Emilie Kouatchou, first Black Phantom of Opera lead actress, nearly changed careers due to pandemic
Emilie Kouatchoue says she nearly cracked under pressure ahead of her first performance in October as the first Black female lead in Phantom's 34-year run
Emilie Kouatchou made history in October when she became the first Black actor to play the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
The University of Michigan graduate admits she nearly switched careers and quit show business after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway theaters last year.
“I found myself just feeling lost and feeling like I didn’t have a purpose anymore,” she told People magazine.
On the advice of her parents, Kouatchou decided to pursue a degree in business before she joined the Phantom production this summer.
“I was a little reluctant, but I thought, ‘You know what, I could take night classes and still audition.’ And so I decided that come the fall, if nothing had happened, I would apply at business schools, and then literally in the fall, this thing happened,” she said. “I got the call in August, and that just kind of changed everything for me.”
The Phantom of the Opera returned to the Majestic Theatre in October after closing in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kouatchou nearly cracked under pressure ahead of her first performance as the first Black female lead in Phantom‘s near 34-year run. The role also marked her Broadway debut.
“There were a lot of nights just feeling like maybe I’m not good enough for this, or feeling like I have the weight of all these people who are looking up to me [on my shoulders], and I wanted to do the best that I could,” she said. “I just think that Black women, especially in theater, have to be — and it shouldn’t be this way — 10 times better and work ten times harder. It took this long for any Black woman to play Christine, but there have been so many talented Black women who could have.”
Based on Gaston Leroux’s horror novel of the same name, the story centers on a Phantom who haunts a Paris Opera and falls in love with a young female singer. The musical was first directed by the late Harold Prince for the Main Stem on January 26, 1988. The production has since won countless awards and remains the longest-running Broadway production in history.
The Phantom of the Opera features music by Andrew Lloyd Williams and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. The production has won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Kouatchou auditioned for Phantom twice before she was hired over the summer as the Christine alternate on Broadway. She currently performs the role three times a week at the Majestic Theatre — the musical’s New York home for the past three decades — and will take over the principal role for the 34th Anniversary show on January 26.
While she is proud of being the first Black Christine on Broadway, Kouatchou is still frustrated that it took this long to diversify such a significant character in the world of theater.
“It frustrates me that it took this long, it does,” she said. “I’m honored that it’s me, and I’m honored that I’m making history, but I’m really excited for when it’s not even a question, it’s not even a thing, the first Black Christine.”
Kouatchou added, “I’ve had a lot of girls reach out, and say, ‘Hey, this is a dream role of mine, and you’re making it possible for me to achieve that goal.’ At times when I’m just so in my head about what I’m doing in the show, it’s a great reminder that this is something.
“No matter what I do on stage, me in that costume and me wearing that wig and me singing those songs and just my face as a face of Phantom [is] so important.”
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