The play, written by Lanie Robertson and directed by Lonny Price, tells the story of the legendary jazz icon’s loves and losses through a turbulent but extraordinary life. Providing the backdrop to these stories are the moving and stirring songs that Holiday is most famous for – “God Bless the Child,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Strange Fruit,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” and “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness.” The production will play at Wyndham’s Theater from June 25 to September 3. The official opening is scheduled for July 5. 

In Shuffle Along, McDonald will take on the role of “Lottie Gee” and Brian Stokes Mitchell will appear in the role of “F.E. Miller.” Billy Porter takes on the role of “Aubrey Lyles,” with Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry as “Eubie Blake” and “Noble Sissle.”

McDonald made Broadway history with a record-setting sixth Tony Award for her perfomance in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. She also has the distinction of being the first person to receive awards in all four acting categories. She has also won Tony’s for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, and Porgy and Bess. We’ll cross our fingers and hope that her performance in the West End production will wow British audiences as much as it did those on Broadway and bring her an Olivier Award.

For tickets and more information about the West End production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill visit here.

BREAKING! @audraequalitymc will take a break from #ShuffleAlong to do @LadyDayWestEnd! #br… https://t.co/ud5ogDQFZn pic.twitter.com/IYpDc6lh1n

— Broadway Black (@BroadwayBlack) January 15, 2016

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Denee Benton, who toured with the Book of Mormon, takes on the role of Natasha in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, playing at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Drama Center.

The musical curates a portion of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” The show is described as an electro-pop opera with book, lyrics and music by David Malloy.

With an immersive quality and lots of risk taking, people all over the U.S. are talking about this show. The show debuted December 6^th to rave reviews and has been collecting accolades ever since.

Benton, who has a long list of credits to her name, is already receiving a lot of buzz for her performance. The young actress is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon and was on Moron’s National and West End tour.

The show runs through Jan. 3^rd 2016.

Look below to see the shows official program. To purchase tickets click here.

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The announcement was made by Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Lorenzo Soria, who knew Washington was the perfect choice given his entire film career. “Washington’s long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera,” he says.

The Cecil B. DeMille Award is given annually to a “talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” The winner is chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors. Washington will be only the third Black recipient of The Cecil B. DeMille Award in its 63-year history, joining Sidney Poitier in 1982 and his Glory co-star, Morgan Freeman in 2012.

Washington holds the record for most Academy Award nominations for a Black actor with six nominations and two wins, one for Best Supporting Actor in Glory, and one for Best Actor in Training Day.  His win in 2001 for Training Day ended an unconscionable 38-year gap between Black actors winning in the Best Actor category.

In 2010, Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Play for his role in August Wilson’s Fences alongside Tony Award winner Viola Davis. He was last seen on Broadway in the 2014 revival of A Raisin In The Sun also starring LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Sophie Okonedo, and Anika Noni Rose.

More recently, Denzel has been putting a hand in the directing/producing field. As Broadway Black previously reported, Washington closed a deal with HBO where he will direct and produce film adaptations of the August Wilson cycle, one a year for the next nine years. The first will be Fences which he will star in alongside former co-star Viola Davis.

The 2016 Golden Globes airs live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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The premiere cruise line announced in January that they would be bringing the jazz-filled spectacle to their newest ship, the 4,200 passenger Norwegian Escape. Playing weekly in the vessels’ 800-seat Escape Theater, the Broadway experience is just one of many notable features of the ship.

Since Braxton’s Broadway debut, just a year out of high school, the Diva (as I like to call her) has appeared in Dreamgirls, Jelly’s Last Jam, and Cats. She’s become a frequent favorite of the long-running Fosse hit Chicago and in 1995 she earned a Tony Award nomination for her famous portrayal in Smokey Joe’s Cafe. In addition to her work on TV shows “Smash” and “Nurse Jackie,” the Golden Girl also recently launched “ACT 2…Now What?,” a “series of seminars and workshops for women over 50 looking to make the Act 2 of their lives spectacular on their own terms.”

After Midnight opened in the fall of 2013 and despite its short run, was a critical success from the start. Earning seven Tony Award nominations, the City Center transfer welcomed the stunning artistry of musical greats including Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Vanessa Williams, and Fantasia Barrino.

“Refracted through a contemporary lens, After Midnight celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis. The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway.”

Conceived by Producer Jack Viertel, the 90-minute musical will be re-created on board the Escape by its original director/choreographer, Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, and will feature the look and feel of its original design team, including Isabel Toledo’s costumes and John Lee Beatty’s set. The Norwegian Escape will take its maiden voyage on Nov. 9.

AfterMidnight from Norwegian Creative Studios on Vimeo.

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Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, producer Jeffrey Seller, The Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin, NYC Department of Education Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Gilder Lehrman Executive Director Lesley Herrmann announced an educational partnership that would provide 20,000 NYC public school students with the opportunity to see Hamilton on Broadway and integrate the show into their classroom studies. All of this is made possible through a $1.46 million grant by The Rockefeller Foundation.

This endeavor has been something near and dear to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s heart, as he has been asked by many fans on Twitter and at the stage door how Hamilton can be accessed by more students because it’s frequently sold-out and tickets are expensive. Seller agreed to sell the tickets for $70 each; the foundation will pay $60 toward each ticket and students will be charged $10. The logic behind this idea was having students pay a nominal admission fee would encourage them to take financial responsibility seriously.

Miranda added that, “It is a dream come true to have a program like this exist in connection to Hamilton. I can’t wait to perform for a theater full of students who are learning about our Founding Fathers in class and seeing how it still relates to their own lives on stage. They will see Hamilton’s story, and I’m hopeful that the stories will inspire in them; it will change our lives in ways we can’t even anticipate.”

Seller said that about 17,000 students would attend student-only Wednesday matinees starting April 13, 2016, supplemented by educational programming and meetings with cast members at the theater. Another 3,000 would join regular ticket-buyers at other Wednesday matinees, with the educational component presented back in their classrooms. The educational component will include an interactive website for students and teachers, and printed classroom materials will offer students a creative platform for developing and sharing their original ideas in response to what they’ve seen. The first group of participating high schools will be selected by the New York City Department of Education and will include schools across the five boroughs with large numbers of students eligible for free/reduced lunch.

I cannot stress the importance of something like this. As a teacher who sees first-hand how students easily distance themselves from something that doesn’t “fit” them or relate, an experience like Hamilton has the possibility to bring together both a newfound respect for history as well as theatre and the arts. Who knows, it may inspire some students to go out there and change the world.

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Aladdin will begin previews at the Prince Edward Theatre on May 27, 2016 and open on June 9. So, far no other cast members have been announced.

Nicholas began his career in high school and while attending West Virginia University. He’s appeared in several regional musical theatre productions, including The Wizard of Oz, Ragtime, and Rent. He’s also no stranger to Disney-produced theatre, having performed at Walt Disney World in Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical. Nationally, Nicholas performed in Big River as “Jim.”

In addition to his stage career, Nicholas is also a singer, musician and songwriter who’s appeared with the bands Fake Eddie, The Ascension, and Modern Mutiny, who are currently awaiting the release of their debut album.

Aladdin opened on Broadway in March 2014 and more than one million people have seen the Disney show so far. The musical, based on the 1992 animated film, received five Tony nominations in its opening year. James Monroe Iglehart won the Tony award for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical, for his performance as “Genie.”

Currently, there’s a Japanese version of the musical running in Tokyo and the European premiere is set for December in Hamburg. After the London opening, the production is set to open in August at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia.

Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and composed by Alan Menken. It features lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, with book and additional lyrics by Chad Beguelin.

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The star-studded lineup for the evening’s special musical tribute was inspired by Peters’ extensive career in theatre, film and television. They include hosts Michael Douglas and Gloria Estefan; a plethora of Peters’ male co-stars, including Joel Grey (George M!), Norm Lewis (A Bed A Chair), Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun), Chip Zien (Into The Woods), John Dossett (Gypsy) and Ron Raines (Follies); actors Andrew Rannells, Debra Monk, Tammy Blanchard, Mara Davi and Jayne Houdyshell and a special tribute given by members of the original cast of Dames at Sea.

Funds raised by The Drama League Centennial Gala Honoring Bernadette Peters will support The Drama League’s educational initiatives for promising young artists, including the award-winning Directors Project. The award-winning initiative, which began in 1982, has launched the careers of Tony Award winners Sam Gold (Fun Home), Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland), Pam MacKinnon (China Doll), Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), and John Rando (On The Town); Tony Award nominees Mark Brokaw (Cinderella), Moritz von Steulpnagel (Hand to God) and Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson);  and OBIE and Emmy Award winners Rachel Chavkin, Lear deBessonet, R.J. Cutler, and Anne Kaufmann, to name a few.

VIP and Ballroom seats are now available, with a limited number of seats open to the General Public. For more information, call (212) 244-9494 or visit the website at www.dramaleague.org.

The Drama League of New York, since 1916, has been at the “forefront of the American Theatre community, providing talent, audiences, and prosperous support. It is one of the nation’s oldest continuously-operating, not-for-profit arts advocacy and education organizations. Through its programs, initiatives and events, The Drama League serves over 3,000 artists and 15,000 audience members each season with over 150 events and programs.”

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The Tony Awards, which honors theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS every year since 1978. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

This year, however, the Tonys are looking for a new place to reside. Just a few years after the awards show was welcomed back to Radio City Music Hall in 2013, Tony officials have been told that the famed theater, that can hold up to roughly 6,015 spectators, will probably be unavailable next year for the 70th Annual Tony Awards.

According to the New York Times, the show could be bounced back uptown, to the much smaller Beacon Theater. The Beacon holds about 2,900 spectators and has less space for sets and crews, almost three times less than Radio City Musical Hall. But there are also upsides to having a smaller space. Most tend to think the intimate space is more true to the scale of an actual Broadway theater.

Two other important aspects of the 2016 Tonys  have also been announced:

• The official eligibility cut-off date will be Tuesday, April 26, 2016, for all Broadway productions opening in the 2015-2016 season. Productions that meet all other eligibility requirements and open on or before the eligibility date are considered eligible for 2016 Tony Award nominations.
• The Nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards will be announced live on Friday, April 29^th from New York City.

Wherever the Tonys end up we are sure it will be a grand ol’ time, filled with amazing performances,  heartfelt speeches and DIVERSITY in the nominations.

The post The Tony Awards Set A Date & They’re Looking For A New Home appeared first on Broadway Black.

It’s no secret that the hit musical Hamilton was inspired by the 1969 Tony-winning musical 1776, he quotes the musical in his hit show, but when it comes to casting the roles have been reversed. In a posted audition notice for the upcoming 2016 Encores concert series, 1776 has specific casting notices citing that “this will be a completely multi-ethnic production.”

The show originally premiered on Broadway in 1969 with an all-white cast, led by William Daniels reflecting the actual ethnic makeup of the “Founding Fathers.” Hamilton did something extraordinary with their take on the founding fathers by choosing to cast primarily actors of color to bring forth this history for modern audiences. Because unlike 1776, in 2015 we’re experiencing diversity like we’ve never seen before. Why can’t our Broadway shows reflect that? And so far it’s working for Hamilton, as it’s easily the hottest new musical of the season.

In the Encores! season announcement, Jack Viertel, Encores! Artistic Director, said in a statement, “1776 is a show we’ve long contemplated doing, but wanted to wait a sufficient amount of time after its successful 1997 revival. This season, with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton opening on Broadway and dealing with many of the same story elements in a completely different way, we felt it would be an especially enjoyable moment to look at this wonderful show. It may also start a few conversations, which, in the theatre, we always hope to do.”

This new Encores! 1776, which will be directed by Garry Hynes, and music directed by Rob Berman is ready to follow suit with their own multi-ethnic casting. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin March 16, 2016 with previews starting March 30 and opening night set for April 3 at the City Center in New York City.

1776 is set in the halls of Congress, as the founding fathers battle out the question of independence and draft the declaration that will sever their ties to England and give birth to a new nation. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their cohorts argue and grandstand through speeches and songs such as “Sit Down, John,” “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” and “He Plays the Violin.” 1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone.

So what do you guys think? Anybody else excited like I am? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Encores 1776 Takes A Cue From Hamilton With Diverse Casting appeared first on Broadway Black.

The production of Bootycandy at the Intiman Theatre Festival in Seattle will be the first time the play will not be directed by writer Robert O’Hara — a fact Oyetimein does not take lightly. This play explores one man’s experience of growing up Black and gay in America, a story not often told in mainstream theater. Oyetimein feels, “It’s beyond time for us to start seeing the world through more than just the white gaze. Pushing people out of their comfort zone and forcing them to ‘step into someone else’s shoes’ is necessary and exciting!!” It is this type of commitment to expand the mindset of not only theater audiences, but society as a whole, that is crucial for the growth and healing of this nation.

The second work, Kia Corthron’s Force Continuum, is a somewhat different glimpse into the world of police brutality by focusing on the conflicts of a black cop at a crossroads of identity and allegiance. Oyetimein strongly believes that, “This play is more than just controversial or timely. To me, it is essential…This play was written 15 years ago and monologues from it will have audiences wondering if it was ripped from the headlines this year.” While still in the pre-production phase, it is important to Oyetimein that this play is seen and received as the call to action that it is. This work is a clear artistic representation of the genocidal war waged against Americans of color. Helping to make these type of theatrical pieces is Oyetimein’s battleground.

While it is despicable that this fight is still very necessary, it is good to know that artistic warriors, or “Artivists” as she says, like Malika Oyetimein are dedicated to using their skills to change the world. When asked how she believes the arts, especially theater, can be used in activism, Oyetimein writes, “In this life, we have to seize every opportunity to speak about the things that matter. We have to speak. We must use our voice. My voice is my art.”

Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara and directed by Malika Oyetimein will run September 17- October 3 at the Intiman Theatre Festival in the Cornish Playhouse Studio at Seattle Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.intiman.org

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