Interview: Ali Stroker Shares a Sneak Peek Into Houston Symphony's 21ST CENTURY BROADWAY Concert

For this weekend only, the Houston Symphony will be housing four Broadway stars to perform showstoppers from today’s hottest musicals in their concert, 21st Century Broadway! Selections are from Broadway shows such as Hamilton, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Spring Awakening, Spamalot, The Color Purple, Waitress, Jagged Little Pill, and Anastasia. The incredible New York performers visiting include Rodney Ingram, Hailey Kilgore, Derek Klena, and Ali Stroker. BroadwayWorld Houston was able to speak to Stroker about what we could look forward to at this one-of-a-kind concert.

Ali Stroker is a Tony Award winner for her role as ‘Ado Annie” in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf West's acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. She's a series regular in the Netflix series Echoes and starred in the lifetime holiday film Christmas Ever After. Stroker recurred in the final season of Netflix's Ozark and is recurring in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. She co-wrote the novel The Chance to Fly and its sequel Cut Loose!; and she wrote the children’s book Ali and the Sea Stars. She played ‘Lady Anne’ in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard III. She's performed her one-woman show all over the country, some of her favorites being the Kennedy Center, Town Hall Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her mission to improve the lives of others through the arts is captured in her motto: “Turning Your Limitations Into Your Opportunities.”

Ali Stroker shared with Broadway World Houston more about herself and her favorite moments in developing this concert:

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What brought you to performing, and what has led you to today?

I was born and raised in Ridgewood, NJ and became paralyzed in an accident when I was 2 years old. I use a wheelchair for mobility and was introduced to theatre when I was 7. Performing on stage became my life! I made my Broadway debut in 2015, making history as the first person in a wheelchair to ever appear on Broadway. Then, I won a Tony for my performance as 'Ado Annie' in Oklahoma! in 2019! Since then, I have become a "Mommy" and feel so grateful for this opportunity to perform with the Houston Symphony!

This event is going to be a concert featuring four stars from Broadway; what a uniquely fun concert to have here in Houston! Do you know how this concert came to be? How did you get involved?

This is a concert we did at Carnegie Hall this past fall. I love the music and people involved, so when the opportunity came about to do it again, I was thrilled!!

For this concert, I understand that you are performing with four other Broadway stars. How has it been collaborating with them for this performance?

Performing with the other Broadway performers is an honor. They are all incredibly talented and incredible human beings!

The concert is described to include hits from Hamilton, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Spring Awakening, Spamalot, The Color Purple, Waitress, Jagged Little Pill, Anastasia, and more! How was this program decided? Did each performer bring songs that they wanted to bring to the table?

The music was chosen by Steven Reineke, and then he asked us if we were up for singing the selections.

Have you been to Houston before? What are you looking forward to when visiting the city for the weekend?

I’ve never been to Houston! I'm so excited about exploring the city and getting some sun. It’s still freezing in NY, so this is such a gift to be in the warm weather.

What has been your favorite part in developing this concert?

My favorite part of this experience is working with the people involved and singing with the symphony. All the instruments together are magical sounding!

Which piece are you looking forward to performing most?

My favorite song to sing in the concert is "Diva's Lament" from Spamalot! It’s so fun! 

Anything else you would like to share with BroadwayWorld Houston?

I am so excited to get to do more than one night of this concert! Usually, you only get to do it once, so this is a real treat.

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You can buy tickets for this spectacular show–only in town for two more days–here!

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