New Vibe Lounge Announces April Of Excellence With Two Major Productions

Following yet another successful performance of David Heron's Against His Will - The Staged Reading on Sunday March 24, The New Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre Long Island has announced its 'April of Excellence' schedule, which will feature two very different mainstage productions targeted at the venue's rapidly expanding audience.

On Sunday April 14, chart topping reggae artist Wayne Wonder will make his long awaited Vibe Lounge debut, in a performance rescheduled from early March. The event, which kicks off at 4pm with Wonder taking the stage later on, is part of Vibe's exclusive DVP (Day Vibe Party) 100 Concert series.

Then on Sunday April 21, Vibe will host the 40th Anniversary production of Jamaican playwright Easton Lee's acclaimed passion play, The Rope and The Cross, with two performances at 3pm and 7pm. The staged concert reading is another installment in Vibe's Sunday Playreading series and will be directed by David Heron.

With this latest announcement of its April of Excellence programming, The New Vibe Lounge is gradually emerging as one of Long Island's premiere cultural and entertainment facilities. Once considered primarily a nightclub and lounge catering to a largely Caribbean audience from Thursday through Saturday nights, the recently sold out Sunday staged readings of Heron's legal drama Against His Will has attracted new and diverse audiences to the venue.

The presentation of two such vastly different entertainment offerings on consecutive Sundays in April is a strong indication of the new direction in which the venue is moving in its attempts to offer something for everyone at the Vibe.

Wayne Wonder will make his first ever appearance at the Vibe after inclement weather lead to a postponement of his concert, originally slated for March 3.

Born Von Wayne Charles in eastern Jamaica, Wonder is considered to be one of Jamaica's premier reggae fusion artists. His major international breakthrough came in 2003 when he signed with Atlantic Records. That collaboration produced his biggest hit to date, No Letting Go, which was a Billboard top 20 hit in the USA and a top 5 single in the United Kingdom. The single was considered a true embodiment of the fusion of Wonder's reggae dancehall sound with rap and hip hop elements, which had lead to collaborations with the likes of Foxy Brown and Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes in the early 2000s.

Meanwhile Easton Lee's epic passion play The Rope and The Cross, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, after being originally written by the playwright as a seasonal production for his church in Siloah, St Elizabeth in western Jamaica. The play had its world premiere in Siloah on Easter weekend, 1979 and proved so immensely and immediately popular that it rapidly became a theatrical staple during the Lenten season, touring Jamaica, the Caribbean and several other countries annually for several decades. Over the years, the play's cast would come to feature some of the most acclaimed Jamaican actors of their generation, including Leonie Forbes, Rooney Chambers, Fae Ellington, Alwyn Scott and Munair Zacca.

The cast of the 2018 New York revival is lead by Audelco award nominated actor Nixon Cesar (Paul Calderon's Master of The Crossroads at The Bridge Theater) as Jesus and Emilio Evans (Layon Gray's Black Angels Over Tuskegee at St Luke's Theatre) as Judas.

Audelco Award nominee Candice McKoy will play the role of the Mother of Judas while renowned Jamaican born actress Fleurette Harris portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Additional casting for The Rope and The Cross will be announced shortly.

The New Vibe Lounge is located at 60 North Park Avenue in Rockville Centre, Long Island, 11570.

There will be a cash bar cocktail hour prior to each performance of The Rope and The Cross and an audience talkback and complimentary Caribbean Easter buffet courtesy of Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant following each show.

Tickets to the DVP 100 Concert Series event featuring Wayne Wonder are $40 each and are available here:-

https://waynewonderliveupdate.eventbrite.com

Tickets to The Rope and the Cross are $35 and are available here:-

-theropeandthecross3pm.eventbrite.com

-theropeandthecross7pm.eventbrite.com

For further information, contact 424 256 6574.

PHOTO CAPTION- Nixon Cesar and Emilio Evans

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