Richard Pryor's Daughter Opening in New Show This Week
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 14, 2017
Richard Pryor's talented daughter, actress/singer/writer, Rain Pryor, will open her new solo play, Fried Chicken & Latkes, this week on Thursday, February 16 for a six-week run at Jewish Women's Theatre (JWT) in Santa Monica.
Daughter of show business royalty, Pryor grew up African-American and Jewish in Beverly Hills and has lived a fascinating life filled with pain, poignancy, purpose and lots of laughter. American audiences first met Pryor as television's first biracial child on Head of the Class. At home, her mom was a go-go dancer who met her dad when she was shaking it up in Sunset Boulevard nightclubs. Pryor's childhood was split between two cultures that had much in common, but much that was worlds apart. She was in the middle. Raised in Beverly Hills, Pryor's childhood was split between African-American and Jewish cultures. She ate both brisket and collard greens. Her Beverly Hills bubbie and zeydeh, Herbert Bonis, who managed Danny Kaye, shared her upbringing with her dad's grandma who owned a brothel. This unique blend led to many adventures that she will soon be sharing with JWT audiences. "I hope my new play will help bridge different cultures and contribute to a larger conversation about what we can learn from each other," Pryor said. "I think my show is timely, relevant and joyful. It shows how humor can cross lines, as racially mixed audiences will laugh in and at each other's worlds." "Actually, both strains of my mixed heritage have much in common," she explains. "Both Jews and African-Americans were slaves. Both cherish family and food. In Fried Chicken & Latkes, I play 10 different characters and use humor to highlight these diverse influences on my life, and how they caused me pain, confusion and great happiness. In this, I am following my dad's tradition of crossing ethnic lines to bring people together. And telling the truth. He told the truth and taught me to do the same," Pryor added proudly.
JWT provides a home for the diverse and eclectic community of artists and creators who comprise L.A.'s Jewish community. Both at its home in The Braid theatre and art gallery in Santa Monica's Bergamot Arts District, in intimate salons throughout the city, and on tour throughout the country, JWT stages and displays traditional and contemporary works that provide a forum for the development, performance and showcasing of Jewish talent. Visit www.jewishwomenstheatre.org for tickets and more information.
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