Luckily for me and you, we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy the Mykal experience. He’s performing at the Apollo Theater on Friday, February 5 at 10pm, as part of  The Apollo Music Café series. 

Kilgore was recently seen on NBC’s broadcast of The Wiz Live! But he stole my heart with his rendition of “Crush on You” by Lyons & Pakchar. He snatched my edges with the Broadway Black exclusive video of “Defying Gravity.” He slayed me with his rendition of “My Heart Will Go On. And brought me back to life in The First Noel at The Classical Theatre of Harlem. On the stage, Kilgore has been seen in Hair, Motown the Musical, The Book of Mormon, and Marley. 

All extraness aside, Kilgore has surpassed someone to take notice of, he’s here. Living his best life.

Mykal Kilgore is originally from Florida and grew up in the church as one of nine children. His gospel roots are evident in his sound, which successfully combines a touch of gospel, soul and doo-wop. He attended Florida State University where he fell in love with theatre. Currently, Kilgore has been making waves with his work with Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern JukeBox, a rotating group of musicians producing covers of pop songs in jazz, ragtime, and swing styles. The group takes modern pop songs from artists like Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion and Lordes and reworks them into amazing vintage jazz and pop renditions. Be on the look out for his solo album coming later in 2016.

The Apollo Music Cafe Series is designed “to bring independent, cutting-edge artists to a forward-thinking audience.” This event was Curated by Dwight Jordan and will feature DJ Hard Hittin’ Harry. Get tickets HERE.

Take a look at what happened the last time Mykal was in concert below. We were there!

The post Mykal Kilgore Brings Life To The Apollo Theater’s Music Cafe appeared first on Broadway Black.

The play reconnects fraternal twins Bryant and James Walker with their ailing Uncle Cecil. While in Somewhere, Mississippi, they must not only deal with the death of their uncle, but the increasing mental instability of their suicidal cousin and a devastating family secret.

“It’s always death that brings about change in the world,” is a statement from the play’s patriarch. His dying sets in motion events that will forever change the family members’ worlds. When We Wake Up Dead is described as “an exploration of grief, mental illness and the fragility of familiar bonds.”

The MainStage production, again directed by Christopher Burris, will run for six performances in The New Workshop Theatre. Tickets for When We Wake Up Dead can be purchased HERE. Student and senior discounts are available.

The New York native and graduate of Brooklyn College’s MFA Playwriting program also teamed with Burris on his short play The Mud Is Thicker In Mississippi, which won the 2010 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, and The Special Technique of Shadowboxing at National Black Theatre.

Allen’s maxim hails from Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation.” Allen’s destiny has led his plays to being produced and/or developed by Sanctuary NYC, Variations Theatre Group, The Bowery Poetry Club (Sticky), JACK and Liberation Theatre.

He is a recipient of Atlantic Theater Company’s inaugural 2014-2015 Launch Commission and the Himan Brown Creative Writing Award for 2012 and 2013. In 2013, Allen was a featured playwright at The Fire This Time Festival (MOTHER) and Harlem9’s 48 hours in Harlem (Where the Sun Don’t Shine). His collaborative work includes the  Schomburg Junior Scholars theatrical reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: Six Playwrights, Six Testaments during 2014, as well as The American Slavery Project’s 2012 “Unheard Voices.”

Alongside Nambi E. Kelley, Allen has been selected for National Black Theatre’s 2015-2016 I AM SOUL Playwright Residency. The playwrights each will develop a new play during their residency, culminating in a workshop production during NBT’s 48th season. Invited to the Jan. 26-31 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Allen participated in the national panel discussion on “Diversity, Casting and Responsible Artistic Practice”.

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Stop / The madness / Freeze frame / Take a good look at this picture

Three-time Emmy Award-winning choreographer/director extraordinaire Debbie Allen wants those who witness her Freeze Frame production to consider where they fit into the picture on gun violence in America. Written, directed and choreographed by Allen, the U.S. premiere event is described as a live experience and call to action. Stories of the passion and pain of Los Angeles’ toughest streets are set amid a dance-driven musical along with cinema and theatre.

Public performances are Feb. 5-7, at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. The production run kicks off with a gala performance Feb. 4, presented by Allen and award-winning journalist Maria Shriver. Shriver’s Architects of Change initiative will ignite and reframe the conversation about America’a relationship with violence – a conversation that starts with self and ultimately one that can begin to change the country, according to Shriver.

According to Allen, the Freeze Frame project – which began as a film – was conceived when she was part of the film and television installments of Fame during the 1980s. She was upset about the violence in her community and wanted to use her art to do something about addressing the issue.

In a television news interview, Allen said the project’s title demands and asks: “Stop. Look at this picture. Where do you fit into this picture? How can you change what’s getting ready to happen?” The premise of the show pits an innocent young child against circumstance, as he is in danger of being shot by the police. Inspired by real-life narratives, Allen explained Freeze Frame provides a voice to young people, the police and pro- and anti-gun activists alike.

In January, The White House under President Obama’s Administration ordered executive actions to reduce gun violence and make communities safer. The Office of the Press Secretary released:

Over the past decade in America, more than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence – and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies, and other crimes involving a gun. Many of these crimes were committed by people who never should have been able to purchase a gun in the first place. Over the same period, hundreds of thousands of other people in our communities committed suicide with a gun and nearly half a million people suffered other gun injuries. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have been shot to death protecting their communities. And too many children are killed or injured by firearms every year, often by accident.

Allen considers Freeze Frame – which had its world premiere at the Brisbane Festival in Australia in 2013 – as one of her most important works. The founder of Debbie Allen Dance Academy and sister to Tony winner Phylicia Rashad has been an artist in residence at the Kennedy Center for more than 15 years. In addition to directing for Broadway (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Carrie), Allen has contributed her expertise to: Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, Empire, A Different World, Everybody Hates Chris, That’s So Raven, Stompin’ At The Savoy, and The Fantasia Barrino Story.

Featuring artists from Allen’s dance academy alongside seasoned performers, proceeds will benefit the renowned academy. Shows are 8pm Friday and Saturday, with 3pm and 12 noon matinees on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The production contains strong language. Purchase tickets HERE.

Join the conversation at #FreezeFrameLA.

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Vereen is currently touring the show with stops throughout the United States, Europe, and Abu Dhabi. Stepping Out is billed as “a unique blend of artistry, combining a tribute to Broadway, Frank Sinatra, and a very special tribute to Sammy Davis Jr.” During the performance, audiences are treated to classics such as  “Defying Gravity,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “For Good” from Wicked and “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries.”

Vereen first performed the show at 54 Below in 2012 to rave reviews. Stephen Holden of the N.Y. Times commented that Vereen is “an old-school song and dance man who never lets up. He wins you over with his sheer energy, good will and showbiz know-how. The excitement he generates is what matters.”

Ben Vereen’s Performs at 54 Below in 2012

Vereen won a Tony and Drama Desk Award winner for his show-stopping performance in Bob Fosse’s Pippin. He also was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar. His other Broadway credits include Wicked, I’m Not Rappaport, Chicago, Hair, Fosse, Jelly’s Last Jam, and A Christmas Carol.

Vereen’s television guest appearances include How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy (for which he won the Prism Award), Hot in Cleveland, NCIS, House of Payne, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, OZ, Star Trek – The Next Generation, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

All performances begin at 7:00pm and doors open at 5:15pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

The post Ben Vereen Returns to Feinstein’s/54 Below appeared first on Broadway Black.

http://youtu.be/zqV2Md6qLsM

When the show closed in January, producers already had plans for a New York return. The opening date and venue have been set: July 12. Nederlander Theatre. The number of weeks: 18.

At the end of its debut run, which began in April 2013, 738 performances and 37 previews graced the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The musical frequently reached $1 million a week in box office sales prior to its hiatus; it netted four Tony nominations; and by April 2014, it embarked on a national tour – which is still underway.

Capturing Gordy’s autobiography “To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown,” the musical has had audiences mesmerized by its set list of 66 numbers. CBS Sunday Morning called it “more than a Broadway show… a celebration of music that transformed America.” Other reviews have bcalled Motown:

“A joy ride!” – The New York Times

“Stunning!” – Associated Press

“Something close to a rapture spreads through the audience!” – The New York Times

“Sets the theatre on fire!” – Time Out New York

“This hit machine is running on all cylinders!” – USA Today

Some production and creative changes (casting has yet to be announced) are expected to streamline the show before it sets the New York stage afire again. Yet, it surely will still have a hold on all who participate in listening to “the beat of a generation, the soul of a nation.”

Tickets now are on sale HERE for the West End premiere, which opens February 2016 at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.

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Dominique Morisseau is considered one of the most exciting young voices in American theatre. Believing wholeheartedly in the power and strength of community has only demonstrated the influence she yields. The community empowered by City Theatre in Pittsburgh has Morisseau’s Sunset Baby to provide a look at revolution and freedom.

Directed by Jade King Carroll, Sunset Baby features Joniece Abbott-Pratt, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Keith Randolph Smith.  The play, which opened Nov. 7, runs through Dec. 13, in the Hamburg Studio Theatre.

About fathers and daughters, the play is described as searing with wit and wisdom and the brutal politics of freedom. It follows the smart and sexy hustler Nina. She has rejected everything her parents fought for in the Black Liberation Movement. When her estranged father wants to reconcile – but then tries to run a hustle of his own – negotiating her past and present becomes a revolutionary act.

Hailed by The New York Times as “Pittsburgh’s most innovative theater company,” City Theatre specializes in new work, commissioning and producing plays by writers at the forefront of the industry. Currently under the leadership of artistic director Tracy Brigden and managing director James McNeel, City Theatre is in its 41st season. City Theatre offers special ticket pricing for persons under 30, seniors 62 and older, groups, and military families. Select shows offer pay-what-you-want pricing. For more information on tickets and the play, click HERE.

Sunset Baby – which has been produced by New York’s Labyrinth Theater Co., London’s Gate Theater and Los Angeles’s Odyssey Theatre – premiered in Morisseau’s hometown during October, the first of any of her plays to be fully produced in Detroit.

In a Facebook post Morisseau noted: “The real truth is that I write and try to find the people who give a damn about what I’ve written, and that certainly ain’t everyone. I do not wait. I repeat, I do not wait for someone to give me permission or tell me I’m good enough. Who the hell has time for that? I’ve got stories to tell.”

Her stories have appeared and appealed nationally and internationally, giving voice to brown girls as well as Black bodies. Of her Detroit Projects cycle, Detroit ’67 (originally at Public Theater and Classical Theatre of Harlem) was nominated for eight Audelco Theatre Awards including Best Playwright, while Paradise Blue was the winner of the L. Arnold Weissberger Award and received development at several theaters. Atlantic Theater will produce Morisseau’s The Skeleton Crew – the final installment of her Detroit trilogy – in January.

With a BFA in acting from the University of Michigan and a foundation as a performance poet in the Detroit community of Harmonie Park, Morisseau has evolved into an award-winning playwright and among the Top 20 most-produced U.S. playwrights for the 2015-2016 season. The Playwright of New York (PoNY) fellow has several honors to her credit: Jane Chambers Playwriting Award; two NAACP Image Awards; the Primus Prize by the American Theatre Critics Association; Stavis Playwriting Award; and Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama. She starred in a 2013 production of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop as part of Actors Theatre of Louisville and wrapped her stint as a story editor on Showtime’s “Shameless” this fall.

Morisseau, one of two recipients of the prestigious biennial Steinberg Playwright Awards, will be awarded a $50,000 grant Nov. 16, at Lincoln Center Theater.

The post Pittsburgh’s City Theatre Presents Morisseau’s Sunset Baby appeared first on Broadway Black.

Previews for the 90-minute suspense thriller – starring two-time Emmy and Golden Globe winner Bruce Willis (“Paul”) and three-time Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf (“Annie”) – kicked off Oct. 22 at Broadhurst Theatre. A limited-engagement run of the Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures production goes through February. Two-time Academy Award winner William Goldman, 84 – who penned Butch Cassidy and the Sundace Kid and All the President’s Men as well as authored “The Season,” a chronicle of what was on Broadway in 1968 – adapted the play and the 1990 film. The film starred James Caan and Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance.

Willis – known for his film credits in Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, 12 Monkeys and Pulp Fiction – makes his Broadway debut with Misery. For The New York Times, he described his role as “85 minutes of being in that bed and just a few minutes of being out of it.” Metcalf – a two-time Tony nominee and original member of the Steppenwolf Theatre – replaced Elizabeth Marvel, who was initially announced for the deranged and obsessed character.

Bringing the house to life where the novelist is nursed back to health and imprisioned is David Korins whose work appears in Hamilton, Motown, Vanya and Sonia…, Annie, Bring It On and Magic/Bird. The creative team also includes: Academy and Tony winner Ann Roth (costume design); David Weiner (lighting design) and Tony-winning Darron West (sound design).

Brown would be the first African-American actor in the work as well as in his role – a role that doesn’t call for any specific racial or cultural background. In addition to regional theatre and television roles, Brown’s career includes: Broadway’s The Trip To Bountiful, On The Waterfront, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, and Prelude to a Kiss; and Off-Broadway’s The Train Driver, Two Trains Running, The Alexander Plays (Signature Theater), The Day The Bronx Died (AJT), The Lights (LCT) and As You Like It (Theater for a New Audience).

While some comments have been that Willis should be no where near Broadway, the acclaimed story is no stranger to the stage. British writer Simon Moore adapted the work for a London West End production in 1991, and it has had runs at several regional theaters through 2013. In 2012 Goldman’s adaptation was produced at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, while Moore’s handiwork appeared in Dubai by London-based theatre company Popular Productions. In 2014, Dutch composer and theatre producer Florus van Rooijen adapted the work into a “feel-bad musical” in Amsterdam, and a German production was shown at Schlossparktheater in Berlin.

Directed by Will Frears, Misery opens Nov. 15. Fans have the chance at the theatre to leave a message on the Misery Typewriter and be featured on the Twitter page (@miserytweets).

Write for your life. Leave us your #NumberOneFan message at the theatre on one of our @miserytweets typewriters. pic.twitter.com/wG8M3iHZy4

— Misery on Broadway (@MiseryBroadway) October 24, 2015

The post Leon Addison Brown Shares Stage With Bruce Willis, Laurie Metclaf In Misery appeared first on Broadway Black.

Composer/lyricist Jason Michael Webb (Brooklyn Tabernacle, Motown: The Musical, Violet) and writer/lyricist Lelund Durond Thompson (CTH artistic associate and founder of YellaFella Entertainment) created the commissioned work over two years. The duo has re-imagined classic Christmas songs as well as created new melodies designed to become holiday favorites. The soundscape is a wonderland of disco, rock and gospel genres.

Performed in the 200-seat intimate Soundstage, the musical follows three generations of a Harlem family still affected by the tragic loss of a loved one. An unexpected visit from Grandma reveals some long-absent Christmas joy. It is a universal story about how a community is healed, one family at a time, as everyday people do extraordinary things to help one another receive the gift of love.

CTH artistic director Ty Jones has described it as “Dickens for the 21st Century.” With Equity principal auditions taking place in September, the cast has yet to be announced. In May, when Broadway Black reported the production as “bringing something fresh to the holiday season,” the excitement was much like that of Webb under the Apollo marquee.

Leading the artistic team is director Steve H. Broadnax III. Broadnax, an associate professor of theatre at Pennsylvania State University whose work has been featured at Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, also has showcased at The Kennedy Center with his award-winning The Hip Hop Project. The original play, which has toured nationally, was conceived, directed and choreographed by Broadnax.

Having opened its 15th anniversary season with a benefit concert featured the music of the Griffin Matthews–Matt Gould Witness Uganda (now titled Invisible Thread) at the Soundstage, CTH returns to the historic Harlem venue for its official debut.

Founded in 1999, CTH presents stories through the lens of the African Diaspora that honor the cultural legacy of the neighborhood in which it was founded. In a Theater Pizzazz interview, Jones notes CTH was in financial distress and lost the confidence of many supporters when he arrived in 2009. Now CTH has attracted major donors and has developed notable programming that reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America.

“We are part of the renovation of the community,” said Jones in his interview of the changes Harlem continues to experience. “We want to engage with the community.”

Tickets for The First Noel are on sale now HERE. Follow CTH at @classicalharlem.

The post The First Noel Gears Up For A Harlem Christmas At The Apollo appeared first on Broadway Black.

In White America clearly illustrates that American history and African American history is truly one in separable story. It is an historical journey from colonial America up to the landmark Brown versus the Board of Education in 1954.

The play is drawn from historical records and original recorded stories told by former slaves. The plays major theme is the quest for freedom and equality–a theme that is deeply integrated in the 46 year history of the new federal theater.

The New Federal Theatre’s Woodie King Jr. says that the play illustrates the historical background of injustices which are still happening now. He states, “I am producing the 50th anniversary production of In White America because it’s like watching history repeat itself. Duberman’s research was 50 years ahead of its time. The play actually shows that American History and African American History are really one story.”

The cast includes Blair Baker, Ezra Barnes, Art McFarland, Joanna Rhinehart, Bill Tatum, Shane Taylor and Bill Toles. Scenic design is by Chris Cumberbatch. Costume design is by Gail Cooper-Hecht. Lighting design is by Shirley Prendergast. Musical arrangements are by Bill Toles. Charles Maryan, the director, stage managed the original Off-Broadway production.

The post New Federal Theatre Presents In White America By Martin Duberman appeared first on Broadway Black.

Among the veteran artists are: playwright/screenwriter Richard Wesley, 70; founding director of New Federal Theatre Woodie King Jr., 78; and actor/director Arthur French, 84. They will share memories and reflections chronicling their rich, artistic lives.

Wesley, associate professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and chair of the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing.  His 1971 play The Black Terror, produced at the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theatre, was a Drama Desk winner, produced at the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theatre. He wrote the screenplays for Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and it’s follow-up Let’s Do It Again (1975), both which starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier.  His The Mighty Gents, an Audelco Award winner, premiered on Broadway in 1978, while The Talented Tenth (1989)  was inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois’ 1903 article of the same name.

French, an original member of Negro Ensemble Company led by Douglas Turner Ward, made his Broadway debut in Melvin Van Peebles’ Ain’t Supposed To Die a Natural Death. Having films credits with “Car Wash” (1976), Julie Delpy’s “2 Days In New York” (2012) and Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer” (2012), French has thrived on smaller stages. He received a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in Peter Norton Space’s 2006 production of Two Trains Running.

King, who founded New Federal Theater in 1970, received Atlanta Black Theatre Fesitival’s 2014 Theatre Legend Award and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2011. His production work has included several installments of Ron Milner’s Checkmates; August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun; Samm-Art Williams’ Home; and Howard Simon’s James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire.

Other artists to be celebrated include: photographer Dwight Carter and founding member of The Last Poets Abiodun Oyewole, 67. Interestingly, Oct. 17 is recognized as National Black Poetry Day. All the featured artists are poets in their own right.

Scott, an actress, director, playwright and cultural historian, has Off-Broadway and regional theater credits that include The Old Globe in San Diego, Yale Rep and Roundabout Theater in New York. She won a Drama Desk Award for her Broadway debut in My Sister, My Sister.

The event starts at 7pm. The National Black Theatre is located at 2031 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10035.

For more information visit the VENUE or EVENT PAGE.

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