Aisha Jackson: CENTER STAGE – making The Notebook’s Middle Allie her own

Aisha Jackson’s innate ability to tell a story rings true in our conversation.

Jackson brings a vibrant authenticity to every character she embodies, from covering six roles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical  and now, to the timeless romance of The Notebook on Broadway. Stepping into the role of Middle Allie in this Tony-nominated musical, Jackson weaves her own story of resilience, creativity, and growth. The Atlanta native sat down with Black Girls Do Theater’s Tiara Starks to reflect on her journey from her Broadway debut as a swing in Beautiful, a role that would teach her both the stamina and grace required to navigate the stage’s most demanding roles, to now leading a cast in The Notebook as Middle Allie.

Photo by  Marc J Franklin

Tiara Starks: You talk openly about having limited resources when you were starting your professional career. I know you got your first Broadway role in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as a swing, so I’d love for you to take me back to the beginning of your career in that role, which only a few performers can truly handle.

Aisha Jackson: I came with very little money, but I had a college professor who told us, as we were preparing to graduate, that we needed to make a business plan and budget for moving to New York. One of his nuggets of wisdom was, "You can go home and save up money, or you can move to New York and be broke." I thought, "Oh, I prefer the second option." It made sense because, depending on your situation and background, you might have less when starting out than once you’re established. I liked the idea of taking a leap of faith. I like to say that I moved to New York with five bags and a lot of faith, because that’s all I had. However, I had a community here in New York; my mother is from New York.

I thought, "Just take the leap." So I did, and it worked out well. My cousin worked at Capezio and got me a job there. I had an agent from a showcase. I auditioned and got my first job at the American Repertory Theater, which earned me my Equity card. That set me on my way. I even got written up at work because I had to go to a callback. Those steps eventually led me to auditioning for Beautiful.

Then, after my final callback, they called and said, "So it's a no for the tour, but we wanted to know if she might want to swing on Broadway in the meantime." I went in thinking I would be covering four roles, and then they said, "Oh, no. There was a miscommunication; it's actually six." I have really good friends who have been swings, so they gave me their tips on how to do it. We talk about ‘understudying’ in college, but we don’t really discuss swinging. For me, it was the best entry point because it taught me to have respect, kindness, and thoughtfulness toward our swings, standbys, and covers because they do a lot. Being responsible for six different roles at any moment is anxiety-inducing, to say the least. But it was beautiful. Since I came in after the show was already established, I had all the information handed to me. It was just like, "Here you go."

I was able to take that information and digest it to create my [show] bible and make my little flashcards to keep off to the side of the stage when I was on, just in case I got confused about a cue or where I was supposed to go next. It was a great entry point for me. I knew the first role I was going on for, so we prepared for that first, and I made my Broadway debut with Janelle singing "One Fine Day." After that, we learned the rest of the roles, and I ended up going on for five out of the six characters during my time there. I was only there for nine months, and I call it my beautiful baby. It taught me a lot—it taught me my capacity to retain information and how to remain calm in circumstances where I’d be told, "You’re on."

I remember one night, I was in the back of the house reviewing the show because I was supposed to go on the following week. The girl I was watching was sick, and they came and grabbed me from the back of the audience and said, "You're on." I ran downstairs, thinking, "Everyone stay calm; it’s cool. We have a little time before she makes her entrance." I got dressed, and then, 15 minutes later, I was up there just bopping along with the Shirelles, looking at the seat I had just occupied in the audience, thinking, "You all don’t even know I was just sitting with you."

T: You were the first Black Anna in Frozen, and then you played Snow White in Once Upon a One More Time. Those are two different shows but [you played] very beloved characters. How [did you bring] those characters to life in your own voice?

Photo by Deen van Meer

AJ: I felt very comfortable stepping into those characters because the team affirmed and encouraged me to make them my own. That created a beautiful space and foundation to build upon. For me, it’s really important to show our little chocolate drops that they can be princesses too, or whatever they want to be. It was very special for me to embody these characters while also adding a bit of melanin, so that my chocolate drops could see themselves fully represented on stage. I think it’s crucial for kids, especially, to see themselves in different roles they might one day aspire to fill. It was very rewarding, though challenging at times, because there are always people who say, “What? Anna is Black?” I’m like, “Well, that’s a talking snowman. You can suspend your disbelief for that, but not for me being chocolate? Okay, that’s crazy.” To those people, I say, “God bless you. I hope when you leave this theater, you have a different perspective.” Some people even message me afterward and say, “Wow, I walked in closed-minded and I left thinking, "Oh, yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that." I was glad that you had that experience. It was more about the little girls who would say, "Mommy, she looks like me," when I walked out on stage, or the expressions I’d see on the faces of different girls of color at the stage door, just saying, "Oh my God, you played Anna! I love Anna, and you’re her." Those are the eyes and the minds I sought to inspire and think about whenever I went on. I thought, "I’m not doing this for myself; I’m doing it for them." I wanted someone to see themselves in this role, young and old alike. I would have older women come up to me saying, "Oh my God, girl, you touched me." I believe we can all benefit from seeing ourselves in different roles more.

How has being part of the show served as a stepping stone in your artistry? Has it challenged you in any way? The musical comes in addition to the franchise, so there’s the book and the film, which means people have preconceived notions about what it will be. What was your entry point into The Notebook?

AJ: I definitely saw the film. I loved it because I'm a sap. "Oh, the letters! She didn’t get the letters." I remember crying while watching it and appreciating the fact that they end up together at the end. As for saying yes to The Notebook [musical], it was an easy decision. I auditioned for it two years ago, so it feels like a full-circle moment that it came back around. I'm a firm believer that what is meant for you will not pass you by, and what passes you by isn’t for you—maybe just not for you at the moment.

Two years ago, I had a final callback with them, along with the whole team, and it was me, Joy, and a few other beautiful Black women. Joy ended up getting the role, and I thought, "Bet, we’re still winning because we’re up there." I was very supportive of her; she has done beautiful work with this character. When I don’t get roles, I like to think, "Well, that’s somebody else’s blessing."

When they called to ask if I was interested in finishing out the run, I said, "Sure!" All the hard work had been done, and the show was established. Building a new musical can be very difficult, so I thought, "Well, Joy has done all the work; I just get to come in and make it my own, recreate it, and reimagine it." I considered that an exciting opportunity. Then, when they confirmed, "Yes, we would love for it to be her," I thought, "Wow, that’s cool. I’m excited to take on the role."

Photo by Bernardo Flores

It [the characters] challenges me to be vulnerable. It’s heartbreaking at times, but we see Allie going on a journey of figuring out who she is and choosing herself. It’s really not about choosing the rich guy; it’s about choosing what she actually wants. Throughout her life, she’s always made choices to please her parents or society’s expectations of what a woman should do.I feel like somewhere along the way, she [Allie] lost her passion for what she actually wanted in life. I think the resurgence of Noah and her love for him reminds her of her youth and her passions. It brings her to life in a way, and it forces her to revisit the choices she’s made and ask herself, "Is this my choice, or am I doing this for somebody else?" I think it takes an extreme level of vulnerability to confront those questions and those moments and emotions.

T: There’s a myriad of songs that Middle Allie performs. Which songs make the eight-show-a-week schedule worth it? Is there a specific one that you’re particularly excited to perform on stage?

AJ: Well, the obvious choice is "My Days." Everyone is very excited about that, and I’m equally excited to dive into it. Whenever I sing, I like to make things my own, and my dad often says, "Oh, yeah, you 'Ish'd' it. You 'Ish’d' them. You got it." So I’m excited to delve into "My Days." The lyrics are so rich, and they tell such a beautiful story on their own. Accompanied by the beautiful music and melodies that Ingrid [Michaelson] has created, I feel like it’s a nice piece of meat to sink my teeth into. I also really love "I Want to Go Back." I think that song beautifully captures the younger and Middle Allie as the mind and the voice of the Older Allie. It’s just so lovely. It sounds almost like a worship song to me, so I practice it at home in a different way—it’s a little "churchified." The essence of the lyrics, the melodies, and everything they’ve written is beautiful. They really thought through how to tell this story in the best way. It's exciting to be able to bite into these new pieces of theater history and music and make it mine. 

My family calls me Isha. So whenever I send them something, they say, "Oh, you 'Ish'd' it. That's good. You made it yours." It’s just a way of putting your spin on it.

T: What type of role are you interested in performing in the future, whether on stage or on camera? 

AJ: I definitely want to dive more into TV and film. I’ve done some voiceover work and a few different spots on various shows, but I would love to explore that world more.

As far as the theater world and Black performers specifically, I want us to be able to express joy on stage. The stories we tell should reflect the joy we also experience. While I know that conflict is important for storytelling, we have so many narratives focused on our trauma.

I would love to see more stories about our joy.

We don’t often see two melanated people falling in love —I also want to see us falling in love with one another in leading roles.

Photo by Bernardo Flores

T: How do you envision a future for Broadway regarding Black performers?

AJ: I like to say it’s bright because we are here, and there are so many change-makers present who won’t allow it to continue in ways that haven’t been great in the past.

I’m a firm believer that you have to be the change you wish to see. Since I’m here, I will do as much as I can to positively impact the industry. I want to see more of us on stage, but I also want to see more of us behind the scenes. We need more women, more women of color, and more men of color in roles like directing, choreographing, wig designing, costume designing, sound designing, and even in front-of-house positions like ushers and crew. Sometimes we get stuck on the idea that we need more diversity on stage, but we also need more diversity in the stories being told.

We don’t want to be placed in environments or stories that haven’t been built for people of color. We need more narratives that are for us and by us. We need more producers of color, because the impact of representation is felt from the top down. My experiences working with Black storytellers, Black wig designers, and so on have shown me how important this is. It's a completely different experience sometimes.

I'm not saying you can't have a similar experience with people of other races and ethnicities, but it's just so different to see someone who looks like you and might even have the same hair. We discuss wig prep and other details differently because that person shares that experience. We need more of that everywhere so everyone can see themselves represented on stage and off. There are specific aspects of our cultures and races that others might not fully understand.

Having someone in the space who looks like you or gets it takes the weight off and makes you feel seen, understood, and represented.

Everyone deserves that in life and work.

CURTAIN CALL CONFESSIONS

Song on Repeat: I love Masego. Anything by him—I'm like, repeat, repeat, repeat all the time.

What's your favorite post-show treat or meal?: I love a cookie from Levain [Bakery] with a little scoop of ice cream. I usually go for the chocolate chip walnut with a scoop of vanilla.

What’s a pet peeve that would surprise people?: Oh my God. I don’t like when my friends DM me on Instagram. If you want to respond to a story, that’s fine. But when friends who have my number say, “So how’s life? How are you doing?” I’m like, “Uh-uh. Get out of my DMs! You have my number; text me!” It’s funny because some people say, “Girl, I was just talking to you about this,” and I get it, but you’re my friend, so text me!

As a singer, do you have a tea order, or are you a coffee person? I know some performers are anti-coffee: I try not to drink too much coffee because it can dry out the voice. But I love a caramel latte, extra caramel. And for tea, I usually go for ginger lemon tea. It’s not actually tea; it’s a mix of warm juices—like apple juice, lemon, cayenne pepper, agave, and ginger. That’s my go-to. It soothes my soul, loosens up mucus, and gets me right.

Would you rather have a million dollars or have dinner with Jay-Z?: Yeah, I’ll take the milli. I love you, Jay-Z. I’m sure I’ll meet you at some point in life, but I’ll take the milli!