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.

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Skeleton Crew is a tale about how a makeshift family of workers at the last exporting auto plant in the city navigate the possibility of foreclosure. Power dynamics shift and they are pushed to the limits of survival. When the line between blue collar and white collar gets blurred, how far over the lines are they willing to step?

The production’s cast includes Jason Dirden (12 Angry Men, A Raisin In The Sun, Fences), Lynda Gravatt (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Doubt, King Hedley II, 45 Seconds from Broadway), Adesola Osakalumi (Fela!, Fela! The Concert, Equus), Nikiya Mathis, and Wendell B. Franklin.

Actor, director, and Obie Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson is directing the play. Santiago-Hudson also directed the second installment of the trilogy, Paradise Blue, which was staged last summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival. The first installment of Morisseau’s trilogy, Detroit ’67, ran at the Public Theater in 2013.

Morisseau is a recent PoNY (Playwright of New York) fellow, and also wrote Sunset Baby, Follow Me To Nellie’s, and Blood At The Root. Her work has been published in N.Y. Times bestseller “Chicken Soup for the African American Soul” and in the Harlem-based literary journal “Signifyin’ Harlem.” She is a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award honoree, a two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, and winner of the Stavis Playwriting Award.

Santiago-Hudson is a noted actor and playwright who has appeared on Broadway in Jelly’s Last Jam and Stick Fly. He received a Tony Award for his performance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. In 2001, Santiago-Hudson wrote Lackawanna Blues, an autobiographical play in which he portrayed himself and some twenty different characters from his past. He adapted it for an award-winning 2005 HBO film starring Hill Harper, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Terrance Howard.

In 2013, Santiago-Hudson won an Obie Award for Direction and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for his work in the Off-Broadway production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.

Skeleton will run through February 14, 2016. Tickets for the production can be purchased here.

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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.

Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson – who boasts a 40-year career – will examine sexist and racist attitudes rooted in classic musicals with fellow award winners Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof) and Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home).

For City Center’s announcement about the events, Viertel stated:

“At Encores!, we’re always asking questions about the American musical: where it’s been, where it’s going, what we can learn from the songwriters of Broadway’s Golden Age, and about the attitudes of any given era, which might be very different from our own. This series opens up that conversation to everyone. There’s no one else who does what we do at Encores! in terms of restoring and presenting great musicals as they were originally intended. Our hope is that Encores! Unscripted will explore the connections between the shows we do here –from Cabin in the Sky to 1776 – and the shows currently playing on Broadway.”

Santiago-Hudson has stated: “Whether I’m acting, writing or directing, I want to tell the truth about human beings – especially my folk.” His roots, which spring from an Puerto Rican father and African-American mother, began in New York. Santiago-Hudson made his Broadway debut with George C. Wolfe’s Jelly’s Last Jam (1992-1993). His last Broadway appearance was during 2011-2012 in the Kenny Leon-directed Stick Fly (written by Lydia R. Diamond) as “Joy LeVay,” along with Dulé Hill, Mekhi Phifer, Tracie Thoms and Condola Rashad. Other acting work has included August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean and Seven Guitars; the latter garnered him a Tony Award.

The Lackawanna, NY native wrote the 2001 autobiographical play Lackawanna Blues and portrayed 20 different characters as well as himself; it was adapted in 2005 as an HBO film and earned him the Humanitas Prize as well as Emmy and Writers Guild of America award nominations. His follow-up “truth” play was Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine, which was produced by Two River Theater in New Jersey this year. For his direction, he was awarded, in 2013, the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award and nominated for the Drama Desk Award for his work in the Off-Broadway production of Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. In 2009, he received the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Theatre Award for his role as “Mayor Joe Starks” in Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Jennifer Sendrow, executive producer at WYNC, also discussed the events. As noted on City Center’s website page, she said: “The Greene Space and Encores! know that our audiences not only delight in the electricity of a live performance, they want to dig deeply into the stories and ideas that propel their favorite shows. We’re convening some of the brightest minds on Broadway to make a must-listen oral history of a fiercely creative time in American theater that will inspire and challenge future generations of artists and fans alike.”

The three-part series will conclude March 14, with “Who Tells Their Stories? Historical Narratives on Broadway” featuring Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson composer Michael Friedman, Hamilton The Musical star Leslie Odom, Jr., along with cast members from the Encores! production of 1776.

Tickets are on sale now. All shows will be webcast live and available as archived videos and podcasts.

Santiago-Hudson presented a TEDx talk at his alma mater Binghamton University on the theme of “staying the course.”

The post Ruben Santiago-Hudson Discusses Broadway’s Musical Legacy for City Center Encores! Unscripted appeared first on Broadway Black.

Blue (Underwood), a gifted trumpeter, contemplates selling his once-vibrant jazz club in Detroit’s Blackbottom neighborhood to shake free the demons of his past and better his life. But where does that leave his devoted Pumpkin, who has dreams of her own? And what does it mean for the club’s resident bebop band? When a mysterious woman (Aziza) with a walk that drives men mad comes to town with her own plans, everyone’s world is turned upside down.

Emmy-nominated actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is no stranger to the stage. In 1996, he won the Tony

Ruben Santiago Hudson

Award as Best Actor (Featured Role – Play) for August Wilson‘s Seven Guitars, and also performed the role of Ricky Roma on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross. In addition, he originated the role of Buddy Bolden in Jelly’s Last Jam, directed by George C. Wolfe, at The Mark Taper Forum, and continued this role as a member of the original Broadway cast.

Santiago-Hudson also has several film and television projects coming up, including a new TNT TV series executive produced by Stephen Spielberg entitled Public Morals, as well as a brand new follow-up to his acclaimed multi-award-winning play Lackawanna Blues.

The post Ruben Santiago-Hudson Directs Blair Underwood & De’Adre Aziza In Paradise Blue appeared first on Broadway Black.

The readings of all 10 of plays will now be streamed live and you can watch them here!

Join us for an historic series as an extraordinary cast of actors and directors — many who worked directly with Wilson — gather to make the first-ever recording of his celebrated 10-play cycle capturing 100 years of African American life in the 20th century.

The readings will feature many actors reprising the roles they performed on stage, including Tony Award winner LESLIE UGGAMS as Ruby in King Hedley II; Drama Desk and Obie Award winner ANTHONY CHISHOLM (Oz, Premium Rush) as Fielding in Jitney and Elder Barlow in Radio Golf; BRANDON DIRDEN (The Big C, House of Payne) in his Obie Award-winning role as Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson; RUSSELL HORNSBY (Grimm, Shameless) as King Hedley in King Hedley II; Emmy Award winner KEITH DAVID (Crash, Armageddon) as Seth Holly in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; EBONY JO-ANN as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON as Canewell in Seven Guitars; JOHN EARL JELKS as Sterling Johnson in Radio Golf; ROSLYN RUFF (Rachel Getting Married, The Help) as Berniece in The Piano Lesson, among others.

Other Wilson actors will take on new roles, including Tony Award nominee S. EPATHA MERKERSON (Law & Order, Lincoln) as Bertha in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and WENDELL PIERCE (Treme, The Wire) as Red Carter in Seven Guitars.

Academy Award nominee TARAJI P. HENSON (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Person of Interest) and JESSE L. MARTIN (Law & Order, Rent) will make their Wilson debuts as Molly Cunningham in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Lyons in Fences, respectively.

Check Back here to watch the reading recordings each week.

In the meantime listen to Ruben Santiago Hudson, Phylicia Rashad, and others talk about the legacy of August Wilson, read the cast lists for the recordings, and copy the schedule of the recording series below

SCHEDULE

All readings start at 7pm at The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street), Downtown Manhattan.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom– Monday, August 26
Directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson

David Margulies……………………………Sturdyvant
Tuck Milligan…………………………………….Irvin
Charles Weldon…………………………………Cutler
Clarke Peters…………………………………..Toledo
Harvy Blanks……………………………….Slow Drag
Ebony Jo-Ann…………………………..…Ma Rainey
Joniece Abbott-Pratt………………..…….Dussie Mae
Jonathan Majors………………………..…… Sylvester

Fences–Wednesday, August 28
Directed by Kenny Leon

Eugene Lee………………………………… Jim Bono
Jesse L. Martin………………………………….Lyons
Ray Anthony Thomas………………………….Gabriel
Jonathan Majors………………………………….Cory
Regina Taylor…………………………………….Rose

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone– Wednesday, September 4
Directed by Phylicia Rashad

Keith David…………………………….…..Seth Holly
Taraji P. Henson……………….… Molly Cunningham
S. Epatha Merkerson……………………. Bertha Holly
Roger Robinson……………………….……… Bynum
Raynor Scheine………………….……Rutherford Selig
Jason Dirden…………………….……..Jeremy Furlow
John Douglas Thompson……….……..Harold Loomis
January LaVoy………………….……Mattie Campbell
Nile Bullock………………….………Reuben Mercer
Alexis Holt…………………….………..Zonia Loomis

The Piano Lesson– Monday, September 9
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Brandon J. Dirden………………………….Boy Willie
Roslyn Ruff…………………………………..Berniece
Jason Dirden…………………………..……….Lymon
Alexis Holt…………………………..…………Maretha
Eric Lenox Abrams………………….……….….Avery
Chuck Cooper……………………….……Wining Boy
Mandi Masden……………………………..…….Grace

Two Trains Running– Wednesday, September 11
Directed by Michele Shay

Ron Cephas Jones……………………………….Wolf
James A. Williams………………………….Holloway
Owiso Odera………………………………….Sterling
Leon Addison Brown……………………….Hambone
Harvy Blanks…………………………………….West

Seven Guitars– Friday, September 13
Directed by Stephen McKinley Henderson

Ruben Santiago-Hudson…………………… Canewell
Wendell Pierce……………………….……Red Carter
Brenda Pressley…………………………………Louise
Lou Ferguson………………………………….Hedley
Harry Lennix……………………………Floyd Barton
Cassandra Freeman………………………………Ruby

Jitney– Monday, September 16
Directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson

Anthony Chisholm…………………………….Fielding
Amari Cheatom………………………….Youngblood
Stephen M Henderson…………………………Turnbo
Barry Shabaka Henley…………………………..Doub
Harvy Blanks…………………………………..Shealy
Joaquina Kalukango……………………………..Rena

King Hedley II– Saturday, September 21
Directed by Michele Shay

Russell Hornsby………………………King Hedley II
Leslie Uggams…………………………………..Ruby
Kevin Carroll……………………………………Mister
Stephen M. Henderson………………………..Elmore
Marsha Stephanie Blake………………………..Tonya
Arthur French……………………………Stool Pigeon

Gem of the Ocean– Tuesday, September 24
Directed by Kenny Leon

Eugene Lee…………………………………………Eli
Stephen Tyrone Williams……………..Citizen Barlow
Phylicia Rashad……………………………Aunt Ester
Danai Gurira………………………………Black Mary
Raynor Scheine………………………Rutherford Selig
Anthony Chisholm………………….Solly Two Kings
Keith Randolph Smith…………………………Caesar

Radio Golf– Saturday, September 28
Directed by Marion McClinton

Anthony Chisholm………….. ….Elder Joseph Barlow
John Earl Jelks………………………..Sterling Johnson
Rocky Carroll…………………………Harmond Wilks
Sharon Washington………………………Mame Wilks
James A. Williams……………………Roosevelt Hicks

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