To Kill A Mockingbird is the most successful Broadway play in history, grossing more than $100 million and counting. So, to pick up the show and move it to MSG for a one-time matinee and give away free tickets to public middle school and high school students from all five boroughs through the New York Department of Education is a drop in the bucket and we love to see it.

The cast currently features Kyle Scatliffe as Tom Robinson, LisaGay Hamilton as Calpurnia, Ed Harris as Atticus Finch, Nick Robinson as Jem Finch, Eliza Scanlen as Mayella Ewell, Nina Grollman as Scout Finch, Taylor Trensch as Dill Harris, Manoel Felciano as Horace Gilmer, Russell Harvard as Link Deas and Boo Radley, Dakin Matthews as Judge Taylor, Patricia Conolly as Mrs. Dubose, Christopher Innvar as Sheriff Heck Tate, William Youmans as Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Reynolds, Neal Huff as Bob Ewell, Ted Koch as Mr. Cunningham, Liv Rooth as Ms. Stephanie, and ensemble members Rosalyn Coleman, Yaegel T. Welch, Gene Gillette, Luke Smith, Rebecca Watson, Aubie Merrylees, David Manis, Baize Buzan, Steven Lee Johnson, and Geoffrey Allen Murphy.

This was special historic performance was made by possible by the support of James L. Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company,  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, along with the producers Scott Rudin & Barry Diller.

The post Spike Lee Will Emcee <em>To Kill A Mockingbird</em> at Madison Square Garden appeared first on Broadway Black.

Jada wrote a tweet following the announcement stating, “At the Oscars…people of color are always welcomed to give out awards…even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments. Should people of color refrain from participating all together? People can only treat us in the way in which we allow. With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment.” She followed the tweet later with a video of her expressing this disappointment and calling all Black entertainers to boycott the show.

Spike Lee certainly agreed with her in his own instagram post and a Hamilton quote;

#OscarsSoWhite… Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let’s Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can’t Act?! WTF!! It’s No Coincidence I’m Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday. Dr. King Said “There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It’s Right”. For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The “Real” Battle Is. It’s In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To “Turnaround” Or Scrap Heap. This Is What’s Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With “The Green Light” Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, “I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS”. People, The Truth Is We Ain’t In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont’d)

A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Jan 18, 2016 at 5:03am PST

There have been huge debates all over social media whether or not actors should boycott the Oscars or would it even make a difference at all. Similarly, should we even care about the Oscars or should we just make our own? Here’s the danger with that- I think society as a whole has often equated Oscars exclusively with whiteness when in fact it shouldn’t represent that. It should represent the best in film. Period. Point blank. I’d also add, we already have shows that recognize Black entertainers on the regular but even in our own communities we don’t respect them and some A-list black celebrities don’t bother to even show up.

For some, an Oscar simply represents the highest honor in ones film career field. While I am one who thinks that art is super subjective and  already wary of awards in performances, it doesn’t diminish the fact that there are many performances from Black actors that were are “award worthy.” One place I’ve noticed Black actors having some achievement in is on the stage and at the Tony Awards.

I will never forget the 2013 Tony’s when four out the eight acting categories were given to Black men and women (Cicely Tyson, Patina Miller, Coutney B. Vance and Billy Porter). Or in 2010 when it was a Fences and Fela! takeover. Even when Audra McDonald became the first person in Tony’s history to win one in every acting category possible and has the title of having the most Tony Awards as a performer.

While this isn’t to say the Tonys are completely perfect and without fault, I think over the years the Tony’s has gotten better at being more inclusive. Their nominations are usually on the money, and I can guarantee you this year Black actors will be winning again. So what makes the Tony’s so different? What are they doing right?

Well for one, I think the theatre world is more diverse and open to things that differ from the typical white storytelling narratives. I also think because the voting pool is so small and the voters actually go to the shows, their nominations are much more valid. So why can’t the academy admit their current system is broken and find ways to fix it? Well Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs responded to the Oscar boycott saying they would look into what qualifies for membership to help diversify the pool, so I guess that’s a step in the right direction. My only problem with that is, how long will it last?

The post Have The Tonys Been More Fair Than The Oscars? appeared first on Broadway Black.

In “Chi-Raq,” iconic Black director Spike Lee takes on a modernized, hip-hop fueled, political agenda laced re-telling of the classic play in what some are calling his cinematic “comeback.”  Before you head to the movies, let’s review a couple of things about the original work.

Lysistrata is set in 411 B.C. surrounding the epic Peloponnesian War, a feud which spanned over nearly three decades between Athens and Sparta.  Fed up with the destruction caused by the senseless violence, tactical leader Lysistrata convinces the women of both cities to invoke a sex strike, which will ultimately force the men to surrender.  Though the suggestion is met with some resistance at first, the women are steadfast in their resilience, the libidinous men are ultimately at the mercy of their women and their…members, and at the desperate sight of a naked woman, swiftly and distractedly negotiate a peace.

In “Chi-Raq” Juilliard graduate Teyonah Parris serves as a thick and fierce “Lysistrata” who gathers the women of two rival gangs in Chicago to promote a sex-strike until the excessive violence that is costing innocent lives ceases.

Much like Spike Lee’s highly controversial films of the 80’s and 90’s, much of Aristophanes’ works put a mirror to the ebbs and flaws of the community and called it entertainment.  His work was known for being topical with many of the highlighted characters being famous or local personalities the audience would be familiar with.  Spike employs the same technique in “Chi-Raq” using his prose-like platform to incorporate hot topic names like Eric Garner, Ferguson and Condoleezza Rice.

Flanked with a powerhouse cast “Chi-Raq” also includes the incomparable Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Wesley Snipes and an out-of-type Nick Cannon as Lysistrata’s gang leading boyfriend.  Spike Lee film staple Samuel L. Jackson serves as a one-man Greek chorus narrating the plot with rhymes and that intonation only Jackson can deliver.

First Lin, now Lee.  Who would’ve though setting history to hip-hop could be so entertaining?

Be sure to check out “Chi-Raq” when it hits theaters on Friday, Dec. 4.

The post What You Need To Know Before Seeing “Chi-Raq” appeared first on Broadway Black.

The film seeks to place a spotlight on the dismal recurrence of gun violence in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, and stars Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Dave Chappelle, and Common.  As politicians including the city’s Alderman and Mayor have rushed to chime in on their disapproval of the film’s title, there is no doubt that Lee’s choice has struck a chord. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who has been dogged by many high profile shootings during his tenure, met with Lee in April. Said the Mayor,

We had an honest, frank conversation… He said that while the movie is about the neighborhood of Englewood, I was clear that I was not happy about the title. I told him also that there are very good people that live in Englewood who are raising their family and there’s a lot of positive things that are happening in Englewood mainly driven by the people that make up Englewood.

Alderman William Burns had more criticism for the name stating,

These are communities where people are doing the right thing, people trying to have a decent neighborhood. Having a movie called ‘Chi-raq’ will make it much more difficult for folks like me and other aldermen to bring economic development to those neighborhoods. Who wants to live in a place that people call Chi-raq?

The Alderman went so far as to suggest that Lee should not receive a $3 million tax break for filming there.

“Part of the deal with the tax credit is that the film production company has to prove that the film will have a positive economic impact on the state of Illinois…And I think by calling a whole part of the city of Chicago ‘Chi-raq,’ that will make it hard to bring economic development to those communities, to bring jobs to those communities, and will therefore have a negative economic impact on the state of Illinois. And for that reason, they should deny it.”

An unbothered Lee responded with the brutal facts via Instagram.

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A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee)

With all of the fervor around the name, one of the most interesting parts of the movie still speaks of Lee’s genius and creativity. The film is reportedly a musical comedy based upon Aristophanes’ comedy, Lysistrata.  “Lysistrata” persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace ending the war.  The power of…unity… indeed! It’s exciting to wonder how Lee will weave this classic comedy into the modern day ails of a staggeringly violent city, nicknamed Chi-raq.

The post Politicians Attack Spike Lee Over Upcoming Film, Chi-raq appeared first on Broadway Black.

UPDATE: Trailer for this film has now been released and a limited release date of Dec 4th has been set. The cast includes some dynamic Broadway Black actors including Samuel L. Jackson & Angela Bassett, who were both on Broadway in Katori Hall‘s The Mountaintop. The trailer showcases Teyonah Paris , who stars as Lysistrata and you’ll also see Jennifer Hudson for a quick second, who is making her Broadway debut in The Color Purple. Watch the trailer below.

While Broadway Black previously reported that a Spike Lee sequel to School Daze appears to have been shelved, Lee has not been resting on his laurels. Leading producer, financier and international sales agency IM Global will soon be taking Chiraq, Lee’s next project, to the Cannes market to shop it to international buyers. Chiraq is a retelling of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy Lysistra, in which women band together to end the Peloponnesian War by refusing to have sex with their husbands until the fighting is over. In Lee’s vision, women similarly withhold sex in an attempt to end gang violence in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. One can definitely see the potential for a dramedy musical based on a battle of the sexes, not unlike Lee’s previous success with School Daze. Jennifer Hudson has signed on and Common, Jeremy Piven and John Cusack are reportedly in talks for significant roles in the film. Kanye West is in negotiations to be involved with the film’s soundtrack.

Although Chiraq has not begun filming (at the time this article was written), it has already amassed its share of critics. Chicago’s mayor Rahm Emanuel and some Chicagoans take umbrage with the film’s polarizing title, which equates Chicago’s streets to the unrest in Iraq. “Chi-Raq” is also the title of a Nicki Minaj track where she raps, “King pins and them drug lords, Chi-town, no gun laws.” Chiraq will be released through Amazon Studios in the U.S., with tentative plans for a theatrical rollout in 2016.

The post Spike Lee’s New Film ‘Chiraq’ Retells Greek Comedy Lysistrata appeared first on Broadway Black.

Helping to keep the fire burning for justice in hopes that something is done, acclaimed film director Spike Lee added his own personal touch to the voices speaking out. Drawing from the original video of the altercation that led to the death of Eric Garner, Spike inserted clips from his iconic film Do the Right Thing which deals heavily with race issues and illustrates a very similar scenario about police brutality with the death of the character Radio Raheem.

Adding scenes from Do the Right Thing, which turned 25 this summer, gives the video an even more familiar, but chilling and somehow deeper significance, heightened by the lines spoken by Samuel L. Jackson. Our prayers and support go out to the Garner family.

What are your thoughts on Spike Lee’s artistic message with this video?

The post Spike Lee Makes a Statement with Eric Garner & “Do the Right Thing” Video appeared first on Broadway Black.