Hamilton 

What is a best of 2015 list without Hamilton? Not a list at all. The hip-hop musical about America’s most controversial founding father with its diverse cast and #hamiltunes that will be stuck in your head forever earns its prized spot on the list. Any show capable of selling out for over a year is a winner in my book. #HamilTonys

Invisible Thread 

Did I mention I saw this show four times? I’m not kidding. The only reason it wasn’t more is because I’m not rich and I went home for Christmas break. The show that tells the story of one man’s incredible journey of self and the people’s lives he impacts was a no-brainer on my list. The dancing, the acting, and the singing is enough to bring you in and take you to new places. #Belamusana

The Color Purple 

Of course, The Color Purple was going to make this list. Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Hudson make their Broadway debuts and they enter with a big ol’ splash. The simplistic styling of this musical requires the actors to give their all and bare it on the stage, which they do every night. I see Tonys in their future.

Whorl Inside A Loop 

No wonder it’s going to Broadway!  It’s that darn good. Second Stage is doing some pretty awesome things over there on 43rd Street, if this show is any indication. It tells the story of an actress teaching prisoners how to tell and act out their personal stories. This show definitely tugged at my heartstrings and now, hopefully, many more will be able to witness its brilliance.

The Gin Game 

Legendary. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson sharing the stage again was one of the most amazing moments of 2015. Being able to just be in that room and watch these masters grace the stage effortlessly was a big deal. Black don’t crack, and neither does our ability to memorize scripts and get out there and be amazing eight nights a week.

Barbecue 

The Public Theater also has some hits on their hands. Barbecue centered around family, addiction, and making difficult choices. Written by Obie Award Winning Playwright Robert O’Hara, the play was full of twists and turns that left audiences gasping and guessing about what was going to happen next.

Paradise Blue

Our girl Dominique Morisseau came through. The production is directed by the always amazing Ruben Santiago-Hudson and stars Tony Award-nominee De’Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Golden Globe-nominee Blair Underwood (A Street Car Named Desire), and Andre Holland. This show, which is the first in a trilogy, made waves at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Like Morisseau herself, I doubt it’s the last you’ll hear about it.

An Octoroon 

An Octoroon (the term “Octoroon” is a person who is one-eighth Black) is all about race in the United States. The brilliant show written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins got its start at Soho Rep and uses satire to get at the United States’ horrible legacy of slavery. Incorporating Black face, red face and everything in between, this show took it there unapologetically. An Octoroon can make an entire audience uncomfortable and force them to face the harsh realities of this “great” nation all in one. After all, art is an imitation of life, right?

Amazing Grace

Gone too soon. The song I sang as a child suddenly held more weight when I finally was able to see this show in the summer. Beautifully and thoroughly executed, Amazing Grace was a gracious piece of theatre that wasn’t afraid to go there. While it may have left Broadway, the cast recording will be enough to keep me going.

Eclipsed 

This is another one that moved from Off-Broadway because of its stellar cast and amazing story. Danai Gurira is genius. Set during the Liberian Civil War, Eclipsed tells the stories of the captive wives of a rebel officer who band together to form a fragile community—until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. Heartfelt, funny, and mesmerizing are just a few adjectives to describe how great of a show this is.

Special Mention: The Wiz Live!

How could I make a list without The Wiz Live! on it? This show and all of its #melaninmagic captivated audiences everywhere. The old classic story of The Wiz with a modern twist appealed to audiences young and old, and brought together an entire community on Dec. 3rd. That night also made us realize Shanice Williams was going places, Stephanie Mills has still got it, David Alan Grier has some serious pipes, Uzo Aduba and Queen Latifah can do no wrong, Amber Riley was underappreciated on Glee, and “conversate” is an actual word.

Thats our list, what did you see that you put on your list? Sound off in the comments below and check out in-depth information on all of these shows on our site!

The post And The Winner Is…Broadway Black Top 10 of 2015 appeared first on Broadway Black.

THE STORY: Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling Arkansas homestead to settle the accounts of the newly-dead patriarch. As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery surfaces among their father’s possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations.

The Washington Post & The New York post had nothing but great things to say about the playwright and his work:

“…very fine, subversively original…[Jacobs-Jenkins] honors the time-tested recipes of those who have gone before him, combining them into a crafty narrative…But he also brings a culinary self-consciousness to the mix that makes you savor the ingredients anew, while pondering why they have dominated American theater for so long…APPROPRIATE is piercingly clear, with carefully drawn characters who speak in crisp and fluid dialogue. [Jacobs-Jenkins] enjoys his quarrelsome characters, and he has achieved the difficult feat of making them all both unlovable and impossible not to identify with…remarkable and devious.” —NY Times.

“…prodigiously gifted…[Branden Jacobs-Jenkins] effortlessly and believably taps into a white family’s dysfunction, infuses the script with unforced, viperish humor…APPROPRIATE is an uncommonly deft dramatic and technical achievement.” —Entertainment Weekly. “…an exceptionally brilliant piece of writing…gut-punchingly honest work.” —Time Out Chicago.. “…biliously funny…Jacobs-Jenkins [is] a witty provocateur and a dramatist on whom to keep your eye…What distinguishes [APPROPRIATE] is the playwright’s gift for drawing his characters into an escalating conflict and sustaining, with humor and craft, our curiosity about how they digest the terrible information thrown at them.” —Washington Post.

The production of his newest work, Gloria, which recently completed its debut at the Vineyard Theatre, was our introduction to Branden Jacobs-Jenkins here at Broadway Black. Now, Los Angeles will have the opportunity to experience the humor, wit, and artistry of this exciting playwright.

Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Eric Ting, will play at the Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, September 23- November 1. For tickets and more information, visit www.centertheatregroup.org

The post Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate Makes LA Debut appeared first on Broadway Black.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has proven himself as a brilliant young playwright with his plays Neighbors and Wars, as well as the aforementioned works. His desire to examine the complexities of identity and social construct has led to receiving the Princess Grace Award, The Paula Vogel Award, and the Dorothy Streslin Playwriting Fellowship, in addition to the acclaim and respect of the national theater community. This artist and this art is extremely necessary in the current climate because it breaks down long standing walls of division brick by brick while including moments of joy. The importance of this is that it not only heals, it advances society as a whole.

Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is running now until July 3rd Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th Street New York, NY 10003. For tickets and more information, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org

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