After teasing the collaboration on their social media pages for days, the two Broadway stars finally gave fans what they’d been waiting for with this neo-soul version and music video of the Pippin favorite.

“We’ve been brainstorming about different musical ideas for concerts and albums. We soon realized we have the same musical taste for soul, funk, and R&B.  So I thought, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s give Broadway lovers a new side of us they haven’t seen before while celebrating this classic musical theater tune!”

The video opens with the two having a sexy jam sesh at the piano and ends with a sing-off that makes you wish you could just grab a cocktail, a candlelit table in a corner and watch them and the band vibe all night long.

“The music video follows two artists finding a spark during their first collaboration. Patina and I couldn’t be more excited to give folks a taste of this new sound come Valentine’s Day. Got lots more brewing up musically. This is just the tip of the iceberg!”

If the rest of their collabos are as hot as this, we can’t wait!

The post Joshua Henry and Patina Miller Release Love Song Duet appeared first on Broadway Black.

The University of Miami graduate got a little nostalgic with his social media followers as he took a literal walk down memory lane through the campus.  Boasting his Miami green “U” tank top and sandals (clearly enjoying the antithesis of New York winter weather), Henry stood proudly in front of the Jerry Herman Ring Theater, the student performance space that cultivated his budding creativity as well as that of several other notable students.

Never forget where you came from. Before I was ready for Broadway, I honed my performing chops here at the University of Miami’s #JerryHermanRingTheater. This is where the fire was fanned. Just visited today and felt all the feelings again! #AllAboutTheU #humblebeginnings

Inside the theater, it was almost as if Henry had stepped back in time and could see and feel all of the experiences he’d had in the space.  He vividly narrated the memory of his first acting class:

This is the black box theater at the University of Miami. Bruce Miller was the first person to give me an acting class in college.  Freshman year we all sat in a circle here and we said something about where we’re from and what we wanna accomplish in the next four years and there was just so much love here, but it just brings back the craziest memories.  Wow.

After graduating from the Coral Gables campus in 2006, Henry instantly landed a role in Godspell at Papermill Playhouse.  By 2007, the crooner was on Broadway with In the Heights.  Henry played “Tin Man” in The Wiz at City Center and a very sexy “Favorite Son” in American Idiot before earning a 2011 Tony Award nomination for his powerful depiction of Haywood Patterson in Scottsboro Boys.

VIDEO: Where did I learn how to act? University of Miami theater department! #DaU #HumbleBeginnings https://t.co/GEPn2c5O3N

— Joshua Henry (@joshuahenry20) January 5, 2016

I’m counting the days until we get to see many of our favorite Broadway Black stars in Shuffle Along, namely, my boo, Mr. Henry.  I’m also hoping that somewhere in Hamilton’s eternal run (because it’s obviously not going anywhere anytime soon) I will get to see a Joshua Henry portrayal of Aaron Burr. #FangirlFantasy.  Lin Manuel, are you listening??

The post Joshua Henry Goes Back to School…Kinda appeared first on Broadway Black.

It takes a real Queen to reduce a King to a quivering mass of shock and adulation. Beyoncé did just that when she approached Groff after the show to inquire about his phenomenally cocky royal walk during the scene where he bids a cheeky adieu to the colonies. Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda chronicled the exchange on Twitter.

Groff got embarrassed. But he said I could tell you. Next three tweets.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/659355089056976896https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/659355357521817600

2) Beyonce: When you turned away still facing the audience?
*BEYONCE DEMONSTRATES FLAWLESSLY*
Beyonce: You were your OWN turntable. Love it.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

3) And then, in Groffsauce's own words
"Then the ground swallowed me up and I died happy."
Thus endeth the meeting of Beyonce & Groffsauce.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

There is no straight-male equivalent for the ecstasy of Beyonce telling you
"I love your walk."
ESPECIALLY for Groffsauce, walk enthusiast.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

Bruce Lee: "Can you teach me that cool kick?"
That's the closest I can approximate to what happened to Groffsauce.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 28, 2015

We can’t even blame Groff for being floored by the compliment. How many people can actually say Beyoncé is stealing your sashay? Checkout a clip of Groff channeling his inner diva as he and fellow Hamilton actors Brian d’Arcy James, and Andrew Rannells lip-synch during Hamilton’s daily “Ham 4 Ham”,  an innovative mini show that gives fans a chance to enter a ‘day of the show’ lottery where winners receive Hamilton tickets for $10 .

They say imitation is the most powerful compliment and the love didn’t begin with Beyonce’s endorsement of Groff’s saucy promenade. Lin-Manuel Miranda had previously cited the other half of the power couple, Hip Hop phenom Jay-Z as one of his influences for the sound and flavor of the genre blending musical. Said Miranda,

In crafting the battles, I listened a lot to the Jay Z–Nas beefs. “Takeover” is such a systematic takedown of Nas; it’s “Here’s how many albums you put out. One of them is good.” It’s so clinical that it’s kind of devastating. And Nas’s response to Jay Z was no less brutal or enthusiastic. I listened to those a lot when it came to the battle raps; taking each other down but in an intelligent way. And there’s a little ode to 8 Mile in the way those scenes are structured.

This is the way good art is built. By the open acknowledgement of the talent of another. Taking a bit of this and a splash of that and reworking it into an updated remixed masterpiece. It speaks volumes when egos can be set aside to simply say, “I am impressed by the work you do.” Congratulations on the compliment to Jonathan Groff. It was well deserved. Now all we need to see is how Beyoncé spins that walk into a slaying saunter that is sure to set the Beyhive abuzz.

BONUS: The Queen recently let her powers show towards an assistant during a red carpet walk. It was so smooth and direct you probably don’t even notice her telling her to “stop it!”. The assistant was making more of a fuss over Beyonce’e clothes than she was! Also, it makes us so happy to hear the photographer in the back use the proper terminology when referring to her. For she is a Queen.

The post Beyoncé Plans to Steal & #Werk Groff’s Hamilton Walk appeared first on Broadway Black.

As noted on its website, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs is the largest cultural funding agency in the nation, with a fiscal year 2014 expense budget of $156 million and a capital budget of $822 million over the next four years.

Rivers, executive producer for New Heritage Theatre Group, said this about the decision by a panel of their peers, “They don’t believe it’s possible for us to produce our programs using such a small staff.” It was claimed that the theatres did not produce the programs they promised.

Rivers and King, founding director of New Federal Theatre, agreed they no longer have peers but “people that do not like us, and have no understanding for what we do and our impact in the community.” Brown, executive director of New Ensemble Company, said the Black community is hurt the most by the department’s decision.

A flyer circulating on social media reads:

We are being informed that panels “of our peers” have determined OUR VOICE to be undeserving of city cultural funding. We need your support! Please write to and make your voices known to The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Express your concerns regarding the drastic cuts in funding and/or the re-funding to three of our historic Black theatre organizations.

Supporters are encouraged to write to: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, 31 Chambers Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007. With Finkelpearl on indefinite sick leave, as noted at the meeting, emails are requested to be sent to: Kathleen Hughes, assistant commissioner of Program Services, KHughes(at)culture.nyc.gov.

Although not stated, contacting the Borough president’s office and New York City Council representative also would be impactful.

To affirm “our art, our culture, our heritage is relevant,” NEC’s website noted the following attendees: Linda Walton, director of Harlem Arts Alliance; Jonathan McCrory, National Black Theater; Rome Neal, Nuyorican Poets Cafe; Michael Green, Shades of Truth; Marcia Pendleton, Walk Tall Girl Productions; Robin Bell Stevens, Jazz Mobile; and The World Famous Apollo staffers; as well as members of the Latin, Native and Asian communities.

The post Call For Action: 3 Major New York Black Theatres De-Funded appeared first on Broadway Black.

The saying, “art imitates life” is often thrown around callously. But when it comes to Black theatre artists, the phrase means a lot more than meets the eye (or the mouth, for that matter). In theatre history, there has been a tradition of productions staged to reflect the politics and restlessness of the times. Today’s theatre artists are similar to their predecessors.

Award-winning playwright Katori Hall is in touch with the Black Lives Matter movement and other political happenings, as often reflected on her Twitter page. Hall’s form of protest appears within her writing. Her play, The Mountaintop, fictionalizes the events leading up to the death of civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In an April interview with The Root, Hall states, in regard to her decision to become a playwright,

Me and my scene partner, we’re, like, two young African-American women … we get to the library and we’re pulling out all kinds of plays and couldn’t find nothing—like, nothing … had any scenes with young black women in it . … So I went to the teacher and was like, ‘Do you have any suggestions, because we’re having a hard time,’ and 10 seconds went by, 20 seconds went by, 40 seconds went by, and our professor could not think of an answer, and so, in that moment I said to myself, ‘I’m going to write those plays, then.’

Theatres have also been involved with Black Lives Matter in inspirational ways. In early February, Washington D.C.’s Howard Theatre hosted a panel that discussed the Movement. Howard Theatre has an extensive history of featuring Black theatre artists and their many talents. In May, the cast from Marley the Musical took time out of rehearsal to perform a free concert for those protesting the senseless death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. At the National Black Theatre Festival in early June, according to Ticket Sarasota, Jackie Taylor, founder of the Black Ensemble Theater, remarked, “This is a sick society, with Black men being killed, young boys being killed, churches being burned and those nine people being killed in that church in Charleston. Racism is embedded.” The Black Ensemble Theater’s mission is one that is clear-cut and powerful: “to eradicate racism and its damaging effects upon our society through the utilization of theater arts.”

This is merely a snapshot of the work being done in the Black theatre world in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. So many Black artists have and continue to use their work not only to showcase the ever present Black excellence in theatre but also to shift the mindset of those who may perpetuate the systemic racism that holds them back. These artists prove, time and time again, that not only do Black lives matter, but so does Black art.

The post Stand For Justice: Black Theatre in the Fight for Black Lives Matter appeared first on Broadway Black.

Want me 2 sing 2 u? Or have hot chocolate w/me? All while helping @CovenantHouse kids? Check out my sleep out page! http://t.co/Mc3otMO7iT

— Audra McDonald (@AudraEqualityMc) July 30, 2015

In addition to McDonald, many other Broadway actors will sleep out, including Lisa Dawn Clark, Terren Wooten Clark, Eddie Cooper, Lilli Cooper, Aisha de Haas, Darius de Haas, Dionne Figgins, Kevin R. Free, Dana Marie Ingraham, Tamika Lawrence, Miguel Edson, Maurice Murphy, John Eric Parker, and Todd Pettiford. All participants are stars of Broadway, Off-Broadway, or Broadway tour productions.

http://t.co/0yI5r8JORD https://t.co/VnYREeiL1i

— Mr Chuck Cooper (@Ebonyactor) July 30, 2015

This is McDonald’s second year participating in the event. Although Sleep Out: Broadway Edition takes place on August 17, she will sleep outside in solidarity with homeless youth on November 19, following the annual Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth in Times Square. McDonald serves on the executive committee and the board of Covenant House International. Jenkins (Newsies, Caroline, or Change) and Darius de Hass (Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Carousel (revival), Rent) are both third-year participants in the event and serve on the executive committee as well.

To see the impact that Sleep Out has, Jenkins takes viewers on a tour through the neighborhood of “The Cov,” the reality of the night, and the impact of the Sleep Out.

Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing food, shelter, immediate crisis care, and essential services to homeless youth in 27 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. According to the organization, the funds raised by Sleep Out participants are put to work immediately, keeping the lights on and the doors open for more than 57,000 kids who will seek help this year.

For more information and to donate to your favorite Broadway star, visit www. sleepout.org.

The post Broadway Actors Will Sleep Out for Homeless Youths appeared first on Broadway Black.

Washington, DC-based Poet Derrick Weston Brown wrote a blistering and piercing poem, “We Can’t Have Nothing,” that reflects many of the thoughts around the country in light of the latest racial tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina.  Until this country is honest about race, these are the thoughts that will linger for generations to come.

We Can’t Have Nothing

We can’t have nothing. Not our skin. Not our peace. Not our sanctuary. Can’t have nothing. Can’t shop, can’t swim, can’t walk home. Can’t pray. Can’t worship. Can’t have candy. Can’t sit in a car with friends with the windows down, bathed in bass. Can’t be a free black girl, free black child, free black boy. Can’t have courtesy. Can’t ask for help. Can’t have nothing. Can’t get the benefit of the doubt. Can’t get called by the names we want to be called. Can’t sit in church, pray in church, have a church, mosque, temple. Can’t have nothing. Can’t have a nice day, Can’t have an uninterrupted ride home. Can’t have a day when you don’t have to look over your shoulder. Can’t have nothing. Can’t have a day where you KNOW without a shadow of a doubt the people you love will come home alive. Can’t. Have. Nothing. Can’t have a day when our everything isn’t in question. Can’t even die without an “assist.” Can’t even have a proper burial. Can’t even have a memorial that goes untouched.
Can’t not be followed. In a store. For a block. For a mile. For a day. For days. For years. For life.
Can’t even get an isolated incident.
Can’t get an acknowledgement that the race card is manufactured, store bought, and made from our skin.
Can’t have nothing.
Can’t be a disappeared black girl found safe and in time.
Can’t get a disappeared black girl’s name read on air.
Can’t have an indictment, conviction, blah, blah, blah.
Can’t have paid leave, unpaid leave,
break
stop.
Can’t have nothing.

The post Derrick Weston Brown’s Scathing Response to Charleston appeared first on Broadway Black.

BREAKING NEWS: THE WIZ is confirmed as the new live NBC musical Dec 3rd. Plans for Broadway attached! pic.twitter.com/7Pe2zu8R2c

— Broadway Black (@BroadwayBlack) March 30, 2015

According to Deadline:

NBC has partnered with Cirque du Soleil to co-produce the live event. It will then become a Broadway revival for the 2016-17 season.Once again Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will exec produce. Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will stage both the television production and Broadway revival, in collaboration with Tony winner and Broadway icon Harvey Fierstein, who will contribute new material to the original Broadway book by William F. Brown.

Little did we know, the announcement was only the beginning. The excitement quickly turned to anticaption and axiety of who will be cast in this live production directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Everyone had their own ideas and must haves in that list. Some of which included Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudson, LaChanze, Audra McDonald, Tittuss Burgess, & Billy Porter, just to name a few.

What’s your dream cast for The Wiz? #CastTheWiz — Broadway Black (@BroadwayBlack) March 30, 2015

PLZZZZZ RT @callmedollar: “@BroadwayBlack: Could it be possible for @TasiasWord to portray Dorothy?! #CastTheWiz” pic.twitter.com/UIDJQdP5fB

— THE ARCHER (@JUPITERMOVESME) March 30, 2015

@broadwayblack. the only person that can play dorothy is janelle monáe. this is not up for debate. — Brian Patrick Davis! (@blacksocialite) March 30, 2015

@BroadwayBlack i’d like @theebillyporter in there, and @joshuahenry20 and @Capathianyc !!! and @donaldwebber

— tommy santelli (@tommysantelli) March 30, 2015

@BroadwayBlack Terrence Howard as The Wiz. — Hassan Sayyed (@HausUrban) March 30, 2015

@BroadwayBlack Billy Porter as Scarecrow….Tichina Arnold as Evilene…..Anika Noni Rose as Dorothy….Audra McDonald as Glinda

— JZA_Nicole (@Jaleesa_Nicole) March 30, 2015

@BroadwayBlack @IAMJHUD -Wicked Witch, @jamesmiglehar -The lion, Jessie L Martin -Tin Man, @theebillyporter -Wizard, & Keke Palmer -Dorothy — The Big Man (@TheFatManDiary) March 30, 2015

@BroadwayBlack Tin man: @leslieodomjr all the way

— So FloYork (@iTerryTommy) March 30, 2015

Little excited about the #TheWizLive My Wish List #LetsCastTheWIZ Anika Noni Rose- Dorothy Stephanie Mills- North Witch Roz Ryan- Aunt Em — OUTSPOKEN DIVA (@OUTSPOKEN_DIVA) March 30, 2015

Everyone had their own version they thought worked best but, if you didnt get a chance to create your own, there is still time! Tell us your dream cast for NBC’s live version. It’s fun to imagine but we’re pretty sure we don’t have anything to worry about. Kenny Leon told us himself

@alrisa @nbc won’t happen! We will tell the story with the best , available cast..no tricks- no worries! — Kenny Leon (@iamKENNYLEON) March 30, 2015

And just for good measure:

W talent that BLACK BROADWAY has 2 offer. WE R ALL HERE so let’s be clear & not make this a celebrity contest #broadwayactress #CastTheWiz

— Carmen Ruby (@CarmenRubyFloyd) March 30, 2015

PSA: The Musical Version of The Wiz and the movie version of The Wiz ARE NOT THE SAME. Prepare yourself and cast accordingly

The Wiz is adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Subsequently, Baum’s book was adapted as a stage musical with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. The adaptation, which featured an all-black cast, debuted in October, 1974 at the Morris Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore. Starring Stephanie Mills as Dorthoy. It moved to Broadway’s Majestic Theatre on January, 1975, where it ran for four years and won seven Tonys, including best musical.

The post The Wiz Will Be The Next NBC Live Musical + Tell Us Your Dream Cast appeared first on Broadway Black.

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