Vincent Victoria Presents JUST LENA
Continuing his cycle of plays about legendary African American entertainers, playwright Vincent Victoria and his company Vincent Victoria Presents, will be dramatizing the life of Lena Horne with the play "Just Lena" June 28th-July 7th at Midtown Art Center.
Horne was considered one of the most beautiful women of the 20th Century, but because of the Jim Crow policies still in effect during the prime years of her career in the 1940's and 50's, Horne's roles were limited and mostly relegated to self contained scenes in movies where she just sang and sometimes danced. These scenes could be easily edited out of those films when they played in the Southern Regions of the United States.
Says Victoria, "Horne could have been a much bigger star had she been white or chosen to pass for white during her time in Hollywood, but she remained true to her mixed African American heritage until her death without regret. My aim is to show that Horne was not a demanding diva in regards to Movie Star perks but she was FEARLESS in demanding civil rights for herself and other African Americans."
The fictional play is set in 1973 on the set of the television show Sanford and Son where Horne was a guest star and making somewhat of a "comeback" after the deaths of her son, father , and husband and reminisces about her life with the show's star Redd Foxx.
Though performing under the radar in a crowded Houston theater scene, Vincent Victoria Presents was the first company to produce original full length plays about luminaries Eartha Kitt, Josephine Baker, Booker T. Washington, and Hattie Mc Daniel in the Houston area.
All performances of "Just Lena" will be performed at Midtown Art Center 3414 La Branch with performances Friday June 28th and Saturday June 29th at 8 pm. Sunday June 30th at 12 pm and 5 pm. Friday July 5th at 8 pm, Saturday July 6th at 3 pm and 8 pm. And Sunday July 7th at 5 pm.
Tickets are $25 online at http://www.vincentvictoriapresents.com of at the door during the day of the performance.
Videos
