For one night only, Chuck, renowned for his gorgeous baritone and a forceful presence on Broadway for nearly three decades, leads a long-awaited onstage family reunion featuring his equally exceptional children: Lilli (Spring Awakening, Wicked), Eddie (Little Shop of Horrors, Cinemax’s Banshee), and Alex, a multitalented musician and artist.

Chuck Cooper -Most recently seen on Broadway in Amazing Grace. Chuck Cooper made his Broadway debut in Amen Corner and won a Tony for The Life. Other Broadway credits include Passion, Caroline, or Change, Chicago, Finian’s Rainbowand Romeo and Juliet. Off-Broadway credits include a Lucille Lortel Award-winning performance in The Piano Lesson.

Eddie Cooper – Most recently seen in Encores! Off-Center Little Shop Of Horrors as “Audrey II” and was just cast in Two River Theater’s production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His television credits include ABC’s “Forever,” the recurring role of Fat Au on Cinemax’s “Banshee” and the soon to be released HBO series “Crime.” Eddie is a proud graduate of LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and holds a BFA from Ithaca College.

Alex Cooper–  plays guitar, he sings, he acts and is also a talented artist. Alex along with his siblings, sold out Joe’s Pub a few years back with their concert The Cooper Clan.

Lilli Cooper- Following in the footsteps of her two older brothers, she attended LaGuardia Arts High School in Manhattan. While still in high school, Cooper originated the role of Martha in the groundbreaking 8-time Tony Award winning musical Spring Awakening. After high school, Lilli went to study film at Vassar College. For her Junior year she studied abroad at the Prague Film School, graduating with honors and winning the Best Film award for her thesis film which she wrote and directed. Lilli joined the Second National Tour of Wicked as the Elphaba understudy, and just two years and a trip to Australia later, Lilli was the Elphaba standby on Broadway!

Tickets for the event haven’t been released just yet, but as soon as they are available be sure to check back at Broadway Black for updates, because as always -WE GOT YOU.

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The new musical arrived on Broadway after a run in Chicago last fall. Troika Entertainment is planning to launch a national tour of the production, although no other details have yet been released. The cast will reunite Nov. 2 to record the 22-track recording. Six-time Grammy winner Frank Filipetti is set to produce and engineer.

The track-listing:

“Prologue”
“Truly Alive”
“Auction”
“Someone Who Hears”
“Yema’s Song”
“Voices Of The Angels”
“We Are Determined”
“Never”
“Shadows of Innocence”
“Expectations”
“The Battle/The Drowning”
“African Welcome Song”
“Sing on High”
“Tell Me Why”
“A Chance for Me”
“Nowhere Left to Run”
“Daybreak”
“I Still Believe”
“Testimony”
“I Will Remember”
“Nothing There To Love”
“Amazing Grace”

Amazing Grace is described as a “new original musical based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world’s most beloved song. A captivating tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change.

John Newton (played by Tony Award nominee Josh Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father – a slave trader – or embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Erin Mackey). Accompanied by his slave, Thomas (Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper), John embarks on a perilous voyage on the high seas. When that journey finds John in his darkest hour, a transformative moment of self-reckoning inspires a blazing anthem of hope that will finally guide him home.

The musical also starred Tom Hewitt, Chris Hoch, Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Laiona Michelle, Rachael Ferrera and Elizabeth Ward Land.

We had such a wonderful night at Amazing Grace on Broadway and will miss it dearly, but are delighted to know those sweet sounds will be available early next year. Read our experience in our We Were There: Broadway’s Newest Original Musical Amazing Grace Opening Night article and watch our interviews with members of  the cast & creative team below.

The post Amazing Grace Cast Recording Set For 2016 Release appeared first on Broadway Black.

The burly bass will join an all-male cast at the New Jersey space for the hilarious Tony Award-winning musical farce.

Cooper was most recently seen as Audrey II in the Encores! City Center Production of Little Shop of Horrors after stepping in to replace his father, Tony Award Winner Chuck Cooper (The Life). The elder had decided to commit to his role in the then-upcoming Broadway musical Amazing Grace.

“He was in shows all the time when I was a kid, and my first question when I went to go see him in a show was, ‘Can I go on the stage?,'” Eddie told TheaterMania of his young experiences with his father.  “I just always wanted to go on the stage and I loved the feeling of being on the stage. It stuck, I guess.”

Cooper is one of three stunningly talented siblings in the deservedly dubbed “Cooper Clan.”  A graduate of LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and Ithaca College, the powerhouse has also been seen in TV roles including “Forever,” “Banshee,” and “Crime.”

A Funny Thing Happened… is a hysterical musical comedy with music and lyrics by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim.  Set in Ancient Rome, the musical tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus who attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door.  The role of Pseudolus was brilliantly recaptured by Whoopi Goldberg and David Alan Grier in the 1990’s Broadway Revival.

The must-see spectacle, directed by Jessica Stone, begins previews on Nov.14.  Opening night is set for Nov. 20.  Visit tworivertheater.org to purchase tickets or call (732) 345-1400.

The post Eddie Cooper Joins All-Male Cast of A Funny Thing Happened… appeared first on Broadway Black.

The musical is based on the book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields about Annie Oakley a sharpshooting, poor, country girl and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and her love affair with expert rifleman Frank Butler. Berlin wrote the music and lyrics for the show, which includes the classic tunes “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun,” “I Got Lost in His Arms,” “Anything You Can Do,” and the show’s climatic “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

Cooper will play “Pawnee Bill,” owner of the Far East Show and Buffalo Bill’s former partner and current rival. Jack Dabdoud originated the role in the 1966 Broadway production, which starred Ethel Merman as “Annie.”

Since his Broadway debut, Cooper has appeared as an understudy in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Passion, and Getting Away with Murder. In 1997, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as the pimp “Memphis” in The Life, Cy Coleman’s musical about prostitution in Times Square. He also took over the role of “Billy Flynn” in the 2001 Broadway revival of Chicago. He recently wrapped up a starring role in the musical “Amazing Grace.”

The concerts will be directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, and will feature The Encores! Orchestra led by Encores! music director Rob Berman.

The October 27 concert begins with a 5:30 PM cocktail reception, followed by the 6:30 PM performance. Tickets for both performances can be purchased here.

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The show, which follows John Netwon’s journey that gave birth to the abolitionist movement, cost a whooping $16 million to get off the ground. It was marketed to church groups and African-American audiences with the goal that the inspirational story of John Newton’s religious conversion, and the realistic description of the slave trade, would interest these ticket buyers. However, that strategy did not work out in their favor. Quite the opposite, during the many weeks the show was running, the theatre was only half full.

Amazing Grace played a pre-Broadway engagement in Chicago in fall 2014 and a national tour of the production is in the works. “We are incredibly disappointed in the show’s performance at the box office on Broadway,” lead producer Carolyn Rossi Copeland told the New York Times on Wednesday. “I look forward to bringing this story of hope and redemption to audiences around the country with our upcoming national tour.”

There are a lot of things that could have factored into the the early closing. The target audience they were going for might have felt a bit uncomfortable watching, they simply couldn’t afford to go, or they just weren’t interested. I remember seeing the show opening night and being extremely captivated by it. I also had theatre friends who told me they flat out thought it was a show to appease white guilt and, therefore, were uninterested. Either way, it’s disappointing to see a show with a majority of people of color have to bow out early, when some of the same old shows get to stay. But this is life, and things don’t always work out the way we want.

What I’m most sad about is not seeing Chuck Cooper, Harriett D. Foy, Laiona Michelle, and Rachael Ferrera give their all on stage, but we at Broadway Black know it’s only a matter of time before they wow audiences again.

Because it’s just so hard hard to say goodbye, check out some of these exclusive pics of some of the cast enjoying their success, while remaining humble in the process.

In July cast members Harriet D. Foy and Laiona Michelle were invited to the United Nations for a meet and greet with Ambassador Vandi Chidi Minah of Sierra Leone. This made perfect sense as both ladies portray women from that country. While there, both Foy and Michelle had a moment of self reflection and gratitude.

When visiting the newly built sculptures dedicated to those who were victims of slavery, Michelle noted the following;

 Standing in this beautifully moving piece Harriett and I were overcome with a deep sense of pain, understanding and profound sorrow.  It was quite humbling. Harriet could not touch the sculpture of what seemed to be a child in the hull of the ship where hundreds would be crammed together for the voyage to some unknown place to face untold horrors. This is my ancestry and I had to pay homage because I truly stand on the shoulders of giants.  We tend to take for granted the enormous grace, strength and beauty of which we are built.  I was reminded in one instance, of that legacy.

And we will sure enough miss the beauty  of Amazing Grace. If you haven’t made your way to the Nederlander Theatre, buy your tickets now and experience Amazing Grace for yourself before October 25th!

Take a look back on #OpeningNight with our video below!

The post Amazing Grace Will Close On Broadway October 25th appeared first on Broadway Black.

Caroline, or Change

SHOULD. HAVE. WON. EVERY. SINGLE. TONY. FOR. WHICH. THEY. WERE. NOMINATED.  Okay, I’m good now. This show opened on Broadway in 2004. It’s 2015, why hasn’t there been a revival in the works for the Great White Way? Its score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, Jewish klezmer, and folk music all in one. What other musical does that, and does so effortlessly? If only in 2004 I had been smart enough to become the theatre nerd I am today, I would have begged my mom to take me to New York City to see Tonya Pinkins, Chuck Cooper and Anika Noni Rose in this show. The musical is set in 1963 New Orleans during the American civil rights movement. Caroline works as a maid for a Jewish family, where she is allowed to keep the pocket change she finds while doing laundry. This becomes a point of pride and even crisis for the maid, who cannot cope with greater changes in her life and the growing civil rights movement.

Carmen Jones

If I had been around in the 1940s I would have been all up in the theatre to see Carmen Jones. Oscar Hammerstein’s take on  Bizet’s Opera Carmen featured an all-Black cast set in the South during the World War II era. This time, Carmen is a worker in a parachute factory; Don Jose is now Don, an army corporal; Micaela is now Cindy Lou, Joe’s lover; and Escamillo is Husky Miller, a boxer. When the show was first conceived, they had trouble finding suitable actors for it because back then, Black singers were discouraged (or practically barred) from becoming opera singers. To make up for this they plucked people from all kinds of non-acting positions–film scraper, cop, etc.

She Loves Me

Nearly every character in this show is white, and it takes place in Europe.  However, WHO CARES? This show has some amazing music. Its tender, hilarious, and entrancing “A Romantic Atmosphere” is one of the most exciting, funny production numbers to ever exist. Also I can see Audra McDonald absolutely KILLING it singing Vanilla Ice Cream. Look up the song if you don’t know. Seriously, Audra would slay that role as Amalia. The plot has been seen before:  it revolves around shop employees Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash who, despite being consistently at odds with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other’s secret pen pal met through a lonely-hearts ad.

St. Louis Woman

If you loved Porgy and Bess, you’ll love St. Louis Woman too. It has an Encores cast recording from 1998, but if you search high and low you’ll find the OBC as well. Starring the Nicholas Brothers, Pearl Bailey, and Ruby Hill, St. Louis Woman tells the story of Della Green who falls for Li’l Augie, a jockey with a winning streak, though she’s already the woman of Biglow Brown, a saloon owner. Brown is eventually killed, but he puts a curse on Li’l Augie that ends the streak and Della’s affection for the jockey.

 Once on This Island

It’s a French fairy tale about a young island girl from Haiti, Ti Moune, who falls in love with the mulatto son (Daniel) of a wealthy landowner. When he’s injured, she makes a pact with the gods that it’s going to be her life for his. He survives and is grateful, but rejects her love (RUDE!). The gods, as a reward for her sacrifice and disappointment, grant her eternal life by turning her into a tree. It reminds me a lot of The Tempest, a little Romeo and Juliet, and even some Little Mermaid just shaken up a bit and a lot more music.

We could probably list more overlooked shows, but I’m curious to know about some shows YOU think are overlooked! Sound off below.

The post 5 Great Musicals You’ve Probably Overlooked 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.

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LaChanze! made her Broadway debut as part of the ensemble in Uptown…It’s Hot! in 1986. She’s also appeared in the musical Once on This Island in 1990 in which she played the role of “Ti Moune.” She received nominations for the Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include the 1987 revival of Dreamgirls, Ragtime, and 2014’s If/Then.

As part of her feature on Broadway Legacy, LaChanze also lists her inspirations, “Cicely Tyson for her vulnerability. Alfre Woodard for her honesty. Lola Falana for her confidence. Diana Ross for her business savvy.”

Every other week, Broadway Legacy focuses on a different individual’s accomplishments and inspirations. The series features Broadway veterans such as Chuck Cooper who won a Tony for The Life, Tony nominee Charl Brown, Derrick Baskin, best known for his role of “Comfort Counselor Mitch Mahoney” in the popular Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Ben Harney, who won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as “Curtis Taylor, Jr.” Dreamgirls.

White, who made his Broadway debut in the original production of The Scottsboro Boys created Broadway Legacy to feature men who not only are fiercely talented but also inspiring to each other and others. His goal was to not only show appreciation for their remarkable contributions to entertainment but for these men to be recognized in a high fashion setting and to be presented by an outlet that reaches masses so they can be enlightened and educated. White recently added Broadway Legacy 2.0 and LaChanze! is the first woman to be featured in the section.

Check out all the photos and more info on BroadwayLegacy.com

© Brent Dundore Photography – All Rights Reserved.

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The musical explores the life of John Newton, who was an Englishman who worked as a slave trader before a change of heart compelled him to become an abolitionist, writing the well-known song along the way.

Most of the cast performed in the Chicago production, including Josh Young who portrays Newton (and was nominated for a Tony in 2012 on his Broadway debut in Jesus Christ Superstar). Also returning from the off Broadway production are Tony winner Chuck Cooper, Chris Hoch, Erin Mackey, and Stanley Bahorek.

Amazing Grace, according to press notes, is a “world-premiere musical based on the awe-inspiring true story behind the world’s most beloved song. A captivating tale of romance, rebellion and redemption, this radiant production follows one man whose incredible journey ignited a historic wave of change.

John Newton (Young), a willful and musically talented young Englishman, faces a future as uncertain as the turning tide. Coming of age as Britain sits atop an international empire of slavery, he finds himself torn between following in the footsteps of his father – a slave trader – and embracing the more compassionate views of his childhood sweetheart (Mackey).”

In addition, Amazing Grace will also explore the viewpoint of a slave named Thomas, portrayed  by Tony award-winning Broadway Black actor Chuck Cooper ( The Life; Caroline, Or Change).

Amazing Grace opens on July 16 at the Nederlander Theatre, and will run through December.

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