Updated June 2, 2026 at 12:02 PM MST
André De Shields spent half a century on Broadway before winning his first Tony Award at the age of 73.
"Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be," he said in his 2019 acceptance speech.
Years later, De Shields said many people conflate the meaning.
"Most people misunderstand that and say 'Slowly is the quickest way to get to where you want to go,'" De Shields told Morning Edition. "That is not what I said, and it's certainly not what I meant. I remember when fast meant dependable, meant secure. That's what I'm talking about."
Now, at 80, De Shields is nominated for another Tony, this time for his role as Old Deuteronomy, a character from CATS: The Jellicle Ball.
T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats describes Old Deuteronomy as a cat who has lived many lives. De Shields says he relates to the character in this ballroom-inspired adaptation of Eliot's work.
"On January 12th, 2026, I reached 80 years," De Shields said. "I embrace that in terms of the Biblical Scriptures in which it is explained that the life of man would be reduced from never death to threescore and ten. That's 70 years. Any years an individual lives beyond that is a blessing, is a gift, and must be lived in grace. I think it's perfection that on my 80th birthday I would start rehearsing for CATS: The Jellicle Ball."
De Shields described the show as "the revolution of the first quarter of the 21st century" that a person must come to experience. He said the musical illustrates the replacement of competition, bitterness and intolerance with love.
"The paradigm is begging to be received, embraced. And we are very close to passing through that threshold," De Shields said. "This is 2026 and most blatantly illustrated in CATS: the Jellicle Ball is the change that we all have been waiting for."
In this revival, no one is dressed as a cat. The performers vogue and strut down the catwalk, competing in the queer ballroom scene. Old Deuteronomy is the leader of the Jellicles, who are competing for rebirth.
De Shields got his start on Broadway in 1973. He said his journey has been crafted by karma.
"There were moments when I deeply wondered, 'Why not me?'" De Shields said. "And then I learned another immutable truth. And that is one must not pursue blessings upon which one's name has not been engraved."
His routine is discipline.
"My mission is threefold: the first fold of which is to return Black Elegance to the Black Thespians' toolbox," De Shields said. "The second part of that mission is to advocate for the senior citizen who wants to continue to be active as an artist. And the third is for those of us who have been forced but blessed to survive HIV for more than 40 years."
Diagnosed in 1991, De Shields has lived with the disease for decades. He has lost many people in his life, including his partner of 17 years, who died of AIDS.
De Shields said he believes people must not live with the idea that life is short. He wakes up every morning and says "thank you." He said he isn't thanking a god or the universe, but rather the cosmos.
"Too many of our species take for granted that we are somehow the paragon of animals," he said. "We have to restore the ancient and intended relationship that we have with the cosmos. And that is the universe is only exclusively generous and we have to be grateful in return."
The radio version of this story was edited by Adriana Gallardo. It was edited for digital by Majd Al-Waheidi.
Copyright 2026 NPR
