It’s not often that a performer bursts onto the New York theatre scene and captures the hearts and attention of the industry so quickly. But Joy Woods has done just that. At 19, Woods made her professional debut as a part of the original revival cast of Off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors. Then, she went on to play Katharine Howard in SIX on Broadway and originate the role of “Middle Allie” in The Notebook musical both in Chicago and on Broadway. Now, at just 24 years old, Woods takes on her biggest role yet: Louise, opposite six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Momma Rose in the eagerly awaited revival of Gypsy at the Majestic Theatre.
Before meeting her, it would be easy to assume that Woods’ personality would mirror her professional success: larger-than-life B.B.E. (big Broadway energy). However, she is calm, gentle—not timid, but grounded. Not an “old soul,” but a young woman still navigating her place in the spotlight. “It’s been a learning experience,” she says happily, “that’s for sure!”
The youngest of six siblings, Woods was raised in Chicago. Her parents surrounded the family with music at an early age. “My mom was a dancer, and we spent a lot of time in church.” Woods’ siblings were musicians whose tastes greatly inspired and influenced her. “I got to inherit my older siblings’ mp3 players, and I just had this constant influx of sound, music, and art. It just became a part of the house and a part of the Woods’ culture.” That culture laid the foundation for her interest in performing.
Woods didn't start formal dance training until middle school, but she was always a dancer—she would teach herself choreography at home. “A lot of my dancing was from watching So You Think You Can Dance online and learning those numbers in my room in front of the mirror,” she explains.
For Woods, she was never bitten by the performance bug, “I just always had the bug,” she says with a soft giggle. “It was just in the blood. You always have it, but it's a thing that you keep to yourself. My family loved movie musicals. We grew up on Veggie Tales. But I thought it was just an interest or a hobby, and not something that you could make a living off of.” But everything changed for Woods after seeing her high school’s production of The Addams Family musical.
Woods joined the drama department for her junior and senior year, performing in productions like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Year With Toad and Frog, and Spamalot. “It was a public school, but it had a big theatre program because a lot of kids…it's Chicago. They're artsy!”
Just two weeks after graduating, Woods moved to New York City to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (also known as AMDA). Then after just a year at the academy, at age 19, Woods got her first professional break and was cast as Chiffon, one of the Urchins, in Little Shop of Horrors, which at the time starred Jonathan Groff, Christian Borle, and Tammy Blanchard.
“I was a kid that had a lot to learn,” she recalls. “I needed to learn how to sing eight times a week. I needed to learn how to take care of myself. I'm still learning how to take care of myself,” she says earnestly. “I had to still grow up at the same time and be in a professional space.” Her education, she says, came from watching her fellow cast mates. “I mean, it was like the Christian Borle school of acting,” she says with a laugh. “I learned a lot about the importance of remaining present and not falling into a routine. The biggest thing was just how to enjoy myself and how to not lose the sense of fun. Which to me means always finding new things to enjoy, and moments on and off stage with the people that I'm with to enjoy.”
Unfortunately, after six months, the production (and all theatre) came to a halt due to the Covid shutdown. But when the show reopened in 2021, Woods saw an opportunity and took it. "I asked about covering Audrey, and they said yes. We were coming back from the shutdown and they needed as many covers as they could get. I didn't know it at the time, but that was a really amazing seed to plant. Just goes to show you to follow your gut and life will reward you for it."
And as Woods continued her run at Little Shop of Horrors, a previous modeling gig suddenly made her the literal poster child for the Broadway production of Chicago (even though she's never been in the show). Suddenly, her face was all over Times Square.
"Yeah, it was just like a random modeling job for Chicago," she says. "It was a few weeks after I booked Little Shop, and I think it was like $200 bucks. We shot for 30 minutes."
Woods explained that the ad agency said the photos would run eventually but with no explanation of where or when. "Then the pandemic happened, and I never saw them, and I completely forgot about them. When we went back to work, I got Covid the second week of rehearsal. While I was in quarantine, I started getting texts and pictures from people saying, 'Your face is on a huge billboard in Times Square!' I had no idea that the pictures were going to remain up for so long and that the photos are still being used. It's hilarious! I was bald and so skinny and baby-faced. It's a nice reminder of youth every time I walk past the Ambassador [Theatre] on 48th street."
After her time at the flower shop, Woods stepped in as a replacement in the hit musical SIX, a role that scared Woods because it was her Broadway debut. “I've never shaken like a leaf like the way I did that night. You would have thought someone was playing flamenco on stage. I was nerve-tapping with those little chunky heels,” she says, recalling her first night as Catherine Parr. The experience, like most of her career up to that point, continued to push Woods as a performer. “Performing as an urchin was much different than being in SIX. I wasn’t just singing harmony, I had my own solo song. The biggest thing I had to learn was owning my presence.”
It’s a skill that, she admits, she is still honing while in rehearsals for Gypsy. She spoke to Playbill before Gypsy began previews. “George [Wolfe, the director] is constantly telling me that I need to work on claiming my space,” she confesses. “I feel like with all the jobs that I've had, I've been put in a situation where I've been given something that I felt completely unready for. And the thing has been proving to myself throughout the process that I was supposed to be there.”
Whether she felt ready or not at the time, Woods continued to push herself into larger and more challenging roles. Her seeds took root. After SIX, Woods was invited to return to Little Shop, but not as Chiffon. This time, they wanted her to be leading lady Audrey. Things got particularly surreal when she found herself filming “Somewhere That’s Green,” with composer Alan Menken on the piano, at his home in upstate New York.
“We did that [filming] in one take, and then they said, ‘Okay, great,’” she says, still shocked from the memory. “I was like, ‘You don't want to, you know, rehearse it or do it more than once? Get a few reps in?’ Which is another reason why the reception of [the video] was so surprising to me. It all felt like gift after gift after gift.”
The reception was unanimous praise. The video went instantly viral, being shared by fans as well as members of the Broadway community. Many commented on Woods's take on the comedic song, where she turned turn it into a heartbreaking "I want" song for a doomed character. One commenter on YouTube said, "The adoration with which Alan [Menken] looks at her is SO deserved - WHAT A STAR." Woods caught the eye of many across Broadway and the industry, leaving many to ask, "I wonder what she does next?"
After Audrey, Woods’ next role saw her, once again, steping into new territory: originating a role. She was cast as “Middle Allie” in the musical adaptation of the blockbuster romance drama, The Notebook. Made popular by Rachel McAdams in the film, Woods' portrayal and vocal abilities once again caught the eyes and ears of Broadway fans in person and online. Much like her video in Little Shop, Woods’ performance of the 11 o’clock number “My Days” took the internet by storm and went viral across social media platforms.
Once again, Woods was praised for the beautiful tenderness she brought to the role, with her full range of vocals on full display. If "Somewhere That's Green" showcased a performer on the rise, "My Days" cemented her undeniable star power. Reflecting on it, Woods admits the sudden rush of internet fame has not been an easy road.
“Listen, I'm 24 and I am a child of the internet. But suddenly, you're the subject of what people are talking about. It's scary,” she says. “It can get very addicting to watch what people say and check in to see if you're being received well.” Woods describes how being too online had the potential to destroy her mental state, but it ended up being another lesson for her. This time, she says, she has learned how to maintain her boundaries and protect her peace. “It's a mixed bag. A really positive mixed bag…But still, mixed nonetheless.”
And now, mere months after she opened The Notebook, Woods is preparing for her latest role, Louise in Gypsy, the timid and often-bullied oldest daughter of Mama Rose who learns how to escape her mother’s control and find her own voice. The last time Gypsy was seen on Broadway, Laura Benanti earned a Tony award for her portrayal as Louise. With such an anticipated revival, and acting opposite Audra McDonald as Rose, the anticipation for Woods' performance is palpable.
She doesn’t deny the parallels between Louise and her own journey—from a young and uncertain performer to a stage star, who's still a little bit wounded. The rehearsal process has left her shaken at times. “The reason I was late to this interview is because we dug a little too deep [in rehearsal]. There’s a little bit too close of a similarity between the two of us,” admits Woods. “The messages that you tell your kids are important. The messages that you sow into them, they will spend their whole lives reaping."
For Woods, this process of self-discovery and claiming one's space is very resonant to her. She sees Louise's arc as a powerful metaphor for the importance of self-belief and the transformative impact of even small acts of encouragement. "[Louise] has to take her life back with her bare hands, grip her nails in, and flip it around for herself. And honestly, all she needed was a little bit of affirmation and a little bit of eyes on her to see herself as worthy to be seen, heard, and loved.”
During the interview, it is clear the intensity of her last rehearsal is still having an impact on her thought process. Woods takes a deep breath and exhales heavily and continues in a cheerful tone. “[Louise] gave herself that permission. She takes her life back, which leads us to the dressing room scene [at the end of the show]. Which leads us to her having enough standing in herself and enough grounding in who she is to be able to extend grace to her mother. And from that…from Louise, I'm learning how to have grace with myself so I can have grace with others.”
As she prepares to return to rehearsals, Woods adds that she is proud of her career thus far. "I think between Audrey, Allie, and Louise, I've had really amazing opportunities to flip a script and show a woman being a woman and also being Black. That the roles that we play don't have to be centered around what we look like. And if it is centered around what we look like, it's just that we're beautiful, or just that we're who we are, that we're smart. It can be about the person rather than what they look like."
And perfectly timed for the holiday season, Woods adds that every opportunity has been a wonderful gift. “I've been given a lot of roles that are young women stepping into their power. And I'm not sure what kind of sign that is from the universe, but I'm grateful."
As the opening night of the sixth revival of Gypsy eagerly creeps closer, Broadway and beyond prepare to witness Woods bring her explosive star power back to the New York stage. And as her budding career continues to blossom and grow, keep your eyes on Woods...you'll have a real good time.
Joy woods
Joy woods
Joy Woods
Joy woods
Joy woods
