Video: Marissa Jaret Winokur Hopes to Return to Broadway

Tony Award-winning actress Marissa Jaret Winokur recently visited Sherri to discuss her return to the stage with Mama I’m a Big Girl Now. The show, which played off-Broadway in 2024, reunited the actress with Hairspray co-stars Laura Bell Bundy and Kerry Butler.

"It's been so much fun reconnecting with these women," said Winokur, also noting the importance of showing audiences that women can support each other while sharing a stage. "There's something special about going through the business with people and knowing that, through the hardships, we are holding each other accountable for who we are now."

She also talked about the viral clip of her singing from Hairspray at Marc Shaiman's star-strudded birthday party, which also included performers like Martin Short, Billy Crystal and Bette Midler: "This is the craziest night of my life...[Shaiman] is playing the piano and nobody's singing along. So literally, he just starts playing Good Morning Baltimore, which is my song...And Martin Short grabs me and is like, 'You're going. You're singing now!'"

Winokur also teased a return to Broadway: "After doing Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now, I was like, 'Oh yeah, this is what I'm supposed to be doing!'" It's just magic. It's what I was meant to do and I think it's time for me to reclaim that. Watch the full interview now, and also check out another segment where Winokur plays the game Broadway Box-Off with host Sherri Shepherd.

Winokur won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, Drama Desk Award, Theatre World Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in Hairspray. She had previously appeared on Broadway as "Pink Lady Jan" in the revival of Grease.

Winokur has also played roles in films such as American Beauty, Never Been Kissed, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Scary Movie, Beautiful Girl (for ABC Family), Fever Pitch and Season 6 of Dancing with the Stars.

She reunited with Kerry Butler and Laura Bell Bundy for the new show, Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now, which celebrates 22 years of the beloved Broadway hit, Hairspray. The trio, who originated the roles of Tracy, Penny, and Amber in Hairspray, deliver an unforgettable night of nostalgia, laughter, and showstopping musical performances. The off-Broadway production closed at New World Stages through December 21, 2024.