Hattiloo Theatre Partners with Renowned Market Theatre To Bring BLUES IN THE NIGHT To Johannesburg

Hattiloo Theatre has announced a month-long international engagement of Blues in the Night in Johannesburg, South Africa, running throughout February 2026 at the renowned Market Theatre.

Written by Tony Award winner Sheldon Epps, the musical celebrates blues, jazz, and gospel classics while exploring love, resilience, and the emotional lives of Black women. Directed and choreographed by Emma Crystal, with musical direction by Ashley Davis, the cast includes Jamille Hunter, Grant Kee, Chasity Alliston, and Zan'Tarria R. Edwards, with Cyd Trice as technical and stage manager. This landmark production marks Hattiloo's first performance on the African continent, launching a cultural exchange with the Market Theatre, bringing Memphis talent to one of the world's most historic stages for socially engaged Black theatre.

Founder and CEO of Hattiloo Theatre, Ekundayo Bandele, expresses his gratitude for this international partnership by saying:

"Taking Blues in the Night to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg is an incredible honor for Hattiloo. I'm deeply proud to share our work on an international stage and to create a moment where Memphis artists can carry our stories, our sound, and our spirit across the world."

Conceived by Sheldon Epps, Blues in the Night is a scorching, Tony-nominated musical in which the soul of the blues wails out full and strong. Through 26 hot and torchy numbers, the show weaves the sweet, sexy, and sorrowful stories of three women entangled with a lying, cheating man, leaving audiences energized, inspired, and ready to wail. Featuring glorious songs by legends such as Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Alberta Hunter, Jimmy Cox, Ida Cox, and more, the musical captures the pain and heartache of life and love, as well as the resilience and determination that define the very essence of the blues.