The Apollo Theater presents its annual Amateur Night Holiday Special,  a community favorite and one of the highlights of the Apollo season. The special show is an evening of entertainment presented by talented child dancers, musicians and singers all who are past Amateur Night Stars of Tomorrow winners.

This year features special guest performances by TV and Broadway performer Corbin Bleu (In the Heights, Godspell) and breakout star of NBC’s The Wiz Live! Shanice Williams. Co-hosted by Chaz Shepherd and Corbin Bleu.

Some of the performers for the night include Alexis Morrast, Christian Guardino, Lianah Sta. Ana, Mathew Whitaker, Dominique Gervais, Solomon Hicks, Austin Paul Jr. , Haruto Maeda, Street Justice Crew and Ex-Crew of Junior Exile.

Amateur Night at the Apollo is one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, attracting performers and audiences  from all over the world. Amateur Night is known for its “tough crowd” audience that ultimately decides who will go on to win the grand prize. That is if they aren’t swept off the stage first. Many singers and even some Broadway Black stars got their start on the famous Apollo stage including Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, and Williams’ own co-stars Ne-Yo and Stephanie Mills (who won Amateur Night six weeks in a row when she was only 11 years old!)

Amateur Night Holiday Special is a one-night only special on Saturday, December 19th starting at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased here.

In NYC?! You can see @luvbeingshanice live @apollotheater as guest for #amateurnightapollo TONIGHT! Make your way to Harlem!

A photo posted by Broadway Black (@broadwayblack) on Dec 19, 2015 at 8:24am PST

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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.

Bailey was known for her roles in Porgy and Bess, Carmen Jones, House of Flowers, and Hello, Dolly!, in which she and Cab Calloway headlined an all-black cast touring version that eventually came to Broadway, where it played to sold-out houses and revitalized the long running musical.  In addition, Bailey was given a special Tony Award for her role and a second cast album was recorded with Bailey’s vocals.

The reviews for PEARL have been overwhelmingly positive. Bernard Cummings, a professor at SMU Meadows School of the Arts  said, “Pearl is a real treat! I loved every bit of it…What a mammoth undertaking in 90 minutes, and you all handled it with such grace and fluidity. Bravo to the writer and director, as well. So much fun to sit in an audience and have the “call” and “response” button pushed, and we played along—–felt like a groundling listening to one of Henry’s rousing speeches. I love theatre when this happens. Within minutes, we were all participating in the show (so to speak) and we lost ourselves in the story. Job well done, Everyone.”  Charles White of the New York City Black Theater Network remarked, “There’s a diva in the house and, believe me, you’re going to pay attention. The incomparable Pearl Bailey, as embodied by the lovely and talented Jennie Harney in Pearl, will have you laughing, crying and marvelling at the strength she brings to life’s challenges and at the crystal clarity of her powerful voice.”

Harney’s other performances include Beehive, the 60’s Musical, Thunder Knocking on the Door, Dreamgirls, and MOTOWN The Musical.  “Miss Jennie”, as she is known by students, has been a teacher with BAMSS Theatre Works since 2004 and has brought the arts to students in New York City’s public school system. Although she has been on stages and is known as a performer,  Harney’s ultimate accomplishment is teaching, challenging and empowering students.

Performances of PEARL are on July 14, 18, 21, 25, and August 2. Check out their sleek website at www.pearlmaebailey.com and get your tickets. This is a true gem!

The post Jennie Harney Reprises Her Role in PEARL appeared first on Broadway Black.

Morgan Freeman made his off-Broadway debut in 1967 in The Nigger Lovers (a play about the civil rights era “Freedom Riders”) and his Broadway debut in the all black version of Hello, Dolly! which also featured Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. He has won a total of three Obie Awards for Driving Miss Daisy, Coriolanus and The Gospel at Colonus. He also won a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for The Mighty Gents.

The Actor’s Fund is a nationwide human services organization that helps professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund is a safety net for those who are in need, crisis or transition. It was founded in 1882 by a young journalist, Harrison Grey Fiske, in a time when the profession was not highly regarded by society. Their were prejudices towards artists in the entertainment industry. Many entertainers were denied aid and benefits and The Actor’s Fund was there to fill the gaps.

For more information on The Actor’s Fund and their mission visit www.actorsfund.org.

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