Broadway star Phillipa Soo to release picture book about childhood stage fright
2 August 2023, 14:14
The Grammy-award winner says the story is based on her own life experiences.
Broadway star Phillipa Soo has not forgotten her childhood stage fright.
The Grammy-winning actor and singer known for her roles in Hamilton, Into the Woods and other musicals is collaborating with her sister-in-law, Maris Pasquale Doran, and illustrator Qin Leng on a picture book.
Piper Chen Sings is about a girl more at ease singing to her stuffed animals than in front of a crowd.
Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, announced that the book is set to be released in April 2024.
Soo, 32, said: “I have often been asked, ‘If you could say anything to your younger self, what would it be?’, and ‘Piper Chen Sings’ is certainly an answer to that question.
“This book comes straight from the heart and is inspired by my own life and experiences — a little girl who loves to sing, but is overwhelmed with nervousness about singing in front of others.”
Soo originated the role of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the wife of Founding Father and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s celebrated play.
She has since starred in Broadway revivals of Into the Woods and Camelot, and was featured in a Kennedy Centre production of Guys and Dolls.
Soo won Grammys for her work on the soundtracks to Hamilton and Into the Woods.
