The lights dimmed, I restlessly prepared for what could be an agonizing next three hours, and the overture began.  To say it truly was “the music of something beginning” could sound cliché, but honestly, the stirring in my spirit was palpable.  From the start, it was simply the most beautiful combination of expression I had ever experienced.  A stunning score, paired with brilliant direction, simply raised to supremacy by an outstandingly capable cast (side note: in addition to a love for theater, this experience would also incite an eternal obsession with one Ms. Audra McDonald), and most of all, a great story.

Nearly 20 years later, the cast of the Ragtime national tour is telling that story, based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, in theaters all across the country.  The tour, which recently opened in Las Vegas, has shows scheduled throughout the U.S. through the spring of 2016.

I recently had a chance to catch up with actor, friend and certified hoot, Jeffrey Johnson II  (Dreamgirls, Hair, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ragtime, Hairspray) to discuss his newest task of taking on the role of Booker T. Washington in the national cast: 

Broadway Black (BB): Tell us about your role.
I play Booker T. Washington in the national tour of Ragtime.  I’m one of the historicals interwoven into this fictional story.  In a search for justice, Coalhouse decides to take over the Morgan Library and Booker T. comes in as the mediator.  He’s the voice of reason after this tumultuous situation.  

BB: What have you learned about Booker T. Washington since taking on this role? 
We all know he’s such a great influence, not only in Black history but really in American history.  He had such an incredible sense of honor and labor.  He somehow found his way to Hampton University and worked as a janitor to get into school.  Even the Tuskegee Institute, he built that school.  If they weren’t in class, he and his students were literally building that campus.

BB: Did you already know these things about him or did you do some research?
I researched.  Taking on this role, I wanted to know exactly what I was stepping into.  I picked up the book “Up From Slavery” thinking ‘oh, this will be a good summer read.’  I finished it in three days! It was just so interesting!

BB: What have you learned about yourself as a performer since taking on this role? 
*Johnson was originally called in for the ensemble but, after auditioning, offered to read the part of Booker T. Washington for the assistant director, ultimately securing him the principal role.*
I feel like the director took a big leap entrusting me with this role.  I knew I was younger than some of the men who had played this part before, but I knew I could do it.   I had to trust my gut.  Sometimes you gotta show up, do what you do and hope for the best.

BB: Marcia Milgrom Dodge helmed the Tony nominated revival in 2009.  How was it working with her for this production?
Marcia is incredibly knowledgeable about theater and she is incredibly knowledgeable about this script and this score.  It was a little daunting, but also thrilling because I don’t know anybody who could tell this story this well.  [In reference to those commenting on Dodge’s stripped down adaptation]  I’m a vegan so I think in terms of – she’s juiced it.  She’s taken all the necessary pieces and leaves the audience with everything it needs.

BB: Why do you think this story needs to be told?
When Ahrens and Flaherty created this show, they were referencing subject matter from the early 1900’s, and they thought we were past it.  You know, race, immigration… But life is cyclical and we’re back at the place where we have to talk about these issues.  I hope it will generate conversations in the communities we are able to reach because we really got a long way to go.

To find Ragtime playing at a theater near you, visit HERE.

The post Exclusive! Jeffrey Johnson Talks Ragtime Tour and Playing Booker T. Washington appeared first on Broadway Black.

Mitchell and McDonald are among several performers participating in “A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House” which will be filmed on October 14 for broadcast on PBS on January 8, 2016. The concert, hosted by President Barack and Mrs. Obama, has been billed as a celebration of “the cultural resonance of art and literatures in unique American musical forms.” This “In Performance at the White House” concert celebrates the 50th anniversary of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act.

Other entertainers who are slated to perform include Buddy Guy, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Keb’ Mo’, Smokey Robinson, Trombone Shorty, Esperanza Spalding and Usher. The inclusion of Queen Latifah and MC Lyte is significant because this will mark the first hip-hop performance in the “In Performance at the White House” broadcast series. All of the songs that have been selected were drawn from American-originated musical genres, including hip-hop, blues and the American Songbook.

The event will be the fifteenth “In Performance at the White House” program during President Obama’s administration. Since February 2009, “In Performance at the White House” events have honored the musical genius of Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, and Carole King; celebrated Hispanic music, the music of Motown, Memphis Soul and the Blues, and celebrated the rich roots of Country and Gospel music.

The concert, including President Obama’s remarks, will be streamed live! Watch it right here!

UPDATE: The live stream has concluded and the special will air on PBS in January. Watch the introduction given by our President Barack Obama at the event last night below.

The post Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald & More In Performance at the White House for PBS appeared first on Broadway Black.

The acclaimed thespian, who won the 2000 Tony and Drama Desk awards for his role as “Fred Graham/Petruchio“ in Kiss Me Kate, will perform Broadway favorites, standards, and jazz tunes in a show entitled “Plays With Music.” He will be accompanied by a trio led by his long-time pianist and collaborator, Tedd Firth, with Gary Haase on bass and Mark McLean on drums.

“This is a totally new show! I’ve been having a blast putting it together and creating new and creative arrangements of some great tunes – the title says it all – Plays With Music,” Mitchell said.

Although, Mitchell is making his debut at Café Carlyle, he’s no stranger to cabaret performances. In 2005, he made his New York cabaret debut as both singer and musical arranger at Feinstein’s at the Regency in his critically acclaimed one-man show “Love/Life” which then moved to the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. He received both the New York Bistro and Nightlife awards for his cabaret debut. He returned there in November of 2008 with another successful concert where he was accompanied by a guitarist, a bassist, and a percussionist. Additionally, Mitchell’s baritone has blessed the ears of audiences from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to the Kennedy Center and the White House.

Mitchell is also active in the recording booth, with appearances on more than 20 albums as a cast member or a special guest. He’s also released two of his own albums, his self-titled debut in 2006 and “Simply Broadway” in 2012.

Mitchell has enjoyed an extensive and illustrious career in theatre, appearing in Man of La Mancha (Tony nomination and Helen Hayes Award); Ragtime (Tony nomination); August Wilson’s King Hedley II (Tony nomination); Kiss of the Spider Woman; Jelly’s Last Jam; David Merrick’s Oh, Kay” and “Mail,” which earned him a Theatre World award for outstanding Broadway Debut. Most recently, he performed in the Lincoln Center Theatre’s 2001 production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with Patti LuPone.

In 2016, Mitchell is slated to star on Broadway in a new musical entitled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. It will also star Audra McDonald as “Lottie Gee,” Billy Porter, Joshua Henry, and Brandon Victor Dixon.

For more information on Mitchell’s appearance at Café Carlyle and to make reservations, visit The Café Carlyle.

The post Brian Stokes Mitchell to Debut at Café Carlyle appeared first on Broadway Black.

If/Then is an original contemporary musical about a city planner who relocates to New York after her marriage ends and whose subsequent life plays out simultaneously along two distinct paths. The show began previews at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 5, 2014, and officially opened on March 30. It closed on March 22, 2015 after 29 previews and 401 regular performances.

In the musical, LaChanze portrays “Kate,” an elementary school teacher and new neighbor of Menzel’s character “Elizabeth.” LaChanze won the 2006 Best Actress Tony Award for The Color Purple and received a Tony nomination for Once on This Island. Her other Broadway credits include Ragtime, Company and Uptown It’s Hot. LaChanze’s off-Broadway credits include Dessa Rosse, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, The Vagina Monologues and Inked Baby. She has also headlined the original concert Love Hangover: LaChanze Sings Diana Ross.

If/Then is directed by Michael Greif and features music by Tom Kitt, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. If/Then earned Tony Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Actress (Menzel). The musical features choreography by Larry Keigwin, set design by Tony nominee Mark Wendland, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Tony winner Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony winner Brian Ronan.

The post LaChanze Hits the Road with If/Then appeared first on Broadway Black.

The series, which airs on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, chronicles an African American girl named Dottie “Doc” McStuffins who decides she wants to become a doctor like her mother. She practices her dream by fixing toys and dolls. When she puts on her stethoscope, toys, dolls and stuffed animals come to life and she can interact with them. With help from her stuffed animal friends – “Stuffy the Dragon,” “Hallie the Hippo,” “Lambie the Lamb,” and “Chilly the Snowman” – Doc helps toys recover, or “feel better,” by giving them checkups and diagnosing their illnesses with an encyclopedia called “The Big Book of Boo Boos.”

McDonald is featured in the episode entitled “Itty Bitty Bess Takes Flight.” Her character, “Bess,” is the pilot of a tiny tin airplane. Doc and the toys help her get back into shape after her joints become rusty.

McDonald introduces and voices her character:

McDonald sings a song about her animated character:

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 acting categories.

A year after graduating from Julliard, McDonald won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Carousel at Lincoln Center Theater. She received two additional Tony Awards in the featured actress category over the next four years for her performances in the Broadway premieres of Terrence McNally’s Master Class (1996) and his musical Ragtime (1998). In 2004, she won her fourth Tony, starring alongside Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad in A Raisin in the Sun. In 2012, she won her fifth–and her first in the leading actress category–for her role in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.

In addition to her Tony Awards, Audra McDonald’s luminous soprano has garnered her two Grammy Awards and a long list of other accolades.

“Doc McStuffins” also features the voices of Kiara Muhammad as the lead character as well as veteran Broadway and film actress Loretta Devine as “Hallie”, Kimberly Brooks as “Dr. Myiesha McStuffins” (Doc McStuffins’ mother) and Gary Anthony Williams as “Marcus McStuffins” (Doc McStuffins’ father).

The post Audra McDonald Soars In Doc McStuffins appeared first on Broadway Black.