From Ballerina to Broadway: Misty Copeland Is Set to Star in "On the Town"

Misty Copeland isn't content with taking just the ballet world by storm. Time reports (opens in new tab) that Copeland is about to star in On the Town on Broadway for a limited run.

She'll play Ivy, the female lead, who falls in love with one of the sailors who visit New York for a day. The role was originally played by a Japanese-American ballerina, so racial diversity has always been a priority in the show, which debuted in 1944. Copeland will hit the stage from August 25 to September 6. She'll be following Megan Fairchild, a principal dancer with the New York Ballet.

"I was contacted by them and they actually wanted me to go in pretty quickly, and it was all just, 'Oh my gosh, this is not something I ever thought I would do,'" Copeland told Time. "If I'm going to be part of a Broadway show, I think this is the one."

The role comes just a week after Copeland was named principal dancer (opens in new tab) at the American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first African-American in the company's 75-year history to have the title. With On the Town comes a new challenge: singing. According to the New York Times (opens in new tab), Ivy takes singing lessons during the show, and Copeland has never had to sing in public before. But given her track record, it should be no problem at all.