Phylicia Rashad, who received a 2004 Tony Award nomination for her performance in August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, will return to the role of centuries-old Aunt Ester when the play is produced at the McCarter Theatre (91 University Place) in Princeton, NJ; it will run from October 11th to 30th.John Amos ("The West Wing," "Roots") will also be featured in the play, which is the penultimate piece in Wilson's sprawling, 10-play cycle about the African American experience in the 20th century; Gem in the Ocean is set in 1904. The play begins "begins on the eve of the 285th birthday of Aunt Ester.. Citizen Barlow, a man who is in
spiritual turmoil, arrives at Aunt Ester's house in Pittsburgh's Hill
District and is soon set off on a spiritual journey to find the mythic
City of Bones, leading him to startling discoveries and setting him on
a course of duty and redemption." Ruben Santiago-Hudson, in his directorial debut, will helm the piece; he appeared in the play on Broadway and won a Tony Award for his work in Wilson's Seven Guitars.Despite earning mostly positive reviews (and a rave from The New York Times), Gem of the Ocean was a commerical disappointment at 15 previews and 72 performances; it
opened on December 6th, 2004 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Directed by
Kenny Leon, it was nominated for a Best Play Tony in 2005, as well as
four others. Gem of the Ocean starred Anthony Chisholm, Lisa Gay Hamilton and John Earl Jelks in addition to Santiago-Hudson and Rashad (who won a 2004 Tony for her performance in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun).
Gem of the Ocean will play Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Friday and
Saturday evenings at 8 PM, with matinees on Saturdays at 3 PM and
Sundays at 2 PM. Tickets, which range from $25 to $53, can be purchased by calling
(609) 258-2787 or by visiting www.mccarter.org.
