Four-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown will choreograph and is poised to breathe new life into this timeless classic. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date. Including Arthur Laurents’s book, Jule Styne’s music, and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, “Gypsy” is set to reopen the legendary Majestic Theatre, adding another glorious chapter to its illustrious history.

Producers Tom Kirdahy and Mara Isaacs, along with Kevin Ryan and Diane Scott Carter, have expressed their excitement at the prospect of bringing Audra McDonald’s unparalleled talent to the forefront of this production. Their vision of pairing McDonald with the esteemed George C. Wolfe is set to captivate audiences and reaffirm the musical’s status as one of the greatest of all time.

Kirdahy and Isaacs expressed their delight in a statement: “Sometimes the theatre gods smile upon us. This is one such time. We could not be more honored to bring this particular ‘Gypsy’ to the Broadway stage and also include the singular Camille A. Brown as part of our creative team.”

The revival of Gypsy promises to be a momentous occasion. Performances are scheduled to begin on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the newly renovated Majestic Theatre. The official opening is on Thursday, December 19, 2024, marking a milestone in Broadway history.

Audra McDonald’s casting as “Rose” has generated significant anticipation, with critics and fans eagerly awaiting her interpretation of this iconic character. Known for her unparalleled versatility and polish on stage, McDonald is poised to imbue Gypsy with a newfound depth and nuance.

George C. Wolfe, hailed as “a titan of the American theatre” by The New Yorker, reunites with McDonald following their collaboration on the Tony-nominated production of “Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.” Their partnership promises to bring a fresh perspective to “Gypsy,” breathing new life into this beloved classic.

Tickets for Gypsy will go on sale on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at 10 a.m. via telecharge.com, offering theatre enthusiasts the opportunity to secure their seats for what promises to be an unforgettable theatrical experience.

Since its premiere in 1959, “Gypsy” has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide, with legendary performers such as Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, and Bernadette Peters leaving an indelible mark on the role of “Rose.” Now, as Audra McDonald takes center stage, it’s her turn to shine in this timeless musical theatre masterpiece.

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A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Loosely based on the playwright’s life, the Younger family grapples with an American dilemma that coerces the psyche into believing that separate really is equal. In post-WWII Chicago, where everyone was looking to feed themselves literally and figuratively with a piece of the American dream, Walter, Ruth, Mama, Beneatha, and Travis find themselves in the middle of a custody battle over the soul and integrity of America; believing in the power of change and progression and reconciling with the truth of a divided American landscape. This drama first debuted on Broadway in 1959, starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Claudia McNeil, and Glynn Turman. It has since seen multiple revivals on Broadway in 2004 and 2014, with the 2004 production winning for Best Actress in a Play for Phylicia Rashaad and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Audra McDonald. The 2014 production resulted in wins for Sophie Okonedo for Best Featured Actress in a Play, Kenny Leon for Direction of a Play, and Best Revival of a Play. A Raisin In the Sun is also the first play written by a Black woman to be performed and produced on Broadway. 

A full audio recording of the play from L.A. Theatre Works can be found HERE.

Fences by August Wilson

Written in 1985 as part of Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle,” Fences closely tracks the internal turmoil that Troy faces in providing for his wife and teenage son. As a man whose dreams were not fully realized as a major league baseball player, Troy tries to build himself up within the city sanitation department as a driver (something Black men weren’t allowed to do). Young people should read this play primarily for the conversation between Troy and his son, Cory, about being a parent, a caregiver, and a Black man. Troy says, “A man got to take care of his family. You live in my house… sleep your behind on my bedclothes… fill your belly up with my food… cause you my son—you my flesh and blood. Not ’cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you.” The original Broadway production won the Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (James Earl Jones), Best Direction, and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Mary Alice). The 2010 revival won Best Performance by a Leading Actor and Leading Actress in a Play for Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, respectively, and Best Revival of a Play. 

for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange 

Shange’s emotional choreopoem, which fuses music, dance, and poetry, is a literary blueprint for understanding and appreciating Black women. It debuted at the Booth Theater in New York City in 1976 and was only the second work by a Black woman to be done on Broadway (it was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 1976). Referred to only by a color (red, orange, blue, green, purple, yellow, and brown), each woman relishes in her own self-discovery and self-identity in a world that has yet to see them for the beautiful humans they are. Shange illuminates the power of Black female sisterhood while also encouraging the reader to heal, survive, and reclaim their joy. The Public Theater recently did a production in 2019 that Camille A. Brown choreographed. 

Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau

Omari is a young Black male dealing with the pressures of high school academia in a school where microaggressions are as common as saying the pledge of allegiance. Morisseau’s modern drama on race and the education system may appear to be a shocking reflection of what young people may encounter today. Still, it is also a challenge for educators everywhere to see their students beyond a name on a class roster. Omari and his mother, Nya, push each other to combat the triggers that young Black men face regularly, and do some deep soul-searching to heal their mother-son relationship, so Omari doesn’t lose himself by proving himself. The play was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards during its run at Lincoln Center and can currently be found on BroadwayHD.

The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe

Performed as vignettes known as “exhibits,” The Colored Museum illuminates the  Black experience by taking the reader and audience member on a historical journey from the flight to Savannah from the Ivory Coast in “Git On Board” to the ode to Black theatre drama in “The Last Mama-on-the-Couch Play” in which Wolfe makes references to Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf and Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun. The Colored Museum takes the tragedy and pain of our experience as Black people living in America. It gives it a distinct voice of truth and integrity that has otherwise been whitewashed and gaslit.

Honorable mentions:

A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller

Blues For Mister Charlie by James Baldwin

Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond

The post Class Is In Session: 5 Plays by Black Playwrights Every Young Black Student Should Read appeared first on Broadway Black.

Courtesy of Netflix

After his magnetic performance in August Wilson’s acclaimed drama, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which debuted on Netflix in December 2020, Chadwick Boseman will receive a posthumous honor. The late actor, who passed away last summer after a 4-year battle with colon cancer, will receive the Performance of the Year Award by the Critic’s Choice Association at their third annual Celebration of Black Cinema.

Portraying the troubled yet inspiring role of Levee in the Netflix drama directed by George C. Wolfe (Topdog/Underdog), written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Stick Fly), and produced by Denzel Washington (Fences), Boseman ignited our screens for what would be his final performance. Levee is the trumpet player for Ma Rainey, who’s aspirations and goals are what encapsulates the dream for Black America: hard work, grit, and an uncompromising passion. He is joined on screen by other stage legends Tony winner Viola Davis (King Hedley II), Tony nominee Colman Domingo (The Scottsboro Boys), and Glynn Turman (A Raisin In the Sun). 

Although Boseman is most remembered for his groundbreaking role as King T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel film “Black Panther,” he is no stranger to the stage. After graduating from Howard Unversity with a BFA in Directing, Boseman set his sights on acting, directing, and playwriting. He is a former Drama League Directing Fellow and an AUDELCO winner for his role in Urban Transitions. 

Along with the award, a donation will be made in Boseman’s honor to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gold Program. The Academy describes the program as a “talent development, diversity, and inclusion initiative to provide individuals, with a focus on underrepresented communities, access, and resources to achieve their career pathways in filmmaking.”

The digital event will be shared with the public on Saturday, February 6 on KTLA.

You can now watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom streaming on Netflix

The post Critic’s Choice Association Honors the Talent of Chadwick Boseman appeared first on Broadway Black.

Courtesy of Howard University

All those having a Hot Girl Semester can end it with a special treat to honor one of the OG Hot Girls, Ma Rainey. Howard University and the August Wilson Society (AWS) will host “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Virtual Jam Session” on Saturday, December 19th, at 5 pm EST in partnership with Netflix. 

The session will not only honor the work of August Wilson, but it will also pay respects to entertainment giant and Howard alum Chadwick Boseman, in the final film he shot before passing. The Jam Session will also hold a unique panel discussion about the differences between the piece in its original play format and the new film. 

The two-part event, led by AWS president Shandra G. Shannon, Ph.D., will feature Phylicia Rashad, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Ebony Jo-Ann. Additionally, there will include an exclusive interview with the Tony Award-winning director and icon George C. Wolfe and the  Tony, Olivier, and NAACP award-nominated actor Colman Domingo, who plays Cutler in the film. 

You can register for this FREE event HERE! 

The film itself is out Friday, Dec 18th, on Netflix. Check out the trailer below!

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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 program is billed as:

Some of Broadway’s top talents are joining forces on one of the most anticipated shows of the season, a star–studded revival of the 1921 musical “Shuffle Along,” with music and lyrics by the legendary Sissle and Blake, a new book by George C. Wolfe, , based on the original by F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles, and new choreography by Savion Glover. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to find out more when New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris talks with the show’s star, six–time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald, and its writer/director, Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe.

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In this divine union of Black Broadway brilliance, Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed is the reimagining of the classic 1921 musical.  The star-studded cast, including Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter, chatted with “Sunday Morning” about the process and the progress.

“I actually threw some tap shoes on a few months back just to see what would happen, and my timing was very awful, you know,” joked Mitchell.  “But it came back after a while!”

Now, Shuffle Along is back, nearly 100 years after becoming one of the first hit musical comedies starring, written and directed by African Americans.  For all of the strides and successes it made in its time, its significance remained unearthed for decades following its closing.

“And then history stepped in and said, ‘Thank you — and maybe we’ll remember you, and maybe we won’t,” said Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe.

The all-star team is lead by Wolfe and his Jelly’s Last Jam protegé, famed choreographer Savion Glover. By all accounts, Glover’s unique tap style is less than old hat for the Broadway Vets.

“I learned how to tap traditionally… I can say this: I learned how to tap from the white folks!” Porter cackled.  “I was at a ballet bar. It was very technical. Now, it’s like learning a whole ‘nother language.”

Even the seemingly flawless Ms. McDonald is still trying to find her groove.

“Because Savion doesn’t necessarily say, ‘This step is a left flap-ball-change-shuffle.’ He goes, Ba-da-da ba-da-da … it’s just call-and-response with him. That’s how he teaches.”

But in true professional fashion, each of the players are up to the challenge.

“I’ll say, like, ‘Oh, I can simplify that for you.’ And they say, ‘No, give me the harder one. I wanna learn that,'” Glover said. “That makes me feel great!”

Glover and Wolfe have been successfully working together for 23 years, since Glover was a teenager.  Wolfe directed the piece in which Glover earned his first Tony award for choreography, Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.  

“In our early years of working together, I was there, I was present, but the need to want to learn more wasn’t there,” Glover said of his younger experiences. “Versus this time, I’m learning as we’re working.”

Now, the duo is working together to retell this backstage story about the making of one of the first all-Black Broadway musical hits.  The original production, which launched the careers of greats including Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson, made fans of then New York City shakers George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, and Langston Hughes.

The large cast of 30, which also includes Brandon Victor Dixon, Joshua Henry, Felicia Boswell, Amber Iman and Adrienne Warren, begins official rehearsals in January and we’re not sure who’s more excited, them or us!

“It is such an honor and such a gift to be able to actually exist inside of your dreams,” Porter told DuBois. “This is actually the dream. I am living the dream. It’s extraordinary; it really is.”

The post Shuffle Along Gets Behind-the-Scenes Treatment on CBS appeared first on Broadway Black.

“Leave that humdrum place of glum behind
Once you walk inside these doors, you’re mine
Now let me blow your mind.”

And for two years, audience members who’ve seen Tony Award winner Billy Porter excel as “Lola” have been captivated and had their minds blown by his performance. Unfortunately, Porter soon will put “Lola’s” stilettos on the shelf as he embarks upon his next Broadway venture in the upcoming musical revival Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

Porter, who also won a Drama Desk Award for this role, has starred in Kinky Boots since the musical had its 2012 pre-Broadway premiere in Chicago. In addition to awards, he has received resounding critical acclaim for his performance. Thom Geier from “Entertainment Weekly” once wrote that Porter “portrays drag queen Lola with enough sequined swagger to make RuPaul look like a wallflower. Thanks to Porter’s star-making turn, Kinky Boots delivers some pumps-up kicks.”

His final performance as “Lola” will be November 20. We’ll miss Porter’s electrifying performances but we’re tremendously excited about his next role.

Thank you @PorterBacks. It's been a helluva journey!! pic.twitter.com/s4sSxMLBiU

— Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) November 1, 2015

For those who are wondering who can possibly fill “Lola’s” stilettos, don’t fret. Porter is handing over Lola’s heels to someone who’s equally capable of sashaying around the stage. Funny man and all-around performer Wayne Brady is set to take on the role beginning November 21. If you want to see him strut his stuff, tickets can be purchased here.

Wayne Brady as Lola in Kinky Boots.

Everybody say FABULOUS! @WayneBrady struts into Lola's sparkly red boots 11/21! https://t.co/DflgFobJDu pic.twitter.com/wXcT07E4eN

— Kinky Boots the Musical (@KinkyBootsBway) November 6, 2015

The post Billy Porter Hangs Up Lola’s Kinky Boots & Welcomes Wayne Brady appeared first on Broadway Black.

The six-time Tony winner will be absent from the production for three months starting Tuesday, June 21, 2016 through Sunday, September 25. It’s been announced that her absence is to fulfill a prior commitment. However, there have been no details released on what that commitment is or who will fulfill the role in her absence. McDonald is scheduled to return to the show on September 27.

Shuffle Along will present the landmark 1921 African-American musical revue Shuffle Along alongside the behind-the-scenes details that led the songwriting team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake and librettists F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles to create this groundbreaking work. In what has been billed as a revival, McDonald will take on the role of “Lottie Gee” and Brian Stokes Mitchell will appear in the the role of “F.E. Miller.” Porter takes on the role of “Aubrey Lyles,” with Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry as “Blake” and “Sissle.”

Other cast members include Adrienne Warren from Bring It On: The Musical, Darius de Haas (Rent, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Felicia Boswell (Motown: The Musical, Memphis), and Christian Dante White, c0-creator of Broadway Legacy.

George C. Wolfe will write the book and direct and Savion Glover will choreograph the highly anticipated production. As previously announced, the rest of the creative team includes Orchestrator Daryl Waters (musical supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations), Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Ann Roth (costume design), Scott Lehrer (sound design), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design), and Shelton Becton (musical director).

In 2014, the extraordinarily talented McDonald made Broadway history with a record-setting sixth Tony Award, for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. She also has the distinction of being the first person to receive awards in all four actress acting categories. She has also won Tonys for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, and Porgy and Bess.

Shuffle Along begins previews at the Music Box Theatre on March 14, 2016. For more information on tickets, click HERE.

The post Audra McDonald to Take Shuffle Along Hiatus appeared first on Broadway Black.

It was a time that was “roaring,” right? World War I and the depression following it was over, and an economic boom was in the works. The emancipation of slavery had 56 years under its belt. The Great White Way was abuzz with as many as 50 new musicals that would open in a single season. Enthusiastic patrons were willing to shell out top dollar for a seat.

Shuffle Along became an instantaneous hit as the first major production to be produced, written and performed entirely by African Americans since the George Walker–Bert Williams Bandanna Land (1908). Before that it was the 1902 In Dahomey, also featuring Walker and Williams. Shuffle Along, however, served as a hallmark to the Harlem Renaissance, contributed to the desegregation of theatres (with Black patrons allowed in orchestra seats rather than restricted to the balcony), and set the stage for nine more African-American musicals by 1924.

The Noble Sissle–Eubie Blake musical – so popular that police created a one-way thoroughfare to the 63rd Street Music Hall to ease the traffic jams – ran for an unprecedented 504 performances through July 1922. Poet Langston Hughes, whose first poem was the 1921 “A Negro Speaks of Rivers,” was among the many repeat attendees. He was so enthralled with the “honey of a show” that he wrote:

“The 1920s were the years of Manhattan’s Black Renaissance…. Certainly it was the musical revue, Shuffle Along, that gave a scintillating send-off to that Negro vogue in Manhattan…. People came back to see it innumerable times. It was always packed…. When I saw it, I was thrilled and delighted…. It gave just the proper push – a pre-Charleston kick – to that Negro vogue of the ‘20s, that spread to books, African sculpture, music and dancing.”

So, when the vintage graphics were revealed for the Shuffle Along website, liken my excitement to all the above for what will mark a 95th anniversary of the pioneering work.

To see the colorfully billed star-quality names – Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry (in an alternating palette of lemon, orange, red and sea green) – my heart did a Charleston flutter reminiscent of when the actors were announced they would share the stage. I grinned looking at “Savion Glover” and “George C. Wolfe” next to the words “choreographed by” and “directed by,” respectively. The duo meet again for the first time since Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk.

Full Cast: Adrienne Warren, Darius de Haas, Felicia Boswell, Christian Dante White, Brooks Ashmanskas, Amber Iman, Phillip Attmore, C.K. Edwards, Afra Hines,Curtis Holland, Adrienne Howard, Kendrick Jones, Lisa LaTouche, Alicia Lundgren, J.C. Montgomery, Erin N. Moore, Janelle Neal, Brittany Parks,Arbender Robinson, Karissa Royster, Britton Smith, Zurin Villanueva, J.L. Williams, Pamela Yasutake, and Richard Riaz Yoder, as previously reported

The 2016 revival of Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed isn’t set to showcase its “glamour” and “hotcha” until April at the Music Box Theatre. April 21 to be exact, with previews to begin March 14. But people are ready.

The Tony-winning Wolfe, who offers up a new book from the original vaudeville comedians F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles, has called Shuffle Along, “the real juice… the real spark, not Black performers performing White people’s vision of Black people.” However, the original show has been critiqued as relying on minstrel stereotypes (Miller and Lyles would even perform in burnt-cork blackface). In fact, a character’s line went something to the effect that the lighter the skin, the more desirable an African American woman.

The musical launched the careers of Josephine Baker, Florence Mills and Adelaide Louise Hall; it featured an impressive 16-woman chorus line; and obliterated taboos with a Black love story being front and center.

For 2015-2016, Broadway will have perhaps its most diverse season (Amazing Grace; Hamilton; The Gin Game; The Color Purple; and Children of a Lesser God) and chances to establish the ever-evasive but always needed renaissance. Whatever you must do to be part of it, don’t drag your feet.

Visit shufflealongbroadway.com to enter your email for news and updates. Tickets go on sale Sept. 12.

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