Five Questions

Susan Powell trumpets Guys and Dolls, the Broadway values of TUTS & Miss America

Susan Powell (not that one) is a multitalented lady with an enviable resume. She was Miss America in 1981, the host of a television show on the Discovery Channel for nearly a decade, and she boasts a long and impressive list of concert appearances and theater performances to boot.

Powell is currently in town, portraying Sarah Brown in Theatre Under the Stars' production of Guys and Dolls, which runs through Sunday at the Hobby Center. CultureMap spoke with the entertainer about her some all-American past endeavors and where Houston's theater scene rates.

CultureMap: Susan, I understand that you're a Theatre Under the Stars veteran — tell me a bit about your previous TUTS performances, and about your perception of the theater scene here in Houston.

Susan Powell: I actually did Guys and Dolls here, at TUTS, in 1986, and after that I came back to do Cinderella. I did a show at the Miller called Texas Flyer, and then Zorro: The Musical with TUTS. That was a big, big production — really spectacular. I've come back to Houston to do a couple of benefits, too, and it's such a pleasure to be back here.

There's no doubt that Houston is a leader in the arts community in the country. Theatre Under the Stars in particular is a job coveted by my colleagues — the production values there are Broadway production values. The theater itself is beautiful, and it feels amazing to step out onto that gorgeous stage. The arts community here is thriving, and it's inspiring to see, that it's doing well despite the economic woes.

CM: Now, a few days into the performance, how is it going?

SP: It's going really well. It's a beautiful production with a really strong cast. The lighting is great, the set is beautiful, and the costumes are fantastic. It's a big show, but it's a perfect show. It's one of the most perfectly written musicals of all time, and even if there are glitches, the show really works. Guys and Dolls is a classic.

It really set a standard for Broadway theater — it raised the bar for everyone who came after.

CM: How do you keep your voice in shape for a play like this, that lasts two weeks?

SP: You just hope that you don't get sick! Sometimes I get allergies in Houston but this time — knock on wood — that hasn't happened. It's also a question of trying not to accept every social invitation that comes along. You have to really pace yourself. Lots of rest in between.

I also play a trumpet in the show. I was a band geek in high school, and part of my scholarship was that I played in band in college. In the original short stories by Damon Runyon, the Sarah Brown character carries around a trumpet. Normally the actresses playing Sarah Brown have tambourines, but I said, "You know, I play the trumpet . . ."

I think the audiences think that it's the orchestra playing the trumpet during performances, but it's really me.

CM: You were selected as Miss America in 1981, and you also hosted a show on Discovery, Home Matters. How did those other side projects affect your acting?

SP: Miss America was an amazing time and a great opportunity. I got my college paid for — books, room and board, tuition, everything — through that system. It was amazing training ground for what I was going to be doing, and it set me up financially to move to New York and really focus on what I wanted to do — study with some great teachers. For a 21-year-old girl, that's an incredible experience, traveling across the country and to Europe . . . Everything began with music. Music opened up opportunities for me, because I was so passionate about it.

The television show focused on anything to do with home- and personal improvement — cooking, home repair, a lot of do it yourself, one season we focused on fashion, beauty and makeovers, gardening. I had never done that kind of episodic television, and it was very hard work, which a background in theater prepared me for. We only taped three to five months per year.

Once we did that, I was free to do theater all the rest of the year. I really did walk a line in both worlds for a long time.

CM: What have you been doing during your stay in Houston? What else do you plan to do while you're here?

SP: I have family here, so I plan to spend a bit of time with them. We don't have much time off, so I'm mostly just trying to explore some restaurants, spend time with family, shop. I've been running in Memorial Park if I get up really early.

I love being here. I live in New York City, but I'm originally from Oklahoma, and Houston is reminiscent of home. So far it's been so fun. I love spending time with the theater, it's like family. This is a great place to be.

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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