Why Actress Amber Iman Calls ‘Goddess’ A Love Letter To Black Women In Theater [Exclusive]

Amber Iman showcases the royalty that lies within all Black women in the Public Theater production of Goddess.

The New York premiere of the show features music and lyrics by Michael Thurber, with book and direction by associate director and resident director Saheem Ali, to follow the story of a mysterious singer portrayed by Amber Iman after she arrives at Moto Moto, a steamy Afro-jazz club in Mobasa, Kenya, casting an entrancing spell on everyone.

“In the musical theater canon, it is rare,” Iman told MadameNoire when asked what her role in the production means to her as a Black woman taking up space in the theater. “There are not enough title roles for Black women. One of the first lyrics I sing in Goddess is, ‘On a night with no breeze, the sweat drips down my chocolate skin,’ and the intentionality of that lyric, to know that this role will be played by a dark-skinned woman—has to be played by dark-skinned women—who will be seen as goddesses. It feels like my life’s work.”

She added, “My hope for this show is that it runs so long and it’s so successful that many chocolate women can come and stand in these shoes and wear these gowns and feel what it’s like to be called a goddess. We don’t get that enough in this industry. Black women don’t get it enough. Dark-skinned women don’t get it enough. Tall women, natural-haired women, and wide-nosed women; we just don’t see it enough. I wish there were 17 shows called Goddess. I’m so grateful to help create and build this role. It’s a love letter to Black women. That’s what it feels like.”

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