a young age and became a renaissance stage performer, honing her skills in dancing, singing and even painting before eventually landing the role of Velma Kelly in the classic Broadway production, Chicago.
“Like a lot of South African artists, we kind of had to make our own way by becoming diverse performers, so I did just about everything I could on stage.” Wright said. “I trained as a dancer, I’d been performing in the big extravaganzas in Sun City, and my husband was transferred to the UK so I attended some auditions there and finally got the role of Velma Kelly.”
Despite playing the role of Velma Kelly for over 20 years, Wright never fell out of love with it. In fact, she believes the character was perfectly crafted for her passion as a performer.
“Most young girls are drawn to the roles where they are the pretty girl that gets the boy or the princess, but I was always drawn to the kind of roles that were on the darker side,” Wright said. “Velma Kelly is definitely a darker character and so when I got the opportunity to play that role, I already knew who she was. It was a role that I think was kind of made in heaven for me.”
Wright’s journey from the rural, secluded land of South Africa to the bright lights of global show business is the foundation for her new series of cabaret performances.
“Generally, I build my cabarets around the story of how I got from the farm to Broadway,” Wright said. “It’s a convoluted story, which is not a normal trajectory for a performer. I interspersed that story with songs from The Great American Songbook, some jazz standards, some showtunes and various other interesting songs, stories and things that I’ve picked up along the way.”
Brownville Concert Hall will host Wright’s cabaret shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 P.M., followed by a Sunday matinee at 2 P.M.
Hear the full interview with Wright below.
