STAGE TUBE: On This Day 9/06 - Wishing a Happy Birthday to Anika Noni Rose

Hello and welcome to BWW's ON THIS DAY Series! Please read along as, each day, we celebrate birthdays, shows' openings and all kinds of theatrical events that have happened on this date.

Today is the birthday of star of stage and screen, Anika Noni Rose. Rose is perhaps best known for her work on the Disney film "The Princess and the Frog", for which she voiced Tiana. Today's clip is a live performance of Tiana's first song, "Almost There".

In addition to voicing one of the most musically spectacular Disney films of the last few decades, Rose has had a prolific career on Broadway, from her role in the original cast of "Footloose" to originating the character Emmie Thibodeaux in "Caroline, or Change". She has also worked on "The Color Purple", "The Threepenny Opera", "The Last Five Years" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - even within her stage work, her credits are varied. On screen she can be caught in "The Good Wife", "Roots" and even "The Simpsons".

A very happy birthday to you, Anika! May your beautiful voice and impressive CV inspire those of us who're struggling to get back into the post-holiday routine!