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 show formerly known as Witness Uganda, is inspired by the true story and life of its creators Matt Gould & Griffin Matthews. The show follows the life of a New York City man, Griffin, who volunteers for an aid project in Uganda, the challenges he faced and how it changed his life. Matthews stars as himself in the new musical with Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy) as the alternate, playing the role of “Griffin” in some performances.

Determined to find his place in the world, 20-something Griffin leaves his job and his New York City apartment to volunteer for a charity in Africa. But when his altruistic aspirations collide with the real world, his life is changed in unexpected and profound ways. Inspired by a true story, this rousing new musical infuses a world pop score with African beats in an electrifying journey about discovering whether changing the world is even possible.

Co-creator Griffin Matthews will be joined by Melody Betts (“Chicago PD”); Rodrick Covington (Central Avenue Breakdown); Kevin Curtis (A Chorus Line National Tour); Tyrone Davis, Jr. (Shrek National Tour); Nkrumah Gatling (Hair); Latrisa Harper (The Color Purple); Jason Herbert (Fela!); Aisha Jackson (Beautiful); Kristolyn Lloyd (Heathers The Musical); Michael Lluwoye (Fable); Corey Mach (Hands on a Hardbody); Tiffany Mann (Lincoln Center’s Sweeney Todd); Jamard Richardson (The Book of Mormon); Nicolette Robinson (Brooklynite); Adeola Role (Lily’s Revenge); Conor Ryan (Cinderella) and Jamar Williams (Broken Window Theory)

We take you back to our Off Book series and into the world of Invisible Thread with this musical preview. This show begins previews Oct 31 at Second Stage Theatre. See what the creators & director have to say about the process and watch some vibrant musical numbers.

New York Premiere in association with American Repertory Theater

INVISIBLE THREAD

A New Musical

BY
MATT GOULD and GRIFFIN MATTHEWS

CO-CHOREOGRAPHED BY
DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIE

CHOREOGRAPHED BY
SERGIO TRUJILLO

DIRECTED BY
DIANE PAULUS

The post Off Book: Sneak Peek of Invisible Thread at Second Stage Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

The cast includes co-creator Griffin Matthews, along with Melody Betts, Rodrick Covington, Kevin Curtis, Tyrone Davis, Jr., Nkrumah Gatling, Latrisa Harper, Jason Herbert, Aisha Jackson, Kristolyn Lloyd, Michael Lluwoye, Corey Mach, Tiffany Mann, Jeremy Pope, Jamard Richardson, Nicolette Robinson, Adeola Role, Conor Ryan, and Jamar Williams.

“Determined to find his place in the world, 20-something Griffin leaves his job and his New York City apartment to volunteer for a charity in Africa. But when his altruistic aspirations collide with the real world, his life is changed in unexpected and profound ways. Inspired by a true story, this new musical infuses a world pop score with African beats in a journey about discovering whether changing the world is even possible.”

As Broadway Black already reported last month, the show was able to crowd-fund enough money to send the the cast, creators and a film crew to Uganda. In preparation for the New York premiere they met with the real-life Ugandan students the story is based on, participated in service projects, mentored orphans, and worked alongside local artists to take part in an exchange that will help to shape their performances and lives! Their main goal was to  connect with the people and places that have inspired the show and to come home and share an authentic theater experience with audiences in New York City!

Invisible Thread will be produced produced in association with the American Repertory Theater, where the musical held its world premiere in February 2014 under the title of Witness Uganda. Invisible Thread will begin previews at the Tony Kiser Theatre on October 31, with an official opening on  December 2, and a limited run through to December 27.

FIRST NYC REHEARSAL!! A million thank yous to every actor, director, production team, friend, family and supporter who has been a part of this journey. You are with us today. And we celebrate YOU!! There is a long invisible…

A photo posted by Witness Uganda (@witnessuganda) on Sep 14, 2015 at 9:08am PDT

The post Invisible Thread Cast Announced After Return From Uganda appeared first on Broadway Black.

For the last ten years, UgandaProject, has been sponsoring the education of 10 Ugandan students. Facing difficulty raising funds for the project, co-creators Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould decided to write a performance piece that would help raise money. Through the years, the musical continued to be refined and receive critical acclaim and awards, such as the 2012 and 2014 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater, ASCAP’s Dean Kay Award, ASCAP’s Harold Adamson Award, and a grant from Conde Nast c/o Summit Series. Eventually, the show came to the attention of Tony winner Diane Paulus, who took over direction in 2014 for its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater.

In an effort to more deeply connect with the mission, the cast of Invisible Thread will travel to Uganda this year. While there, according to their website they will be

participating in service projects, mentoring orphans, and working alongside local artists to take part in an exchange that will help to shape our performances and our lives! Our goal is to connect with the people and places that have inspired our show and to come home and share an authentic theater experience with our audiences in New York City!

The cast needs your support in raising money for housing, transportation, visas and on the ground activities. A film crew will be on hand to document the journey.

For more information about the show and to donate, click here.

The post Help the Cast of Invisible Thread Travel to Uganda appeared first on Broadway Black.

Invisible Thread 

Second Stage Artistic Director Carole Rothman said:

“The writers…embrace a unique and refreshing perspective on the American experience. I am so impressed by Matt and Griffin’s exceptional new musical and am very much looking forward to introducing these important writers and their uplifting new work to New York.”

Tony Winner Diane Paulus has been attached to the project’s development for several years and oversaw staged readings in New York late last year.  Ms. Paulus won a Tony in 2013 for her direction of Pippin and was nominated for Tonys for directing The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess in 2012 and Hair in 2009.

Earlier this year, Andrew Keenan-Bolger released a new music video by Witness Uganda composers Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews as part of an effort to raise funding for the educational organization, UgandaProject. According to the the organization’s website, “We shot a music video of our song, Invisible Thread, and use it as a way to celebrate people all over the world who are fighting for their right to love whom they choose.”

The musical will open this fall.

Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, the award winning team behind the Broadway bound musical WITNESS UGANDA, blur the boundaries of real life and theater with the release of the single, “Invisible Thread.” The song was written for their show, which tells the true story of their experiences as aid workers in Africa. But here, the song takes on a more personal twist as the couple struggles to balance their careers and their life together. At the core, Griffin and Gould’s work grapples with questions central to a generation straddling their responsibilities as citizens of the world and citizens of our own communities.

Griffin and Gould dedicate this song to people across the world who are fighting for their right to love who they choose. Despite our distances and political and cultural differences, we are all bound together by our struggle to love and be loved.

Download song on itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/inv…

All proceeds from the sale of “Invisible Thread” on itunes will benefit the education of Ugandan students in the hopes that an educated population is the best remedy for intolerance and hatred.

To help bring education and tolerance training to more students across Uganda, go to https://www.crowdrise.com/invisibleth…

Song by: Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews
Performed by: Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews

Directed by: Andrew Keenan-Bolger
Assistant Director: Kyle Beckley
Edited by: Andrew Keenan-Bolger

The post Witness Uganda Turns Into Invisible Thread At 2econd Stage Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.