Let the saints rejoice! One of my favorite white women on Broadway, Shoshana Bean, is back at it again with her annual holiday concert, Sing Your Hallelujah, and she has some Broadway Black faves on her lineup! The tradition began back in 2018 with her series of sold-out shows at the Apollo Theater. Shoshana’s inventive and jaw-dropping twist on holiday classics had the people coming back for more. This year, it will still be filmed at the Apollo, but streamed live on Saturday, December 12th, 9 pm EST. 

Special guests include Antonyo Award winner and 2020 Tony Nominee Daniel J. Watts, Jared Grimes, Shayna Steele, Jeremy Jordan, Gavin Creel, and Connie Talbot. Tickets start at $30 with various VIP add-on options including a Live Q&A, signed posters, audio recordings of the show, and more! 

The show will be rolled out through Stellar, a new premium streaming platform designed specifically for live performances. Ticket holders will be able to stream the event on any computer browser (laptop or desktop), mobile web, the Stellar Android or iOS app, or on TV via the Stellar app on Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku

If you want to be blessed by some bad bitch voices, make sure you tune in to this concert. For more info or tickets, click HERE.

The post Let the Choir Sing!: Shoshana Bean’s ‘Sing Your Hallelujah’ now streaming appeared first on Broadway Black.

Pop and R&B princess Mariah Carey has had a record breaking eighteen number one singles on the Billboard charts. Carey also boasts over 200 million album sales and is the best-selling female artist of all time. Currently, the 5 octave chanteuse is performing for her residency in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.  Carey’s show “Mariah #1 to Infinity” will be the first time she will perform all 18 of her number one hits in one concert. And while the Las Vegas show has been met with some not so nice reviews , there is no doubt that she has cemented her name as a dominator of the charts. No one croons about the highs and lows of love and courtship quite like Mimi!

Regardless of the Vegas reviews, a Mariah Carey tribute is still the perfect accompaniment to the fine dining at 54 Below. The swanky top nightspot affectionately dubbed Broadway’s Supper Club, “offers an unforgettable New York nightlife experience, combining performances by Broadway’s best with world class dining in an elegant setting. 54 Below has become Broadway’s living room; a home away from home for Broadway professionals and audiences alike” according to the website.

For more information on how to purchase tickets for this fabulous night of food and fresh vocal arrangements of the Mariah Carey’s hit, check out www.54below.com

The post Mmm…Mmm…Mimi! 54 Below Serves Up Mariah Carey’s Hottest Hits appeared first on Broadway Black.

This year’s festival, which runs August 3^rd through August 8th, boasts celebrity co-chairs Debbie Morgan  and Darnell Williams well known as the beloved Black power couple “Angie and Jessie” on the soap opera “All My Children”. Additionally, theatre goers will have the opportunity to attend “The Monkey on My Back” (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) which details memoirs of her life and legacy. After a stirring celebrity processional replete with African drummers and dancers, attendees of the opening night gala will be treated to an awards presentation. Check out our previous article on this year’s honorees.

The headlining event of the festival this year will be “Black Stars of the Great White Way: A Chapman Roberts Concept” produced by Chapman Roberts. The concert has been described as a “soaring music and dance celebration of the glorious 100 year history of African Americans on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. This Gala All Broadway Star Production is specifically designed to honor NBTF luminaries past and present”. The concert will include tributes to Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and Noble Sissle. This star studded concert will include the likes of Melba Moore, Jackee Harry, Harold Wheeler, Hattie Winston, Obba Babatunde, Maurice Hines, Alyson Williams, Norm Lewis, Andre Deshields, Larry Marshall, Peggi Blu, Longineu Parsons, Jeffresy Anderson-Gunter, Kirk Taylor, Jacob Wheeler, Dawnn Lewis and Jermaine Coles. Selections from beloved productions of Eubie, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Sunset Boulevard, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Wiz  and the film “Selma,” will highlight the rich history of Black Broadway Theatre.

According to the website, this year’s festival promises a multitude of “…electrifying performances, informative workshops, riveting films and insightful spoken word poetry that will open your eyes to a new perspective on our culture’s artistic endeavors. Every evening culminates with a Celebrity Reception, Midnight Readers’ Theatre and the Midnight Poetry Jam.” Festival attendees should keep their eyes out for popular productions such as “Letter from Zora: In Her Own Words” performed by OPAS (Los Angeles, CA)  , “The Eve of Jackie: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson” performed by Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY), , “At Last: A Tribute to Etta James” performed by Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) and “The Bluest Eye” performed by North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)

This year’s lineup promises to be an exciting and powerful celebration of Black Theatre for both festival veterans and newcomers. Avid festival attendee and supporter Wendell Tabb, Chair of Visual and Performing arts at Hillside High School says the following about the festival “I have had the pleasure of attending the Theatre Festival since 1989. Many of my former Hillside Theatre students perform at the Festival with Theatre Companies from around the world. The National Black Theatre Festival has helped jumpstart so many professional careers and has afforded great opportunities for artist to develop and showcase their works. The vision and legacy of the late Larry Leon Hamlin continues to shine through the hearts of many. I am extremely grateful and honored to be a part of Black Theatre” in the words of Larry Leon Hamlin that’s Marvtastic!

Tickets are currently available online at ww.nbtf.org . Connect with the festival on Facebook.

View a full list of the 2015 NBTF Honorees HERE

The post 2015 National Black Theatre Festival: Promises Music, Dance, Theatre & A Celebration of Legacy appeared first on Broadway Black.

#BroadwayBlackFriday!

Melba Moore made her Broadway debut as Dionne in the original production of Hair in 1967. She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical in 1970 for her performance in Purlie as Lutiebelle. In 1978, she returned to Broadway in Timbuktu.

Be sure to catch what is sure to be a memorable night with a spectacular talent! Check out a preview for her performance below!

Tickets for Melba Moore at 54 Below can be purchased by visiting 54below.com.

54 Below -Broadway’s Supper Club is located at 254 W. 54th St., New York, NY 10019.

Join Grammy nominee and Tony Award winner Melba Moore as she takes the 54 Below stage! Hailing from a musical family, Ms. Moore graduated from the famed Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey. At the encouragement of her parents, she went on to pursue music education at Montclair State University where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree. However, her inner voice told her to see if she could make it as a performer. After listening to that inner voice, she landed roles in classic shows such as Hair, Les Misérables, and Purlie, for which she earned her Tony Award. Although Ms. Moore enjoyed working on Broadway, she never forgot her first love of music. She has recorded several albums and has enjoyed great success musically with such chart topping songs as “Love’s Comin’ At Ya,” “Living For Your Love,” and “Read My Lips,” for which she received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal.

Now hear Ms. Moore’s musical versatility live at 54 Below! Guests can expect to hear everything from the works that earned her star status on the Great White Way to the chart topping hits from her recording career.

The post Melba Moore Live In Concert At 54 Below appeared first on Broadway Black.