What is life right now?! Well, we’ll tell you. Life is heaven because it was announced today that Phylicia Rashad will return to the stage in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Head of Passes. The show will play The Public Theater, starting with previews on March 15th. The play will be directed by Tina Landau. Phylicia Rashad returns to The Public to play “Shelah” in this deeply moving new drama about family, acceptance, and the power of faith. Rashad last appeared at The Public in The Story by Tracey Scott Wilson in 2003. An official press opening will happen on Monday, March 28.
We previously talked about a run of Head of Passes at Berkeley Repertory Theatre to rave reviews back in May starring Cheryl Lynn Bruce. So, we’re so excited that Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad has signed on and that this new mounting is a co-production with Berkley Rep. Joining her in the cast of the nine person play includes Alana Arenas (Cookie), Francois Battiste (Aubrey), Kyle Beltran (Crier), and J. Bernard Calloway (Spencer). This is something you do not want to miss. The show is being billed as follows:
Tarell Alvin McCraney, MacArthur Award-winning playwright of the acclaimed Brother/Sister Plays, has written a poetic and contemporary parable inspired by the Book of Job. At the mouth of the Mississippi River, Shelah’s family and friends have come to celebrate her birthday and save her from a leaking roof, but unexpected events turn the reunion into the ultimate test of faith and love. As her world seems to collapse around her, Shelah must fight to survive the rising flood of life’s greatest challenges.
Watch a discussion at Head of Passes with the playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney below!
You know how tickets fly at the The Public Theatre so get them as soon as you can! Do whatever you need to do but do not miss this show. Just in case you don’t understand why we’re so excited about Queen Rashad taking on this role, check her résumé and see how much she slays. Long after the Cosby days she has made waves in the theatre world.
PHYLICIA RASHAD (Shelah) was last seen at The Public in The Story by Tracey Scott Wilson in 2003, as well as in Helen in 2002, and Everybody’s Rudy in 1999. She is a versatile performer who became a household name when she portrayed “Claire Huxtable” on “The Cosby Show,” a character whose appeal has earned numerous honors and awards for over two decades. While television was a catalyst in the rise of Rashad’s career, she has also been a force on the stage, appearing both on and off-Broadway, often in projects that showcase her musical talent such as Jelly’s Last Jam, Into The Woods, Dreamgirls, and The Wiz. As a dramatic actress, Rashad has appeared on Broadway in August Osage County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (also West End), Gem Of The Ocean (Tony nomination), A Raisin in the Sun (Drama Desk and Tony Awards) and Cymbeline. She appeared in Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds, and starred in Perry’s highly acclaimed film version of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. She made her directorial debut at the Seattle Repertory Theater with August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean and has directed works at The Ebony Repertory, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Westport County Playhouse, Mark Taper, Longwharf Theatre, and the McCarter Theatre. Rashad has received numerous honorary doctorate degrees and awards for excellence both in theater and television.
