“Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap…”#WickedMovie @UniversalPics #StephenSchwartz #WinnieHolzman #MarcPlatt it’s time.
So… Twitterverse, who should we cast? pic.twitter.com/ZaAeAJTq9f

— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) February 2, 2021

Everyone who likes musicals went through their Wicked phase, and with Chu leading the team, I think they’re going to see a whole new batch of Wicked stans. No word on a cast or release date, but we will keep the Broadway Black readers updated with all the tea!

We have talked about Wicked a couple of times, mostly discussing the irony that in a show about a girl of another skin color being judged for what makes her different, there has been no full-time Black Elphaba in any North American company. In fact, there has never been a full-time Elphaba OR Glinda, just understudies, and standbys. In fact, Brittney Johnson only recently became the first Black woman to play Glinda on Broadway. Hopefully, we will see a little more color (and not just green) in the adaptation!

Check out our video on Brittney Johnson becoming Broadway’s first #BlackGlinda:

The post ‘Wicked’ Film Adaptation Finds Its Director in Jon M. Chu appeared first on Broadway Black.

Vereen is currently touring the show with stops throughout the United States, Europe, and Abu Dhabi. Stepping Out is billed as “a unique blend of artistry, combining a tribute to Broadway, Frank Sinatra, and a very special tribute to Sammy Davis Jr.” During the performance, audiences are treated to classics such as  “Defying Gravity,” “Mr. Bojangles,” “For Good” from Wicked and “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries.”

Vereen first performed the show at 54 Below in 2012 to rave reviews. Stephen Holden of the N.Y. Times commented that Vereen is “an old-school song and dance man who never lets up. He wins you over with his sheer energy, good will and showbiz know-how. The excitement he generates is what matters.”

Ben Vereen’s Performs at 54 Below in 2012

Vereen won a Tony and Drama Desk Award winner for his show-stopping performance in Bob Fosse’s Pippin. He also was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar. His other Broadway credits include Wicked, I’m Not Rappaport, Chicago, Hair, Fosse, Jelly’s Last Jam, and A Christmas Carol.

Vereen’s television guest appearances include How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy (for which he won the Prism Award), Hot in Cleveland, NCIS, House of Payne, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, OZ, Star Trek – The Next Generation, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

All performances begin at 7:00pm and doors open at 5:15pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

The post Ben Vereen Returns to Feinstein’s/54 Below appeared first on Broadway Black.

It was a moment many had been hoping for and believed was long overdue. Although that was the climax of Williams’ appearance at the pageant, another highlight of the evening, and less talked about by mainstream media, was her stirring rendition of Amy Grant’s “Oh How the Years Go By” with the Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV).

The BIV joined Williams center stage for the opening performance of the pageant. Their performance of the moving ballad caused the audience to erupt into thunderous applause and a standing ovation.

What a great night!! Performing with friend and @bivoices supporter @vwofficial #missamerica #nbc http://t.co/MEefaUnVN8

— Broadway Insp Voices (@BIVoices) September 14, 2015

Broadway Inspirational Voices is a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational choir ensemble made up of actors and musicians from Broadway and off‐Broadway shows such as Aladdin, Book of Mormon, Cinderella, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Motown, Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. The BIV’s mission is “strengthening and unifying the New York community through the transcendent power of music. “

The choir was founded in 1994 by Tony nominee, actor, singer, and director Michael McElroy and became the place where he could express his unique arrangements of known and unknown songs in and out of the American gospel and theatre songbooks. In 2005, McElroy received a Grammy nomination for his work on the choir’s holiday CD, “Great Joy: A Gospel Christmas.”

The BIV is next scheduled to perform at Pope Francis’ Mass at Madison Square Garden on September 25. Other performers scheduled to appear include Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Hudson, Kelli O’Hara, Martin Sheen, James (D Train) Williams, and Norm Lewis.

The post Vanessa Williams Performs at Miss America Pageant with Broadway Inspirational Voices appeared first on Broadway Black.

The way my high school history books were written, every single one of those historical figures was white. Manuel did something here. He could have maintained historical “accuracy.”  However, this musical wasn’t about that. He threw out the typical format and hired people of color to fill these roles and guess what? It didn’t matter. Hamilton became an instant hit and no one is criticizing it for its colorblind casting because it’s just that good. The actors make these characters believable regardless of their skin color. What Manuel wanted to create was art, and art doesn’t have a race. It has an impact.

I remember going to see Keke Palmer in Cinderella back in 2014, looking around the theatre, and being brought to tears. I cried because I saw hundreds – and I’m not exaggerating — of young Black girls in tiaras and pretty dresses in the theatre. They were there to see Keke and to experience theatre, some for the very first time. And there was a Black girl playing the princess on the stage. I was so overcome with happiness and joy because it was so important for them, and me, to see. When I was leaving the theatre, a little girl said, “Mommy, I want to do that!” And she can!

What if this could happen all the time? I know we have shows like The Color Purple and Motown, which have no choice but to cast Black actors. However, those shows come and go (that’s another article, for another time). What I’m talking about is something a little different. Oftentimes when I’m catching a show on Broadway, I rarely see faces of color on the stage in lead or featured roles. Sure, I usually can spot them in the ensemble or they may be the understudy, but where’s our full-time Black Elphaba? Does Captain Hook have to be white? Aren’t there Black LGBTQ youth too? Black people go to Paris, right? I’m sure there are tons of Black girls and boys that never want to grow up, so where is their Finding Neverland?

There’s a term in theatre and film called “non-traditional” casting. That term is basically code for non-white actors. For the life of me, I’ve been trying to figure out why they call actors of color “non-traditional.” Are our stories and lives not “traditional?” Do we lack a certain trait to make us “traditional?” What does this even mean?

The answer is something I’ve been trying to discern but, at this point, I don’t think it matters. In the past three years I’ve seen more actors of color in roles that for so long have been cast with predominately white actors. Taye Diggs as Hedwig? Norm Lewis as The Phantom? Condola Rashad as Juliet? Even Trip To Bountiful, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof cast all Black actors during their Broadway runs. When I see that, it’s a great feeling. My question, then, is why doesn’t it happen more? Is it so far off to believe that as people of color we, too, can live these experiences?

I say these things with a spirit of hope, as I was once a young Black girl attending the theatre. I know the impact of seeing actors on stage that look like you. I also know what it feels like to be automatically ruled out of a role based on the color of your skin. Even now as a Performing Arts teacher, I want to be able to take my students to shows where they can look at that stage and turn to me and say “Ms. Harper-Davis, I’m gonna do that.”

Yes, scholar. Yes, you will.

UPDATE: ***In the featured photo: All black cast of “Oklahoma!” at Portland Center Stage from 2011. A fantastic cast and production, and one of their best selling shows ever. In the photo are Jarran Stepney-Muse as Will Parker and Joy Matthews as Aunt Eller

The post Hamilton To Hedwig: When “Non-Traditional” Casting Becomes Traditional appeared first on Broadway Black.