DOROTHY DANDRIDGE: THE MUSICAL Starring N'Kenge To Have Private Industry Reading

Producers N'Kenge and Richard Bell will present a private reading of "Dorothy Dandridge: The Musical" the true story of Hollywood's very first African- American movie star, with book & lyrics by 2-time Emmy Award winner Trey Ellis (King of the Wilderness, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight For Equality), music & lyrics by Shelton Becton (The Color Purple, Shuffle Along, Lady Day) and directed by Tony Award winner Tamara Tunie. The reading will be held at the Park Central Hotel (870 Seventh Avenue) on Thursday, May 27.

Dorothy Dandridge: The Musical charts the meteoric rise of a remarkable actor, singer and dancer from chitlin circuit barnstorming as a young girl to smoldering chanteuse integrating the Waldorf Astoria to her legendary performance in Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones, garnering her the first ever Best Actress Oscar nomination for a Black actor. Her story, however, takes a sharp turn after this peak. She discovers Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s has no place for a leading black woman, no matter how talented and beautiful. And neither do the men in her life, from legendary tap dancer Harold Nicholas to Preminger. For a time, like her friend Marilyn Monroe, booze and pills become her only lovers, but Marilyn's suicide at the height of her fame jolts Dorothy out of her downward spiral. But is it too little too late?

Dorothy Dandridge: The Musical is a joyous, spectacular song and dance celebration of a gorgeous woman pioneer who dared to dream. It is not a tragedy that she failed to fully realize them. It would have been a tragedy if she hadn't even tried. As she intones in the rousing final number, "For all the kings and queens and in-betweens crowding round my door...pity me not."

The cast, led by N'Kenge (Motown:The Musical, Sondheim On Sondheim and Caroline, or Change) in the title role includes: Aisha de Haas (Bring in Da Noise..., Newsies), Dawn Derow (Bistro Award winning vocalist), Benjamin Eakeley (Sweeney Todd, On a Clear Day...), C.K. Edwards (Shuffle Along, After Midnight), Dewitt Fleming, Jr. ("Boardwalk Empire", Cotton Club Parade), Jared Grimes (Twist, Scotsboro Boys), Marva Hicks (Motown: The Musical, Caroline or Change), John Preator ("American Idol"), Natalie Renee (Indianapolis Symphony), and Stuart Zagnet (Wicked, Newsies). The stage manager is Collette Ambo.

Dorothy Dandridge: The Musical is slated to do a two week workshop with Amas Musical Theatre and will be featured in the company's 4th Annual "Dare to be Different" Festival at A.R.T./New York Theatres in Spring 2022.