Marisha Wallace on Finding Opportunities in London and Working with RuPaul's Drag Race Stars

Marisha Wallace has been working nonstop for the past eight years—going from the first national tour of The Book of Mormon in 2012 to starring as Motormouth Maybelle in the upcoming London Hairspray revival. Due to the coronavirus crisis, Wallace is off the stage and taking time to "recalibrate," which includes releasing a stunning rendition of "Tomorrow" from Annie featuring popular RuPaul's Drag Race stars. Wallace appeared on #LiveatFive: Home Edition to talk all about how the project came to be, if she'll ever return to Broadway and more.

Wallace released a solo rendition of "Tomorrow" before Shangela, Eureka O'Hara, Latrice Royale, Nina West and more put their own spin on the song. "I had this idea to do a gospel version for a long time, and everyone thought I was crazy," Wallace said to Paul Wontorek. "As soon as I started singing it, I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is a hit.' Then, Latrice Royale heard the song, and her management reached out. At the time, Black Lives Matter had just kicked off, and we wanted to have Black queens and allies together who will show a symbol of peace and hope. It came out so beautifully; I was overjoyed that they even wanted to do it."

The song, which is now available to stream and download, benefits both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and Make a Difference (MAD) Trust and marks the first collaboration between the two organizations. "Every stream, every download, every dollar goes to Broadway Cares and MAD Trust," Wallace said. "MAD Trust is literally like the West End version of Broadway Cares, but they've never done anything together. This was their first time they've ever done something together, and I brought them together, which is really cool."

Wallace was seen in Broadway's Aladdin and Something Rotten before heading to London to appear in the West End premiere of Dreamgirls, and she's been there ever since. "I still have furniture in Harlem, but I've been here full-time for three and a half years now," she said. "I have known for a long time that they do really appreciate a diva in London." Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw has worked with Wallace repeatedly and brought her in for the London Dreamgirls production, which starred Glee standout Amber Riley. Riley's appearances were spotty due to illness. Wallace recalls stepping into Riley's role: "By the time I got through, 'And I'm Telling You,' everyone was on their feet. I was like, 'Oh, my God, I have caught fire!' From that moment, I knew my life will never be the same and that this is where I'm supposed to be."

Wallace went on to play Becky in the West End production ofWaitress and is set to take on Motormouth Maybelle in the upcoming revival of Hairspray. Although she can't be on stage as planned, Wallace is staying positive. "I've learned so much about myself during this," she said. "I feel like this is the most creative and artistically fulfilled I've ever been, which is so strange. I'm writing my own music and learned to play guitar. It's been hard, too. There were definitely some days where I was like, 'I can't do this.'I've just really tried to channel it into my work. I've been praying for so long that I just want to have time to work on my music and take a break to recalibrate myself. For the past 15 years, I've been nonstop."

Hear Wallace talk more about the dream meeting with Latrice Royale and more in the full episode below!