Last night, Lempicka, the highly anticipated new musical celebrating the true story of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka, opened on Broadway. Starring leading lady Eden Espinosa, the production is now at the Longacre Theatre.

The creative team consists of Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin (director), Carson Kreitzer (book, lyrics, and original concept), Matt Gould (book and music), and Raja Feather Kelly (choreography).

On hand to celebrate the occasion were Aisha Jackson, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Devario D. Simmons, Sara Bareilles, Jesse Eisenberg, J. Harrison Ghee, Robin de Jesus, Soshana Bean, and many more.

Joining Ms. Espinosa as Tamara de Lempicka, the cast of Lempicka includes Amber Iman as Rafaela, Andrew Samonsky as Tadeusz Lempicki, George Abud as Marinetti, Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzy Solidor, Zoe Glick as Kizette, Nathaniel Stampley as the Baron, and Beth Leavel as the Baroness with Mariand Torres, Alex Aquilino, Lauren Blackman, Stephen Brower, Kyle Brown, Holli’ Conway, Abby Matsusaka, Jimin Moon, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ximone Rose, Nicholas Ward, Veronica Fiaoni, Mary Page Nance, Julio Rey, and Michael Milkanin rounding out the company.

Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.

The creative team for Lempicka includes Tony Award nominee Riccardo Hernández (scenic design), Tony Award winner Paloma Young (costume design), Leah Loukas (hair & wig design), two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (lighting design), Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski and Justin Stasiw (sound design), Tony Award nominee Peter Nigrini (projection design), Remy Kurs (music supervision), Charity Wicks (music direction), Cian McCarthy (orchestrations), Peter Duchan (creative consultant), and The Telsey Office (casting). Cody Renard Richard serves as the Production Stage Manager.

Lempicka is produced by Seaview and Jenny Niederhoffer, with Wagner Johnson Productions serving as Executive Producers.

The post PHOTOS: Lempicka Opening Night & Curtain Call appeared first on Broadway Black.

The Outsiders features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, music supervision, arrangements & orchestrations by Justin Levine, choreography by Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman and direction by Danya Taymor.

The cast features Brody Grant as Ponyboy Curtis, Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny Cade, Joshua Boone as Dallas Winston, Brent Comer as Darrel Curtis, Jason Schmidt as Sodapop Curtis, Emma Pittman as Cherry Valance, Daryl Tofa as Two-Bit Mathews, Kevin William Paul as Bob Sheldon and Dan Berry as Paul Holden. Rounding out the cast are Jordan Chin, Milena J. Comeau, Barton Cowperthwaite, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Henry Julián Gendron, RJ Higton, Wonza Johnson, Sean Harrison Jones, Maggie Kuntz, Renni Anthony Magee, SarahGrace Mariani, Melody Rose, Josh Strobl, Victor Carrillo Tracey, Trevor Wayne.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma 1967, the hardened hearts and aching souls of Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and their chosen family of ‘outsiders’ fight for survival and a quest for purpose in a world that may never accept them. A story of the bonds that brothers share and the hopes we all hold on to, this gripping new musical reinvigorates the timeless tale of ‘haves and have nots’, of protecting what’s yours and fighting for what could be.

The Outsiders is produced on Broadway by The Araca Group, American Zoetrope, Olympus Theatricals, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, and Angelina Jolie. General management is by 321 Theatrical Management.

The post PHOTOS: The Outsiders Opening Night + Curtain Call appeared first on Broadway Black.

The cast of The Who’s TOMMY features Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy, Alison Luff as Mrs. Walker, Adam Jacobs as Captain Walker, John Ambrosino as Uncle Ernie, Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin, and Christina Sajous as The Acid Queen. Completing the cast are Haley Gustafson, Jeremiah Alsop, Ronnie S. Bowman Jr., Mike Cannon, Tyler James Eisenreich, Sheldon Henry, Afra Hines, Aliah James, David Paul Kidder, Tassy Kirbas, Lily Kren, Quinten Kusheba, Reese Levine, Brett Michael Lockley, Nathan Lucrezio, Alexandra Matteo, Mark Mitrano, Reagan Pender, Cecilia Ann Popp, Daniel Quadrino, Olive Ross-Kline, Jenna Nicole Schoen, Dee Tomasetta, and Andrew Tufano.

The Who’s TOMMY creative team includes composer/lyricist/co-book writer Pete Townshend, director/co-book writer Des McAnuff,  choreographer Lorin Latarro (Into the Woods, Mrs. Doubtfire and Waitress); music supervision and additional arrangements by Ron Melrose (Jersey Boys on Broadway, London and National Tour); music direction and additional orchestrations by Rick Fox (Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar); orchestrations by Steve Margoshes (Newsies, Aida); set design by David Korins (Hamilton, Beetlejuice, Here Lies Love ); projection design by Peter Nigrini (Here Lies Love, MJ and Dear Evan Hansen); costume design by Sarafina Bush (for colored girls…, Pass Over on Broadway); lighting design by Amanda Zieve (Broadway associate on Escape to Margaritaville and Allegiance); sound design by Gareth Owen (Back to the Future, & Juliet and MJ); and wig and hair design by Charles LaPointe (Hamilton, Beautiful). Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting/Merri Sugarman, CSA. Additional Chicago Casting by Lauren Port, CSA and Rachael Jimenez, CSA. Tripp Phillips is the Production Stage Manager and Bespoke Theatricals is General Manager. 

The Who’s TOMMY is produced on Broadway by Stephen Gabriel and Ira Pittelman. Co-Producers include Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Mary Maggio & Scott Abrams, Tom Tuft and Glenn Fuhrman, Batman Harris/Elliott Cornelious, Laura Matalon/Spencer Waller, Richard Winkler, Sheldon Stone, FireMused Productions/Stone Arch Theatricals, LeonoffFedermanWolofsky Productions/Koenigsberg Batchelder, Roy Putrino/Narang Moran, Rich Martino, Aged in Wood/Lee Sachs, Paul and Margaret Liljenquist, R and R Productions, Marla McNally Phillips, Merrie Robin, O’Neill Snow, Work Light Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Independent Presenters Network, John Gore Organization, Palomino Performing Arts, Wavelength Productions, Robert Nederlander, Jr., Botwin Ignal Dawson, Jamie deRoy, Betsy Dollinger, Stacey Woolf Feinberg, Gold Weinstein, Tyce Green, Jenen Rubin, Jim Kierstead, Marco Santarelli, Nancy Timmers, Thomas B. McGrath, Olympus Theatricals, and Goodman Theatre.

The post PHOTOS: <em>The Who’s TOMMY</em> Opening Night Red Carpet & Curtain Call appeared first on Broadway Black.

The play, set in 2003 near the end of the civil war in Liberia, is about the survival and resilience of a group of women who are captives of rebels fighting the government. Nyong’o, who made her Academy Award-winning screen debut in “12 Years a Slave,” stars in the role of the “Girl,” the youngest of four captive wives of a rebel commander.

In addition to Nyong’o, the cast also features several Broadway performers, including Saycon Sengbloh (Hair, The Color Purple and Wicked), as well as Pascale Armand (The Trip to Bountiful), Akosua Busia (Mule Bone), and Zainab Jah (In Darfur).

Zimbabwean-American Gurira also stars as the sword-wielding, zombie killer “Michonne” on AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead”. She’s also appeared in the films “The Visitor” and “Mother of George.” Her stage credits include the role of “ Isabella” in Measure for Measure for which she received the Actor’s Equity Callaway Award. As a playwright, she received an Obie Award, Outer Critics Award, and Helen Hayes Award for In the Continuum. For Eclipsed, Gurira won an NAACP Image Award; the Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play, and the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Production of a Play. Her latest play Familiar will premier in New York at Playwrights Horizons in February 2016.

Eclipsed is directed by Liesl Tommy, who staged the play’s premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington in 2009.

Although the production was originally slated to close Nov. 8, it will now have nine-week run, with a final performance on Nov.29. For tickets and more information, visit here.

#FlashbackFriday to #TheOtherNight The cast of Eclipsed #OpeningNight @publictheaterny

A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:03am PDT

#FlashbackFriday via @vintagepopsoul Heading to opening night party! #EclipsedPlay #SayconSengbloh #openingnight #kortomomolu #liberiandesigner @kortomomolu A video posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:08am PDT

By @lupitanyongo: So happy to have the Opening of #EclipsedPlay happen @publictheaterny. The intimacy with the audience in the LuEsther theater is precious for us as actors. Thank you for all the support!

A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:16am PDT

#FlashbackFriday the beautiful ladies of #EclipsedPlay cast @publictheaterny #openingnight A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:42am PDT

#FlashbackFriday #TheWizLive, @bwaycolorpurple cast members support #EclipsedPlay @publictheaterny

A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:37am PDT

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Entrance applause, that is.

The play – performed at the Golden Theatre since previews began Sept. 23 – officially opens  today, October 14, and the two award-winning actors are nipping the fanfare at the bud.

It’s quite understandable for theatergoers to be excited to see the veteran duo. It’s been nearly 50 years since they have shared a Broadway stage (the 1966 showcase of Black poetry with Roscoe Lee Browne’s A Hand Is On The Gate). Before that, they were among the long-running 1961 Off Broadway production The Blacks by Jean Genet. TV and film projects also have not escaped the Tony and Emmy winning actors.

Tyson and Jones, 90 and 84, respectively, would have plenty of lessons to share as a result of their long careers. Yet, a lesson in theatre etiquette is now at hand.

Of course, it should be a given that loud talking, eating, sleeping and the use of cell phones is not a good look at the theatre – as well as going on stage to charge a cell phone in a fake outlet.

According to New York Show Tickets, standing ovations and entrance applause are overdone. It admonishes to not give in to peer pressure.

Traditionally, applause for an actor when he or she first takes the stage and standing ovations at the end of a Broadway show were signs of an audience so full of appreciation and respect that they couldn’t help themselves. Lately, these reactions seem to have become obligatory, and unfortunately when standing ovations and entrance applause are done out of mere habit, they essentially become meaningless. Ultimately, how you react is up to you, but let your true feelings guide you.

Well, Tyson and Jones no doubt are more concerned with giving the best performance possible than they are with an audience’s “true feelings.”

They both agree that the entrance applause is distracting. Tyson said her role is “one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tackled.” It doesn’t help that her castmate can complicate matters. She admitted that Jones keeps her in fits of laughter. During rehearsals, she pleaded with the cast to let her get her giggles out.

For an Associated Press article, Tyson further said: “It is extremely difficult in some instances to contain myself and to remain true to the character that I’m trying to play. I really can’t allow for it to happen in the theater.”

Jones, who continues to find theatre fascinating, said: “Once we open this play, we’ll still be discovering stuff about it.”

So to respect the work of the incredible union, hold your applause until… well, you have a Gin hand.

Directed by Leonard Foglia, The Gin Game follows Weller Martin (Jones) and Fonsia Dorsey (Tyson) – two residents of a nursing home who strike a friendship. Weller shares his knowledge of gin rummy, while together they relate stories of their past and expose one another’s failures, disappointments and insecurities.

The Gin Game has a limited engagement of 16 weeks, ending in January. Tyson will not perform Dec 5-6. Get your tickets HERE.

What do you think about the request by the actors?

The post Hold The Applause: Theatre Etiquette From James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson appeared first on Broadway Black.

UPDATE: Opening Night arrival photos & interviews with Cicely Tyson & James Earl Jones below!

Weller Martin (Jones) and Fonsia Dorsey (Tyson) meet on the porch of their nursing home and strike up a friendship, with Weller teaching Fonsia how to play gin rummy. As they play, they share stories about the lives they led in the outside world. But when Fonsia wins every hand, Weller becomes increasingly frustrated, until their gin games and conversations become a battleground, with each player exposing the other’s failures, disappointments and insecurities.

This highly anticipated collaboration marks the first time the pair has worked together on Broadway since starring in A Hand Is On The Gate in 1966. They also starred in the long-running Off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks, opposite each other in the film “The River Niger,” and in the TV movie “Heat Wave.”

Photos by Joan Marcus

Jones is a two-time Tony Award-winner for his role in Fences and Great White Hope, three-time Emmy Award winner, Grammy Award-winner and a recipient of an Honorary Academy Award.  Tyson is a three-time Emmy Award-winner, Academy Award-nominee and won her first Tony Award in 2014 for her role in The Trip to Bountiful.

Winner of the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Gin Game returns to the Golden Theatre where the original production opened in 1977, starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. This is the third time the play has been performed on Broadway. The two previous Broadway productions were nominated for a number of Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Revival of a Play, and Best Actress in a Play.  The Gin Game has also been filmed twice for television: in 1981 with original stars Cronyn and Tandy, and in 2003 with Dick van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

UPDATE: There was definitely no shortage of star power last night at the opening of The Gin Game on Broadway. Check out the photos below of Alfre Woodard, Lynn Whitfiled, Crystal Dickenson, Jason Dirden, John David Washington & more! Also, watch the stars of The Gin Game, Cicely Tyson & James Earl Jones, talk with Broadway Black about their production, developing their characters, & a few life lessons.

The Gin Game has been won! @gingamebroadway#OpeningNight@jamesearljones@IAmCicelyTyson#WeAreBroadwayBlackpic.twitter.com/bkAdujL8uX

— Broadway Black (@BroadwayBlack) October 15, 2015

Photos By Darnell Lamont Walker

Directed by Leonard Foglia, the revival will run through January 10, 2016.  For more information and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

The post Opening Night: Cicely Tyson & James Earl Jones In The Gin Game appeared first on Broadway Black.

This year’s festival, which runs August 3^rd through August 8th, boasts celebrity co-chairs Debbie Morgan  and Darnell Williams well known as the beloved Black power couple “Angie and Jessie” on the soap opera “All My Children”. Additionally, theatre goers will have the opportunity to attend “The Monkey on My Back” (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) which details memoirs of her life and legacy. After a stirring celebrity processional replete with African drummers and dancers, attendees of the opening night gala will be treated to an awards presentation. Check out our previous article on this year’s honorees.

The headlining event of the festival this year will be “Black Stars of the Great White Way: A Chapman Roberts Concept” produced by Chapman Roberts. The concert has been described as a “soaring music and dance celebration of the glorious 100 year history of African Americans on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. This Gala All Broadway Star Production is specifically designed to honor NBTF luminaries past and present”. The concert will include tributes to Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and Noble Sissle. This star studded concert will include the likes of Melba Moore, Jackee Harry, Harold Wheeler, Hattie Winston, Obba Babatunde, Maurice Hines, Alyson Williams, Norm Lewis, Andre Deshields, Larry Marshall, Peggi Blu, Longineu Parsons, Jeffresy Anderson-Gunter, Kirk Taylor, Jacob Wheeler, Dawnn Lewis and Jermaine Coles. Selections from beloved productions of Eubie, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Sunset Boulevard, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Wiz  and the film “Selma,” will highlight the rich history of Black Broadway Theatre.

According to the website, this year’s festival promises a multitude of “…electrifying performances, informative workshops, riveting films and insightful spoken word poetry that will open your eyes to a new perspective on our culture’s artistic endeavors. Every evening culminates with a Celebrity Reception, Midnight Readers’ Theatre and the Midnight Poetry Jam.” Festival attendees should keep their eyes out for popular productions such as “Letter from Zora: In Her Own Words” performed by OPAS (Los Angeles, CA)  , “The Eve of Jackie: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson” performed by Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY), , “At Last: A Tribute to Etta James” performed by Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) and “The Bluest Eye” performed by North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)

This year’s lineup promises to be an exciting and powerful celebration of Black Theatre for both festival veterans and newcomers. Avid festival attendee and supporter Wendell Tabb, Chair of Visual and Performing arts at Hillside High School says the following about the festival “I have had the pleasure of attending the Theatre Festival since 1989. Many of my former Hillside Theatre students perform at the Festival with Theatre Companies from around the world. The National Black Theatre Festival has helped jumpstart so many professional careers and has afforded great opportunities for artist to develop and showcase their works. The vision and legacy of the late Larry Leon Hamlin continues to shine through the hearts of many. I am extremely grateful and honored to be a part of Black Theatre” in the words of Larry Leon Hamlin that’s Marvtastic!

Tickets are currently available online at ww.nbtf.org . Connect with the festival on Facebook.

View a full list of the 2015 NBTF Honorees HERE

The post 2015 National Black Theatre Festival: Promises Music, Dance, Theatre & A Celebration of Legacy appeared first on Broadway Black.

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Photo Credit: Carol Rosseg
For tickets and more information visit romeoandjulietbroadway.com

Joining Condola and Orlando in the cast are Tony-winner Chuck Cooper (as Lord Capulet), Roslyn Ruff (as Lady Capulet), Corey Hawkins (as Tybalt), Geoffery Owens (as Prince Escalus), Brent Carver (as Friar Laurence), Jane Houdyshell (as Nurse), and Justin Guarini (as Paris).

The post Romeo & Juliet Opens On Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

What Do You Think Of Wendy’s Voice???

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images North America

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