When I learned I would be speaking with Sharon Catherine Brown, I immediately thought about one of my favorite television memories: watching her portray opera singer Angela Atkins on “A Different World ” in 1988. In the Season 2 episode “Three Girls Three,” Angela joined Jaleesa and Whitley as they competed for a chance to become backup singers for music legend Gladys Knight.
Born into a family of performers, Brown started modeling professionally at 3 years old and made her Broadway debut at 5. Her parents, Johnny and June Brown, were Broadway performers, and one of her grandmothers was a Broadway dancer. Her father later became widely recognized for portraying building superintendent Nathan Bookman on the classic television series Good Times.
Brown went on to build an extensive career across theater, television and film. She made history as the first Black actressto portray the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde. Her credits also include Dreamgirls, Rent, Caroline, or Change, A Chorus Line, The Good Fight and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
Now, Brown portrays Older Allie in the North American tour of The Notebook. The production comes to Chicago for performances Aug. 4–16 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. The engagement also marks the conclusion of Brown’s yearlong run with the tour.
During our conversation, Brown reflected on her family’s Broadway legacy, the faith that has guided her career, the reality of breaking barriers, her role as Older Allie and the love she has for her son, Elijah.
