An audience with Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph , a fan favorite as no-nonsense teacher Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary , makes for an exhilarating education. She commands your attention from the off. Truth is, for me, she always has.
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That was my first lesson in witnessing the artistry of Sheryl Lee Ralph, who glided seamlessly across the Imperial’s stage as Deena Jones. “I’m the dream that’ll give you more and more,” I remember her cooing into a mic. She gratefully acknowledges that while Dreamgirls gave her a pathway to a hard-won stardom — “Oh, my god it was brilliant,” she declares — she and her castmates lost out on the riches the show generated.
Not knowing any better, they signed away their rights in the production. ”I learned a lifetime out of that show, including selling my rights for a dollar, where I learned: sign nothing. I’m still learning it now.
Sign nothing, make no deals until it’s down in writing. And.