Breaking News: Tony Winner Heather Headley Will Lead INTO THE WOODS at The Muny!

Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley will star as 'The Witch' in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods, directed by Gary Griffin and playing July 21 - 27, 2015 at The Muny, the nation's largest outdoor musical theatre. This production marks the Muny premiere of Into the Woods, and will be Ms. Headley's first performance in a musical in America since her 2000 Tony award winning performance in the original Broadway production of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida.

"Heather's extraordinary talent, passion and humor will be thrilling in this role," Griffin commented. "When we met to talk about the part I was thrilled by her ideas and energy. She's going to give The Muny audience a once in a lifetime experience."

"So many legendary performers in the history of the American musical have played The Muny," said Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. "Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Tommy Tune, Yul Brynner, Ethel Merman... the list goes on and on. How thrilled we are to have Heather in this part, and how honored we are to add her name to this list."

As previously announced, Into The Woods is directed by Gary Griffin, choreographed by Chris Bailey, and music directed by Brad Haak. Scenic design is by Michael Schweikardt, with costume design by Andrea Lauer, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by John Shivers and Hugh Sweeney, and video design by Matthew Young. Wig design is by Leah Loukas, and the production stage manager is Monica Dickhens.

Into The Woods is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank. Visit www.muny.org for more information on Into The Woods and the rest of the 2015 Muny season.

In 1997, Ms. Headley, while a student at Northwestern University, won the role of Nala in the original Broadway cast of Elton John and Tim Rice's Tony winning musical The Lion King. While performing the role of Nala, Heather was asked to audition for the title role in the writing duo's next Broadway venture together, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. Her portrayal of the Nubian princess, Aida, won her the praise of critics and the prestigious Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In addition to other awards, she also received the coveted Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. That year she was listed as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" and Essence magazine's "30 Women To Watch." Heather continued her Broadway success on the pop charts with her 2002 debut album on RCA records, "This is Who I Am," which featured production by several top-flight producers including Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Shep Crawford. Two songs, the single "He Is" and the album track "I Wish I Wasn't," both emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits.

Heather earned numerous accolades for "This is Who I Am," including Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. At the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, she won dual honors: R&B/Soul Album of the Year, and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist. She also received nominations at the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Female Artist, and BET Awards in the "Cool Like That" category.

Ms. Headley took her first foray into the gospel music world in 2009 with the release of her third studio album "Audience of One," for which she was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.

From November 2012 until August 2013, Heather performed the role of Rachel Marron in the musical adaptation of Whitney Houston's 1992 movie The Bodyguard at London's Adelphi Theatre. She was nominated for an Olivier Award and a What's On Stage Award for her performance.

Over the past few years, Ms. Headley has also displayed her versatility as one of classical star Andrea Bocelli's favorite singing partners. She has been featured in many of his American and international tours, his Live In Tuscany PBS special, and his Under The Desert Sky live concert DVD.