Nikki M. James

Originated the role of Nabalungi in the Book of Mormon, for which she won a Tony Award. She recently starred in Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day at the Public Theater. Nikki was born and raised in New Jersey, where she fell in love with the theater at a young age. With the encouragement of her parents, she began her professional career at age 13, appearing in commercials and voice-overs. She attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, earning a BFA in drama. She made her Broadway debut in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," followed by a leading role in "House of Flowers" for City Center's Encores! Series. A fixture in New York theater: she originated the role of Lorraine in the Broadway production of "All Shook Up," performed alongside Phylicia Rashad in Michael John La Chiusa's "Bernarda Alba" at Lincoln Center Theatre, and starred as Dorothy in "The Wiz" at the La Jolla Playhouse (2006 Craig Noel Award). In 2008, Nikki took on classical theater at the world-renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival, where she played Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" and starred opposite Christopher Plummer in Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra." Her other theater credits include the 2014 Broadway Revival of Les Miserables (Eponine), Shakespeare in the Park productions of Julius Caesar (Portia) and Twelfth Night (Viola), Dave Malloy's Preludes, and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Nikki has performed at Carnegie Hall, NJPAC, and The Center for the Performing Arts, among others, and has performed her solo cabaret show on land and sea. She resides in New York City with her husband and is a proud sustaining member of her local public radio station.