Tuesday night at the esteemed theatre on Astor Place, otherwise known as the Public Theatre, celebrations ensued at the opening of Toast by Lemon Anderson. Award winning poet and playwright had two reasons to celebrate that night, his birthday and his show! Toast, which was first presented at the Under the Radar festival at the Public, weaves through the prison narrative in folklore style. Headed up by Broadway Veteran and a Broadway Black fave, Keith David who plays legendary inmate Dolomite. David is accompanied on stage with cellmates Phillip James Brannon (Annabelle Jones), Dan Butler (Sheriff Jody), Teddy Cañez (G.I. Joe), Hill Harper (Hard Rock), John Earl Jelks (Stackolee), Jonathan Earl Peck (Hobo Ben), and Armando Riesco (Jesse James).
We are sure Toast is a show you don’t want to miss! Directed by Andersen’s County of Kings collaborator, Elise Thoron, this Public Lab run that began with previews on April 21st only has a week left in its run. This compelling tale that takes place inside Attica prison during the 1971 uprising will show you the layers of the colored man and inside the mind of life in prison. How do you keep yourself from losing it that is.
Back in 2013, we were there for the premiere reading and Keith David, along with the rest of the cast floored us! (Read the article HERE ) Still don’t believe us maybe this blurb about the show will get you excited:
“Willie Green a.k.a. “Dolomite,” the famous Folklore hero from the old Black Narratives, is still known as the baddest badass out of San Antone, but he’s aged and has been locked up for murder in Attica’s D-Block for the last 27 years. Word is brewing throughout Attica that a riot is coming, but Dolomite and his cellmates would rather not get involved until the youngest inmate in D-Block gets a vicious beating by the officers for demanding better prison conditions. Does Dolomite join the riots and take vengeance upon the officers for what they did – or lock himself in his cell and hope for a promised parole date and the chance to taste freedom? The word “toast” is actually an art form of reciting poetry based on characters and situations driven from the Black Experience, mostly told and performed in the prisons, Bars and pool halls of America. The play honors this poetic form and brings its heroes like Stackolee, Jesse James, Voodoo Queen, Hard Rock to the stage.”
Toast is running now through May 10th at the Public Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by calling (212) 967-7555 or visiting publictheater.org
