Urban Stages Extends LANGSTON IN HARLEM Thru 5/9

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Artistic Director, Lauren Schmiedel, Managing Director) is happy to announce a one-week extension of their critically acclaimed musical, Langston in Harlem. Langston in Harlem has a book by Langston Hughes, Walter Marks and Kent Gash, with music by Walter Marks, lyrics by Langston Hughes and directed by Kent Gash, with Barry Levitt as music producer, choreography by Byron Easley, and musical direction by John DiPinto. Langston in Harlem began performances on Friday, April 9 and opened on Thursday, April 15, 2010 and was set to end on May 2 but will now run through May 9, 2010. Urban Stages is located at 259 West 30 Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues). Tickets are $40 and are available at www.Smarttix.com or by calling 212.868.4444. Langston in Harlem is produced by arrangement with Langston, Ltd., Jon Kimbell/SenovvA, Inc. - Executive Producer. Updated playing schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 8PM; Saturday at 2PM & 8PM; Sunday, April 25 at 5PM; Sunday, May 2 & May 9 at 2PM.

Langston in Harlem is an exciting new musical about one of America's most honored poets, Langston Hughes. Set in the African-American cultural capital of Harlem from the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil Rights movement, Langston in Harlem tells the story of Langston Hughes' journey into manhood and his emergence as one of the most beloved and forward thinking artists of our time. This groundbreaking new musical is filled with Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm and Blues, Swing, dance and spoken-word that sings, jumps, stomps and shouts. Langston Hughes' glorious words and poetry of love, loss, joy and the blues and the people of Harlem who inspired him, come gloriously to life, in Langston in Harlem and are once again universal and unforgettable!

THE CRITICS HAVE RAVED: "Astounding. The singing and dancing are inspired." NEW YORKER; "Urban Stages has itself a fresh, original winner in Langston in Harlem. Vitality, intelligence, and a crackerjack cast deliver a show with rich humanity and flair." BACKSTAGE; "If you've read work by Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston, you'll adore seeing these legendary literary figures come to life in Langston in Harlem. Rousing songs with talent almost too large for this intimate theater. I loved this show from the first dynamic dance number to the end. I highly recommend it." THEATER MANIA; "Langston in Harlem presents Hughes in all his thorny complexity, never shying from the darker aspects of his story. And yet the show leaves you with an irrepressible sense of joy in its celebration of a great American artist." BACKSTAGE; "Langston in Harlem begins with a roar that would rival the A Train subway." HARLEM WORLD; "Byron Easley's choreography is supple and evocative, Langston in Harlem has a stirring score with remarkable voices in the cast. Langston in Harlem is a zesty recreation of life in Harlem between the wars." CURTIAN UP; "Finally, a musical containing songs that are hard-hitting, edgy, rhythmic, and multilayered has arrived in New York! The best new music I've heard in over a decade. The choreography by Byron Easley is exciting."STAGE AND CINEMA; "The beautiful and searing words of one of America's finest poets take new flight when set to the period-conscious music of Walter Marks in Langston in Harlem. Under the direction of Kent Gash, this lively group of performers achieves gorgeous harmonics, as well as seamless and versatile choreography by Byron Easley." HARLEM BESPOKE; "Langston in Harlem is a wonderfully engaging, enlightening and inspiration musical that should be on everyone's must see list it's incredibly entertaining. Don't defer going to see this fabulous new musical." TALK ENTERTAINMENT

The cast includes Josh Tower (The Lion King, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin), as Langston Hughes, the cast also included Jordan Barbour (Stormy Weather), Jonathan Burke (National Tour Cats, Regional Rent, Hair Wiz), Francesca Harper (Fosse, The Producers, The Frogs, and The Color Purple), Boise Holmes ("CSI: Miami," Film: Kiss The Girls Black Knight, The Lion King -Germany, Hong Kong), Dell Howlett (Bombay Dreams, Film: Across The Universe), Krisha Marcano (The Color Purple), Kenita Miller (Xanadu, The Color Purple), Okieriete Onaobowan (Neighbors, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Ragtime at NJPAC), Gayle Turner (The Wiz), Glenn Turner, C. Kelly Wright (Film: Every Black Man, Regional: A Little Princess). Creative team includes: Emily Beck (Scenic Designer), William H. Grant, III (Lighting Designer), Austin Sanderson (Costume Designer), Jason Fitzgerald (Sound Designer), Alex Koch (Projection Designer), and Alan Filderman (Casting).

Langston in Harlem
Book by Langston Hughes, Walter Marks and Kent Gash,
With music by Walter Marks, lyrics by Langston Hughes and directed by Kent Gash
NOW THROUGH MAY 9, 2010
Performance Schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 8PM; Saturday at 2PM & 8PM- Sunday at 5PM
UPDATE: Sunday May 2 & 9 at 2PM
Tickets are $40,
Tickets available at www.SmartTix.com or call 212.868.4444
Student Rush with valid ID 10 minutes before curtain (based on availability)
Running time: 1:45 no intermission
For more information about Urban Stages please visit www.urbanstages.org