After the curtain call, the entire cast took the stage to wish her happy trails by singing the gospel classic I Won’t Complain by Rev. Paul Jones. Led by Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo, and Antonyo Award winner Danielle Brooks, the emotional send-off was a Broadway Black moment to witness.

The cast also featured Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Jennie Harney as Nettie, and Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo. The production began performances at the Jacobs Theatre on November 10, 2015.

The post FLASHBACK! The Color Purple Revival Cast Sing ‘I Won’t Complain’ appeared first on Broadway Black.

Following this performance, directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon and starring Emmy Award-winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Tony Award-nominee Corey Hawkins, will offer a post-show talkback with members of the company, exclusively for members of The Divine Nine.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG is a darkly comic fable about brotherly love and family identity, following the lives of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth, as they struggle with their past and their obsession with the street con game three-card monte. The play has received critical acclaim, being named “Best of the Year” by The New York Times, New Yorker, Huffington Post, and others.

This performance will offer a ticket discount of up to $60 off the ticket price (using code TDDIVINE9) at telechargeoffers.com.

In addition to its talented cast and crew, the production features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, and sound design by Justin Ellington. The production is being produced by David Stone, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Marc Platt, Debra Martin Chase, and the Shubert Organization, and is currently in its final weeks of a limited engagement, set to close on January 15. Don’t miss your chance to see this powerful and thought-provoking production, and take advantage of the special ticket discount for members of The Divine Nine.

The post TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Celebrates The Divine Nine with Special Performance January 10 appeared first on Broadway Black.

“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean, by providence impoverished, in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”

These are the words that start it all and we’re surprised that they were allowed on the telecast but we’re glad that they didn’t change that. They delivered such a powerful performance for the world to see & the impact of the opening lines are needed to draw in the masses. We were surely standing on our feet by the end of it.

Now, we know it’s already hard to get tickets for the show & once The Tony Awards come in June it’s going to be even harder but it’s the performances that air like this that make it even more special once you actually do get the chance.

Hamilton is the highly acclaimed, hip hop-infused story about America’s first treasurer, Alexander Hamilton. It has topped rap charts. It has beat out the almighty Lion King as top grossing musical TWICE. It’s members have appeared on a cypher on BET. And it has welcomed thousands of public school students into the theater to give the gift of the arts. Based on the biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, Miranda has penned what has come to be one of the most influential and talked about shows of our generation. 

It also didn’t stop after the performance. Hamilton, the musical received more airtime when the musical won Best Musical Theatre Album & the award, as well as the acceptance speech, aired on the main telecast. Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, give a clever acceptance speech in the form a rap. He’s truly a remarkable genius with words.

The post Hamilton The Musical Performs & Wins on The Grammy Awards appeared first on Broadway Black.

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.

You’ll see some familiar faces in this musical comedy sketch. Rodney Hicks, best known for his roles in the original companies of RENT & Scottsboro Boys, takes on the role of a commentator. He throws a little shade at Beyonce but we’ll let him live. Also, Krystal Joy Brown, known as the last Diana Ross on Broadway in Motown: The Musical, is seen here as a moderator for the Super Bowl discussion. Watch the video below!

CAST:
Rodney Hicks as Commentator 1
Scott Richard Foster as Commentator 2
Krystal Joy Brown as Moderator

CREW:
Written by David Ingber
Producer: Todd Pellegrino & Pete Iannucilli & New Wave Entertainment
Director: Evan Kaufman
Music Composition: Brian Usifer

The post Rodney Hicks & Krystal Joy Brown Spit Fire In The Super Bowl Mixtape appeared first on Broadway Black.

Reid’s hit revue, which premiered in 2012, makes its Birdland debut on Feb. 8 to take the audience on a sensational musical ride through 1934 Harlem.

According to press notes, Drop Me Off in Harlem,

 is an evening of club-hopping to the music of Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington and Andy Razaf…through the elegant nightclubs and working class speakeasies that made uptown gay and delightful, however dull and depressing downtown Manhattan could be. In 1934, on a Saturday night in New York City, if you were boozin’ and jazzin’, you were doing it in Harlem.  In this club-hopping journey, Reid propels us into a night of uptown enchantment using his unique arsenal of talents.

Reid, a stunning vocalist and accomplished dancer, was most recently seen in After Midnight and has also appeared on Broadway in Mary Poppins, The Wedding Singer, La Cage aux Folles, Never Gonna Dance, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Follies and Kiss Me, Kate.

Hughes is currently gearing up for the City Center Encores! production of Cabin in the Sky which opens on Feb. 10 with a limited five-night engagement through Feb. 14.  Additional Broadway credits include Beautiful, Ghost the Musical, Book of Mormon, Ragtime, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Chicago. 

Broadway at Birdland presents Drop Me Off in Harlem Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.  All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum.

The post Carly Hughes Joins T. Oliver Reid in Drop Me Off In Harlem appeared first on Broadway Black.

James, who studied musical theatre at Penn State University, most recently appeared in NBC’s “The Wiz Live!” and has performed in Motown The Musical, In The Heights and Rent. In 2009, he released the Akira Shelton-produced soulful house EP Eletrik Love. After meeting choreographer/dancer/producer Michael Balderrama on In The Heights, James signed with Balderrama’s indie label Silver Towers Productions (later Silver Towers Records). He followed up with his debut album Meant To Be in 2012, a soul-pop album of “New Soul” echoing back to the soul of real music and melody.

James, the son of a DJ, is from a Baptist church family and was singing since he could stand. He recalled hearing his mother play Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder and Teddy Pendergrass records. He developed his song writing chops as a young boy before furthering his craft during college. He wrote for and performed with a sextet acapella group called PRESSURE. The group’s popularity attracted indie record label contracts, which forced the group to move to New York to seek new management and move closer to the music industry action.

Delious Kennedy of Breakout Magazine said: “Upon listening to Marcus sing, you’ll notice that he’s a bit fresh and old school at the same time. Evoking memories of my favorite singer Luther Vandross, Marcus’ soulful delivery and style is one that I wish would return in droves to the music scene…”

Like the title track of his EP, which charted on the UK electric charts, the singles “Wonderful Love” and “Right Now” from his debut album made it to the UK soul charts and held first and third slots for five consecutive weeks.

James’ latest is the single “Living The Dream,” which he dropped August 2015. More new music will be featured at the concert.

James will appear at 11:30pm on Stage 3. Stage 3 opens at 6:30pm. Rockwood Music Hall is a 21+ venue.

He will next perform Feb. 15, for Inspirational Broadway with Michael McElroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices. Other guests include: Tony-winner Billy Porter (Shuffle Along, Kinky Boots); Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, Rent, The Color Purple) and two-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry (The Scottsboro Boys, Violet).

Marcus Paul James performs “Mirrors” at last year’s “Broadway Sings Justin Timberlake.”

The post Marcus Paul James In Concert At Rockwood Music Hall appeared first on Broadway Black.

Inspired by Dr. Kings famous 1967 speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence” which was performed at Harlem’s Riverside Church, MLK Now will feature historic speeches by many civil rights leaders performed by some of todays hottest actors and Broadway Black stars — including Actor and Civil Rights Icon Harry Belafonte, Actor and Comedian Chris Rock, Oscar-Winner Octavia Spencer, Tony Award Winner Lin Manuel Miranda, Actors Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson, Tony Award Winner Anika Noni Rose, Andre Holland, Condola Rashad and Adepero Oduye.

And thats not all according to the press release;

“MLK Now” will also feature musical performances by Anika Noni Rose, Grammy-Nominated Artist Bilal, Acclaimed Poet/Performer Saul Williams, and Grammy-Winning Artist India Arie, and closes off with an interactive panel discussion addressing the most pressing human rights issues of today – including police violence, racial and social injustice, economic inequality, the prison industrial complex and grassroots and political mobilization. Panelists include Filmmaker and Blackout Member Ryan Coogler, Grammy-Nominated Hip Hop Artist J. Cole, Urban Cusp Founder and Publisher Rahiel Tesfamariam, Arab American Association of New York Executive Director Linda Sarsour, Million Hoodies Movement for Justice Executive Director Dante Barry, Filmmaker/Activist and Sakofa.org Co-Director Gina Belafonte; and Activist Leon Ford, Jr. The panel will be moderated by MSNBC National Reporter Trymaine Lee.

With a line-up like this, this an event that no matter where you are you don’t want to miss it. I can’t think of a better way to honor Dr. King’s legacy, especially during our current social climate.

MLK Now is this Monday, January 18th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.), at Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY.

Luckily for those not in New York City you can watch the livestream. You can watch below!

The post Harry Belafonte, Condola Rashad, & More Join United Blackout ‪MLK Now: Special Event appeared first on Broadway Black.

Opening Jan. 26, the 90-minute play runs through Feb. 21, at The Pasadena Playhouse – the official state theatre of California. Talkback sessions will take place Feb 9. and Feb. 16, featuring a panel of community experts, while Feb. 14 will include members of the cast and crew.

Khan, also the director, is the Tony Award-winning co-founder and former artistic director of Crossroads Theatre Company – a company known as one of the foremost Black theatre companies in the United States.

The cast features: Brooks Brantly; Ross Cowan; Anthony J. Goes; Brandon Nagle; Desmond Newson; Damian Thompson; Terrell Wheeler; and Omar Edwards as Tap Griot. Edwards, the show’s improvographer, uses tap dance “to set a mood that is part sublimated anger, part empowerment.”

Khan shared with Pasadena Now:

This cast for The Pasadena Playhouse/Crossroads production is extraordinary. We took much longer than usual to finally assemble the perfect group, but with Pat McCorkle casting, we did it. And here we are with an exceptionally talented, passionate and committed ensemble of young men ready to take California by storm with a story of unparalleled positivity, pride, courage, achievement.

The creative team includes: Hope Clark (choreographer); Beowulf Boritt (set designer); Toni-Leslie James (costume designer); Rui Rita (lighting designer); John Gromada (sound designer); Clint Allen (video/projection designer).

Throughout the years, the Tuskegee Airmen have been the subject of numerous films, television shows and documentaries, including: 12 O’Clock High Graveyard (1966) with Ossie Davis; The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) with Laurence Fishburne; and Red Tails (2012) by George Lucas. During the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, more than 180 airmen attended. The 45th National Convention of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., will take place during July, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The New York Times called Fly “ a superior piece of theatrical synergy.” The production began its rehearsals the last week of December at the The New Victory Theater in New York, where it will have its Off-Broadway premiere in March. The production’s journey extends as far back as 2005, when it was presented as part of Lincoln Center Institute’s educational outreach. Since then it has played at venues such as Flat Rock Playhouse (North Carolina) and Ford’s Theatre (Washington, D.C.). A trailer of the 2012 D.C. show is below.

The post Pasadena Playhouse Announces Cast of Fly Based on Tuskegee Airmen appeared first on Broadway Black.

Skeleton Crew is a tale about how a makeshift family of workers at the last exporting auto plant in the city navigate the possibility of foreclosure. Power dynamics shift and they are pushed to the limits of survival. When the line between blue collar and white collar gets blurred, how far over the lines are they willing to step?

The production’s cast includes Jason Dirden (12 Angry Men, A Raisin In The Sun, Fences), Lynda Gravatt (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Doubt, King Hedley II, 45 Seconds from Broadway), Adesola Osakalumi (Fela!, Fela! The Concert, Equus), Nikiya Mathis, and Wendell B. Franklin.

Actor, director, and Obie Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson is directing the play. Santiago-Hudson also directed the second installment of the trilogy, Paradise Blue, which was staged last summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival. The first installment of Morisseau’s trilogy, Detroit ’67, ran at the Public Theater in 2013.

Morisseau is a recent PoNY (Playwright of New York) fellow, and also wrote Sunset Baby, Follow Me To Nellie’s, and Blood At The Root. Her work has been published in N.Y. Times bestseller “Chicken Soup for the African American Soul” and in the Harlem-based literary journal “Signifyin’ Harlem.” She is a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award honoree, a two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, and winner of the Stavis Playwriting Award.

Santiago-Hudson is a noted actor and playwright who has appeared on Broadway in Jelly’s Last Jam and Stick Fly. He received a Tony Award for his performance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. In 2001, Santiago-Hudson wrote Lackawanna Blues, an autobiographical play in which he portrayed himself and some twenty different characters from his past. He adapted it for an award-winning 2005 HBO film starring Hill Harper, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Terrance Howard.

In 2013, Santiago-Hudson won an Obie Award for Direction and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for his work in the Off-Broadway production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.

Skeleton will run through February 14, 2016. Tickets for the production can be purchased here.

The post Atlantic Theater Company Premieres Skeleton Crew appeared first on Broadway Black.