A Strange Loop Tony Nominee L Morgan Lee on Her History-Making Journey
(Photo: c/o Polk and Co.)
"I have been singing ever since I was a little kid in my little high chair," L Morgan Lee told Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek on a recent episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal. Her first time on stage was singing "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club in nursery school. The performer has come a long way since then. In less than two months time, she has made her Broadway debut in Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop, the most Tony-nominated musical of 2022. Lee is the first transgender performer to be nominated for a Tony Award. She sat down with Wontorek at the Civilian Hotel to talk about her journey.
(Photo; Marc J. Franklin)
"Someone the other day was like, 'Tony nominee L Morgan Lee.' I was looking around like, 'Who are you talking about? Not me!'" Lee said with a laugh. "I am still trying to wrap myself around even being a Black trans woman on Broadway in a principal role. To then add having the work recognized by the people that I've been artistically idolizing over the years—it's mind-blowing." Lee is joined by Tony winners Patti LuPone and Jayne Houdyshell as well as stage stalwarts Jennifer Simard, Shoshana Bean and Jeannette Bayardelle in her category.
Lee has been playing Thought 1 in A Strange Loop since its off-Broadway premiere in 2019. Her co-stars Jaquel Spivey and John-Andrew Morrison are also nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, respectively. "I feel like they see me so clearly and love me and protect me. I feel like they root for me," she said of her co-stars. "I root for every one of them in that same way. They are my hearts in so many ways."
Lee talked about coming into her own both professionally and personally. "It took me a while to find me," she said. "I want it to be easier for others." Lee recently shared photos of herself on Instagram at age 19. The caption reads: "It's incredible when you find bread crumbs and are reminded that the journey started long before you were even aware it was going."
Watch the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.
