A chat with Danielle Brooks

In the past decade, Danielle Brooks has emerged as one of our favorite actors. Whether it’s in Shakespeare (“Much Ado About Nothing” at the Delacorte), a popular musical (“The Color Purple”) or an August Wilson drama (she’s currently starring in the Broadway revival of “The Piano Lesson” alongside Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington), Danielle always stands out. And of course there was her run on “Orange Is the New Black,” in which she played Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson. A more versatile performer is hard to find

Unsurprisingly, we had a blast talking with Danielle and we covered a lot of ground, from her upbringing in South Carolina to studying at Juilliard. She is a member of Juilliard’s Group 40, one of three members of that cohort currently on Broadway: the others are Corey Hawkins (in “Topdog/Underdog”) and Joaquina Kalukango (who takes over as the Witch in “Into the Woods” on Dec. 16). Fun fact: Danielle, Corey and Joaquina played Ruth, Walter and Beneatha, respectively, in a Juilliard production of “A Raisin in the Sun” back in 2010.

We also discussed the organization Black Women on Broadway, which Danielle founded with Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh.

And now for some fun reading:

Peter’s review of “The Piano Lesson.”

Remember when Peter and Elisabeth went to “& Juliet” together? (Hint: It was the previous episode.) He wrote about the show, too.

Compare and contrast: Peter’s take on “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” and Elisabeth’s!

Elisabeth’s review of “Ain’t No Mo’.”

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.