{"id":380219,"date":"2026-07-20T23:22:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T23:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/380219\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T23:22:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T23:22:07","slug":"powerhouse-performer-christina-wells-now-in-a-wheelchair-is-still-lighting-up-houston-stages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/380219\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerhouse performer Christina Wells, now in a wheelchair, is still lighting up Houston stages"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013 Singer and actress Christina Wells<\/a> first burst onto the national stage nearly a decade ago when she showcased her larger-than-life voice on America\u2019s Got Talent. Since then, the Houston-based mom and grandma has appeared in dozens of productions in the Houston area, including her critically acclaimed portrayal of Ursula, the evil sea witch, in Theatre Under the Stars\u2019 production of \u2018The Little Mermaid.\u2019<\/a> She also toured with the Broadway National Tour of \u2018Chicago,\u2019 bringing the role of the bawdy and sassy Matron Mama Morton to life. <\/p>\n

Now, as Christina is set to reprise the role of Ursula, she now relies on a wheelchair to help her navigate recent health struggles. In late June, the actress took to social media to update fans and explain that after Memorial Day she had suddenly fallen ill, suffering from extreme pain from torn muscles in her hip and leg, on top of existing complications from multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could not sit or stand at all,\u201d said Wells, fighting back tears. <\/p>\n

Along with the intense physical pain, which Christina describes as the worst pain she\u2019s ever experienced, she was also facing a frustrating situation: many of her upcoming gigs would have to be canceled or postponed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just saw it all going down the drain,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But many producers are happy to make accommodations to ensure Christina and her wheelchair can seamlessly fit into their shows. Theatre Under the Stars Artistic Director Dan Knechtgnes<\/a> assured Christina his organization would do whatever it takes to ensure Christina is able to appear as Ursula this December. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe said to me, \u2018Christina, we are a thousand percent committed to you as Ursula,\u201d noting that Mr. Knechtges and the TUTS team are already working on a technical plan to reimagine the way Christina will magically move about the stage.<\/p>\n

After a long hospitalization and intense rehab, Christina is continuing to make progress, finally able to sit and even stand for short periods, though she\u2019ll likely be in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future. She\u2019s also starring in the current production of \u2018Hairspray\u2019 at Art Park Players in Deer Park, \u2018Follies\u2019 at Doc\u2019s Jazz Club on July 28th, and \u2018Jesus Christ Superstar\u2019 at the Deluxe Theatre in August. <\/p>\n

Watch the full interview with Houston Life\u2019s Derrick Shore<\/a> to find out why this temporary health setback has been filled with uplifting moments, silver linings, and the determination to move forward.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 Singer and actress Christina Wells first burst onto the national stage nearly a decade ago when…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[134332,134324,134331,23840,134334,134327,56,134330,58,57,134326,25588,134329,134325,134335,15162,134333,134328,134336],"class_list":["post-380219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-americas-got-talent-alum","tag-broadway-national-tour-chicago","tag-broadway-tour-chicago","tag-christina-wells","tag-disability-in-performing-arts","tag-disabled-artists","tag-houston","tag-houston-actress","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-houston-performances","tag-houston-theater","tag-inclusive-casting","tag-musical-theater-houston","tag-the-little-mermaid-houston","tag-theatre-under-the-stars","tag-ursula-musical","tag-ursula-theatre-under-the-stars","tag-wheelchair-performer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}