Friedman-Abeles/New York Public Library

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the Broadway debut of Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play A Raisin In the Sun. It was on this date that history was made as Hansberry was the first African American woman to have her play produced and performed on Broadway; it was also the first Broadway play to be directed by a Black person (Lloyd Richards). It opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater (and later moved to the Belasco Theater) on March 11, 1959, and played for a total of 530 performances before closing on June 25, 1960.

The play centers around the Youngers: a family of five that lives in a 2-bedroom apartment on the Southside of Chicago. Set to the backdrop of post-WWII, the family’s pursuit of success is driven by the idealization of the American dream; often thwarted by the consequential effects of racism, cultural appropriation and identity, and generational differences. Hansberry gives the reader, and oftentimes the performer, an eye-opening look into the Black experience in America with questions of freedom – educational and economic – ruling the conversation.

The play echoes many of the circumstances and accounts of the playwright’s family from the 1940 Supreme Court case of Hansberry v. Lee, which gave them a voice in the judicial system to fight against racial discrimination in the housing market.  Inspired by that, she wrote parts of her truth through the language of a family who only wanted their slice of the American pie; a slice that would feed their spirits in a world that starved them of their identity. 

A Raisin In the Sun has seen a long history on Broadway and around the world. After the original production was nominated in 1960 for four Tony Awards, the story became a universal tale of hope and success. The original production starred Hollywood leading man Sidney Poitier (later succeeded by Ossie Davis), Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Louis Gossett, Ivan Dixon, Lonne Elder III, John Fiedler, Glynn Turman, and Ed Hall. Multiple iterations of Hansberry’s classic have graced the stage and screen over the last 62 years: 

1961 film starring the original Broadway cast. 

Raisin (a musical based on A Raisin In the Sun) debuted on Broadway in 1973. The book was written by Hansberry’s former husband and starred Joe Morton, Debbie Allen, Virginia Capers (Tony winner for Lead Actress in a Musical), Ernestine Jackson, and Ralph Carter. It also won the Tony Award for Best Musical. 

1989 tv film starring Danny Glover and Esther Rolle.

2004 Broadway revival starring Sean Combs, Audra McDonald (Tony winner for Best Featured Actress in a Play), Sanaa Lathan, and Phylicia Rashad (Tony winner for Best Actress in a Play; also the first Black woman to win this award).

2008 tv movie event starring many of the leads of the 2004 Broadway revival. 

2014 Broadway revival at the Ethel Barrymore Theater (where it originally played in 1959) starring Denzel Washington, Sophie Okonedo (Tony winner for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play), Anika Noni Rose, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson. The production also won the Tonys for Best Revival of a Play and Best Direction for Kenny Leon (who also directed the 2008 tv movie). 

The title was inspired by the Langston Hughes poem “Harlem,” which starts out with “what happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” It is the hope in the midst of suffering and the strength in the midst of pain that makes this classic theatre work a blessing to the arts community.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Broadway Black honors Lorraine Hansberry. Your dream is a gift to us all.

The post A Dream Realized: On This Day In Black Theatre History A Raisin In the Sun Debuts on Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee / Netflix

When August Wilson said, “Have a belief in yourself that is bigger than anyone’s disbelief,” I’m sure he could not have imagined the lasting impact and legacy his works would have on American theatre. During a time when his voice is permeating the ethos of our artistic souls, his classic work Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom has reemerged as a testament to the brilliance that comes out of Black artistry. Viola Davis (three-time Tony Award winner) plays the title character, Ma Rainey, approaching the bluesy chanteuse’s nuances with gravitas. As she is no stranger to the words of August Wilson – having played leading female characters of his works on stage and screen – her role in this film hits chords that echo Black Lives Matter.

This film adaptation tells the story of Ma and her band recording several songs over a hot afternoon in the studio while also attempting to calm tensions between her white manager and producer. Throughout the film, she stands her ground, exuding confidence and courage that is reminiscent of the leadership Davis displays as a Black actress. She shares the screen with the late star of Marvel’s “Black Panther,” Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August (his final on-screen role), Glynn Turman (A Raisin In the Sun and “A Different World,”) Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys and “Selma,”) Michael Potts (Cabin In the Sky and Jitney,) Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown, Jonny Coyne, and Jeremy Shamos. It is directed by Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe, adapted for the screen by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and produced by Tony Award winner Denzel Washington.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” begins streaming on Netflix on December 18, 2020.

The post Started From the Bottom: August Wilson’s Classic Finds It’s Home on Netflix appeared first on Broadway Black.

The announcement was made by Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Lorenzo Soria, who knew Washington was the perfect choice given his entire film career. “Washington’s long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera,” he says.

The Cecil B. DeMille Award is given annually to a “talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” The winner is chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors. Washington will be only the third Black recipient of The Cecil B. DeMille Award in its 63-year history, joining Sidney Poitier in 1982 and his Glory co-star, Morgan Freeman in 2012.

Washington holds the record for most Academy Award nominations for a Black actor with six nominations and two wins, one for Best Supporting Actor in Glory, and one for Best Actor in Training Day.  His win in 2001 for Training Day ended an unconscionable 38-year gap between Black actors winning in the Best Actor category.

In 2010, Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Play for his role in August Wilson’s Fences alongside Tony Award winner Viola Davis. He was last seen on Broadway in the 2014 revival of A Raisin In The Sun also starring LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Sophie Okonedo, and Anika Noni Rose.

More recently, Denzel has been putting a hand in the directing/producing field. As Broadway Black previously reported, Washington closed a deal with HBO where he will direct and produce film adaptations of the August Wilson cycle, one a year for the next nine years. The first will be Fences which he will star in alongside former co-star Viola Davis.

The 2016 Golden Globes airs live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

The post Denzel Washington To Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at The Golden Globes appeared first on Broadway Black.

Opening night, featuring fireworks in the middle of Manhattan, was reminiscent of a hollywood premiere. Living up to the hype of “the most exciting and significant musical of the decade” as proclaimed by Wall Street Journal, the stars keep supporting far past it’s beginning on the Great White Way.

Much of the show’s success is credited to Manuel’s way of adding life– vibrant and rhythmic, to a story that to many, might bring back memories of a history class–dry and boring. An avid hip hop fan, Manuel has brought hip hop to the world of musical theatre. This idea is sparking the interests of those who love hip hop and keeping the interests of traditional theatre goers. The success is not going unnoticed.

President Obama and Michelle Obama joined the revolution, Obama even giving a standing ovation and praising it’s brilliance on The Daily Show with John Stewart.

Most recently, Miranda retweeted Alicia Keys’ admiration for the show. Selfies and photo collages line the internet via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook  showing the stars intermixed with the cast of Hamilton. We’ve seen photos with Pharrell, Denzel Washington, Samuel Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Queen Latifah, Laverne Cox, Busta Rhymes, Questlove, Yvette Nicole Brown, Wayne Brady, and Capetha Jenkins.

Be part of history. Because Broadway is cool again. Well, it’s always been cool!

Snag your tickets at hamiltonbroadway.com

Hamilton is currently on an open run at Richard Rodgers Theatre. It began previews on July 13, 2015 and opened On August 6, 2015.

The post Who Hasn’t Seen Hamilton? appeared first on Broadway Black.

East Texas Hot Links tells the story of a small African American community in 1955 Texas. The play takes place during a single night in the Top o’ the Hill Café, where a “betrayal endangers the lives of the community.” Lee’s play originally premiered in 1991 at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles with Loretta Devine in a starring role. A review of the production at the time noted, “the performances are gripping, honest and filled with humor.”

Casting for East Texas Hot Links is currently underway with John Beasley star of TV Land’s “The Soul Man” in the role of “Boochie Reed.” Beasley also serves as a producer. The movie is scheduled to begin shooting next spring in Los Angeles.

In addition to East Texas Hot Links, Lee has written Fear Itself, Somebody Called: A Tale of Two Preachers, Killingsworth, The Rest of Me, the musical Twist, and Lyin’ Ass. He also has appeared on Broadway in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, and as a company member for the Kennedy Center’s 10-play cycle tribute to Wilson. His television credits include “Good Times,” “The White Shadow,” and “The Women of Brewster Place.” He is currently the Artist in Residence and Artistic Director of the Texas State University Black and Latino Playwright’s Conference.

Jackson has enjoyed a long career on the stage including 1990’s Broadway production of Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Most recently, he starred alongside Angela Bassett in Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning drama The Mountaintop as “Dr. Martin Luther King.”

The post Samuel L. Jackson Bringing East Texas Hot Links Play to the Big Screen appeared first on Broadway Black.

Summers, who’s best known for creating and producing Off-Broadway’s From My Hometown: A Rag To Riches Celebration of the American Dream In Classic Rhythm & Blues, made his Broadway debut in the original production of Dreamgirls. Since then, he has appeared Off-Broadway in Miss Marguarita’s Way with Estelle Parsons, as an original cast member of From My Hometown, in the musical Little Ham, as well as in numerous cabaret and regional performances.

As a director, Summers has directed shows in venues ranging from New York’s Urban Stages, AMAS Musical Theatre, New World Stages, The Triad Theatre, Flushing Town Hall, Theatreworks in Palo Alto, CA, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and many more.

A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The American classic takes place in the late 1950’s on Chicago’s South Side, and revolves around the dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son “Walter Lee,” his wife “Ruth,” his sister “Beneatha,” his son “Travis,” and family matriarch “Lena,” called “Mama.”

The Harlem Repertory Theatre is a professional theatre company based in the heart of Harlem in New York City, founded by Keith Lee Grant. The Harlem Repertory Theatre will run the play every Friday at 7pm until December 11th. The theatre’s resident acting company includes Mario C. Brown, Kyria Geneva, Mabel Gomez, Roberto A. Guzman Jr., Jarrid Jones, Bianca Madison, Derrick Montalvo, Eric “Le Roy” Myles, and Joe Sabateur.

For information on tickets and directions, visit www.harlemrepertorytheatre.com.

The first Broadway revival of the play ran at the Royale Theatre from April 26, 2004 to July 11, 2004. The cast included Sean Combs as “Walter Lee,” Phylicia Rashad as “Lena,” Audra McDonald as “Ruth,” and Sanaa Lathan as “Beneatha.” It was directed by Kenny Leon and received two Tony awards: Best Actress in a Play (Rashad) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (McDonald).

A second revival ran ten years later from April 3, 2014 to June 15, 2014 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre with Denzel Washington in the lead role of “Walter Lee.” Other cast members included Sophie Okonedo as “Ruth,” LaTanya Richardson Jackson as “Lena,” and Anika Noni Rose as “Beneatha.” Leon again directed and the play won three 2014 Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Okonedo) and Best Direction of a Play (Leon).

The post A Raisin in the Sun at Harlem Repertory Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

It was recently announced by Viola Davis that she would be starring in a film adaptation of Fences alongside Washington, who will also direct and produce the film. So, naturally, Denzel talked about this upcoming project with Dr. Boyd, but we weren’t expecting what else he had to say when asked “What else can you do? You’ve done everything.”:

“I’m directing Fences, I’ve never directed Fences. I’ve been given the opportunity by the August Wilson estate… He [Wilson] did 10 plays. I’m directing, producing, and acting in one. I’m executive producing the other nine. I’ve made a deal with HBO. We’re going to do one a year for the next nine years. I’m really excited that they would put that in my hands and trust me. That’s good enough for me. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Apparently, today is Christmas. The image of this Rose and Troy are forever burned in my memory. #Fences https://t.co/bJcLjHh1Wl

— Uzo Aduba (@UzoAduba) September 18, 2015

“No one’s gift is more important than anyone else’s” – Denzel on everyone doing what they love #DenzelatTheWallis #DenzelandDrB — The Good Dr. (@DrToddBoyd) September 18, 2015

@TheWallisBH OMG! I cannot wait for the HBO productions of August Wilson’s plays! Congrats, #DenzelattheWallis! Love this!

— Lisa DeNeal (@diolette) September 18, 2015

I could watch this all day long! #DenzelattTheWallis Wisdom, Strength and straight hilarious. Thank you #DenzelWashington @BroadwayBlack

— Tatiana Bacchus (@tbacchus20) September 18, 2015

And… Yeah… That’s exactly where we dropped dead. This is SO amazing. Each of Wilson’s 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle aka the Century Cycle is set during a different decade of the 1900s and aims to describe the Black experience. We have been preaching about August Wilson to anyone who will listen and now we’ll have contemporary depictions of each play released once a year to use as reference and just for personal enjoyment. This is phenomenal. Please hold why we try to breathe. In the meantime, Denzel explained why Wilson’s work is meant for mass consumption:

“The universal stems from the specific. His stories are specifically African American stories but the themes are universal. Family, Love, Betrayal–whatever the theme is. People relate and enjoy listening to or seeing his work. He was just a bright, brilliant, shining light who was here and then he was gone, but his work will live forever to be interepreted by actors & directors for as long as we’re here.”

Watch the entire interview below and also educate yourself on the August Wilson Cycle below.

(Wish that The Green Space would unlock those August Wilson recordings again. Who knows? They just might.)

The post Denzel Washington Will Help Bring Entire August Wilson Cycle To HBO appeared first on Broadway Black.

The two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe winner and winner of a Tony Award – was one of five artists named as artistic advisors for the Wallis season. The event, now sold-out and set to be streamed lived, is the first in a series of “Arts & Ideas: Conversations at The Wallis” and will feature Washington in conversation with “Notorious Ph.D” Todd Boyd.

The Am I Black Enough For You? author will have a spectrum of topics from which to choose. Noted for this pioneering work on media, race, cinema, Hiphop culture and sports, Dr. Boyd is professor of cinema and media studies at USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Katherine and Frank Price endowed chair for the university’s Study of Race and Popular Culture. His course “Race, Class and Gender in American Film” has been listed as one of the Top 10 classes at USC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXkpMm3aJdM

Last year, he also motivated young aspiring actors during his 2014 stint in the Kenny Leon-directed A Raisin in the Sun to pursue goals not just dreams and to have discipline and consistency.

The evening with Washington at The Wallis will demonstrate just how “sexy” his career his been since his Hollywood start in the 1981 Carbon Copy. The Fordham University graduate, who majored in drama and journalism, has acted in more than 54 films and portrayed several real-life personalities, including: drug boss Frank Lucas (American Gangster, 2007); poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson (The Great Debaters, 2007); football coach Herman Boone (Remember The Titans, 2000); boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (Hurricane, 1999); Muslim minister and activist Malcolm X (Malcolm X, 1992); and South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko (Cry Freedom, 1987).

His slave-soldier role in the 1989 drama Glory earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, while he took home a Best Actor award as a corrupt cop in the 2001 Training Day. Washington became the second African American to win the Best Actor category, following Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, 1964).

Washington is set to direct the film version of August Wilson’s Fences in which he starred on Broadway opposite Viola Davis during 2010. His other stage appearances have been in Julius Caesar (2005); Public Theater’s Richard III (1990); and an Off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production of Charles Fuller’s A Solider’s Play (1981). For the latter, he won a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for his role “Private First Class Melvin Peterson.”

Basically, Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors of all time. If there is any doubt, comedians and “Denzealots” W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery host a podcast via Wolfpop called… “Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of all Time Period.” Since the first episode – “Getting into the Denzelishness” – in November 2014, the show has the mission to prove that statement while featuring guests, “Denzel News” and review his films. All Wolfpop shows are available for free listening and download.

The post Wallis Kicks Off Season With Denzel Washington Livestream appeared first on Broadway Black.

“They are making Fences, August Wilson’s play, into a feature that Denzel Washington is directing and I’m going to be in,” the actress told The New York Times.

The two-time Oscar nominated star has only been seen on Broadway in August Wilson pieces, which is what makes this really special. She also won her first Tony Award for her role in King Hedley II starring opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell & Leslie Uggams. It has not been said if Denzel Washington will reprise his role in the film also. However, we hope that we will be willing to perform double duty as director and star.

UPDATE: DENZEL WASHINGTON WILL HELP BRING ENTIRE WILSON CYCLE TO HBO – READ MORE HERE

 

Fences is a 1983 play by American playwright August Wilson. Set in the 1950s, it is the sixth in Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle,” a set of 10 plays set in Pittsburgh throughout an entire century. Like all of the “Pittsburgh” plays, Fences explores the evolving African-American experience and examines race relations, among other themes. The show centers on Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh sanitation worker who once dreamed of a baseball career, but was too old when the major leagues finally admitted black players. As he faces off against the racial barrier at work and his own disappointments, Troy also grapples with his son Cory over the teenager’s hope for a football scholarship and with his wife, Rose, who confronts Troy over a child he has fathered with another woman.

The original Broadway production hit broadway in 1987. It won the Pulitzer Prize and Best Play Tony Award as well as Best Actor for James Earl Jones and Best Actress for (Mary Alice). The same roles and Tony Awards later played/won by Washington and Davis in the revival.

Watch Washington & Davis talk about Broadway’s 2010 Fences below!

The post Viola Davis Will Star In Film of Wilson’s Fences Directed By Denzel Washington appeared first on Broadway Black.

Recently, Washington shared his inspirational message with teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Baton Rouge. His advice: Be humble. Give thanks. Give back. Put in work. Be smart. Get educated.

Washington, who is in the city filming a remake of “The Magnificent Seven” with Chris Pratt, is the national spokesperson for the Boys’ Club. He shared stories from his childhood and the lessons he’s learned throughout his life with the youth at the Baton Rouge Club. The Boys Club of Mt. Vernon helped him through trying times at home after his parents separated.

“I thought I was a man. I thought I was tougher than my mom,” he said. “I had one foot in the penitentiary. I didn’t go, but I was doing wrong things.”

Washington said the club gave him a sense of belonging and being around responsible adults helped him fall in with the “right pack” of people.

“Initially, it was just going, meeting new friends and competing, and the lessons were being laid in while you were playing basketball or running track,” Washington said. “They weren’t served up as lessons … but that’s what they became.”

He also added that, although he didn’t decide to be an actor until his junior year in college, the seeds for his career path were planted at the Boys & Girls Club. It was there that he learned that it takes more than talent to succeed.

“It’s not what you have,” he said, “it’s what you do with what you have.”

Although he has had a storied career full of accolades, including two Academy Awards and a Tony Award for his lead role in August Wilson’s Fences, Washington has remained active in the Boys & Girls Club of America. He became national spokesperson in 1992, was inducted in the Club’s Hall of Fame in 1993, joined the organization’s Board of Governors in 1996, and received the Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Award, the Club’s highest tribute to a volunteer, in 2004. In 2006, Washington wrote A Hand to Guide Me to share a message about the positive influence mentors can have on youth.

The post Denzel Washington Inspires Youth at Boys and Girls Club appeared first on Broadway Black.