Though parts in works like Branden Jacobs-JenkinssAn Octoroon; a pre-Broadway production of Daniel Fishs sexyOklahoma!
(The show earned Gray her first Tony nomination in 2019.)
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
Photo: Getty Images
Vogue: Congratulations on all the very well-deserved praise forEureka Dayyoure so wonderful in it.
How did that piece come your way?
What did you make of it when you first read the script?
Bill Irwin, Thomas Middleditch, Gray, Jessica Hecht, and Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz inEureka Day
It was the first time I had been straight-up offered a Broadway job.
I read the play, and I was like, I dont think Im going to do this.
I will share my hesitation in doing the play.
Bill Irwin’s Don attempts to maintain order during a “community-activated conversation” gone awry inEureka Day.
you could actually change these policies.
But in the version I read, Carina was still the one who brought in the bylaws.
I felt a little weird about that.
Jessica Hecht (as Suzanne) and Gray (as Carina) inEureka Day
They were like, You are not white.
You are not Black.
And I do feel like I havent had either experiencewhite or Black.
Gray with Patrick Page and Eva Noblezada onHadestown’s opening night at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2019
And in particular, during the pandemic, all these TV shows started having a Black Power monologue.
But my friend read it, and he was like, It doesnt matter, actually.
One, it gets cut off, so most of the audience is not going to hear it.
It just needs to be a woman of color, and you are that.
So, play the fucking part.
And youve become known asthis was his quoteyouve become known as a musical-theater bitch.
So, do the play.
I was like, Word.
You should be my manager.
Was that description already there, or was it ultimately inspired by you?
It was a coincidence.
So, in that sense, I knowthisvery well.
I know code-switching between races, cultures, and financial statuses.
So, I was like, Well,thatI can do.
That, I understand deeply.
Have you always liked to do both?
Do they feed you very differently?
So, she knew I could sing.
ThenGreat Cometat Ars Nova came up.
I couldnt quite sing the main song that Helene has; some notes I just didnt have.
But after I auditioned, they were like, We want you to play the part.
We think youre the best actor for the role.
But by the next year, I could sing that song at six in the morning without warming up.
I have a range now that I did not have 10 years ago.
And I find in my straight play work, it helps me just on a projection level.
But the older I get, I do really love a musical.
When do we sing?But that hasnt happened yet.
Is it fun or kind of chaotic?
He was always like, Because they laugh so much, theyre not even going to hear you.
And were like, Really?
But now, the only goal is to not laugh.
The only goal for me is to not corpse.
Bill Irwins Don attempts to maintain order during a community-activated conversation gone awry inEureka Day.
Eureka Dayhas an amazing ensemble.
Can you tell me a bit about working with this particular group of actors?
You have some especially funny and moving and complicated scenes with Jessica Hecht as Suzanne.
Well, that was another reason to do it.
At the time, Jessica Hecht was already cast, and I was like, Dream!
It was a different gal playing Meiko; it was Zoe Chao, who I love as well.
So, with those two alone, I was like, That could be really fun.
Its a pretty extraordinary group.
Everyone is so well cast.
Its also so kind and nerdy.
Its honestly one of the nicest casts Ive ever been in.
And Im like, Its fine, because its coming from Jess Hecht.
Shes so delicious in the play, its just gold.
Can you speak to that a bit?
Hypocrisy absolutely pops up when it comes to your own children.
All the time, left and right.
Theyre willing to walk the walk and go to jail once a season.
Jonathan was always like, Its so Berkeley.
And Im like, But its not!
So, it was a stressful week.
And Ill share a dirty secret: The gal who plays Winter, Eboni Flowers, is my cover.
She was also my cover in the Scottish play, and Ive known her for a few years now.
I told her, Ill put in my notice at the final moment so they cant hire somebody else.
And they gave it to her.
Its going to be really cool.
So, my body is used to going away and coming back to this piece.
I had a lot of rage when I leftHadestownthat I had to process.
I joke I was the first one to defect from a cult.
So my emotions are the least charged around it now.
Three out of the five were really hard to convince to do this.
But Im so emotional and excited about having closure as a group.
I was so severely depressed for a while after I leftHadestown.
That was the first time I had ever mourned a project by myself, and it was horrible.
I just ached for the people.
So, Im so thrilled to be with them again.
All the other iterations ofHadestownhave been joyous experiences, and Im hoping we can get back to that.
And I love working in London.
Is there anything else you want to plug?
Im the worst at plugging anything.
The Broadway play is cute and all, but it dont pay the bills.
