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I'm Ready Productions (I'm Ready), a Houston headquartered, national, African-American theatre, television, feature film and music Production Company, has always been committed to bringing high quality entertainment to the urban community. The company will tour Je'Caryous Johnson's Marriage Material (Marriage Material) this spring. Marriage Material is the thirteenth production that I'm Ready's Executive Producers Je'Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry have produced and features an all-star cast. The production debuted last fall in select markets and received high marks from the fans:
"Saw the stage play last night in Houston. This play is definitely a must-see. Two thumbs up!""Saw it in DC at the Warner Theater. Allen Payne, Tank and crew really did a great job. It was worth my money and my time. I hope this play comes back to DC again because I will see it over and over -- that is how much I loved it!"
Co-written and directed by Je'Caryous Johnson, Marriage Material is a romantic comedy stage play and will star Allen Payne (TV sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne); Tank (R&B platinum recording artist); Jill Marie Jones (TV sitcom Girlfriends); T-Boz (R&B Grammy Award-winning girl group TLC); Michael Colyar (actor/comedian); Patrice Lovely (UniverSoul Circus); national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley and comedian Kier Spates who has toured with StEve Harvey, Rickey Smiley and appeared on numerous televised comedy specials.Marriage Material was inspired by the popularity of character "Koren" the feisty lawyer in Je'Caryous Johnson's Cheaper to Keep Her stage play, now touring. Marriage Material is the comedic remedy to solve the age-old predicament of wondering whether "Mr. or Ms. Right" is really the perfect mate.In Marriage Material, when couples are deciding whether they should or should not get married, there is only one retreat and two people who can deal with any issue. Armed with the Word of God, a black belt in Karate and a PhD in romance, Bishop Love Jones (Michael Colyar) and his wife Beulah Mae-Bullet (Patrice Lovely) have a technique that checks attitudes at the door, and breaks you down to build your relationships back up better than before. Lawyer Koren Lyles (Jill Marie Jones) has been known to slay hearts. When her loving boyfriend Joey Harris (Allen Payne) proposes marriage and persuades her to go to Bishop and Beulah's pre-marital retreat to see if they are Marriage Material, she never expected to run into her best friend Jackie (T-Boz) there, engaged to Michael (Tank), the one man that slayed Koren's heart. The weekend turns into a whirlwind as emotions erupt, perceived friendships become tested, secrets are shouted, and old love goes to war with new love! Will they make it through this retreat or will they discover that marriage may never materialize for them?
"Being in love is something we all want, men and women. We see it in movies, TV shows, and read about it in books," shared I'm Ready Productions Executive Producer and CEO Je'Caryous Johnson. "Marriage Material is based on real-life experiences and is rooted in the biblical principles of being equally yoked and dwelling in understanding of our loved one, treating her or him as you would like to be treated, and having love and respect for one another. In these days of high divorce rates, Marriage Material encourages some old-fashioned wisdom such as to never stop dating your spouse and to have fun in your relationship. We're looking forward to the tour and hope everyone is blessed by the play."*Marriage Material Tour Dates*2011 Spring Tour Detroit, MI, Fisher Theater, Mar. 17-20 Boston, MA, Wang Theater, Mar. 25 New Haven, CT, Shubert Theater, Mar. 26-27 Philadelphia, PA, Merriam Theater, Mar. 31-Apr. 3 Dallas, TX, Brutton Theater, Apr. 7-10 Miami, FL, James L. Knight Center, Apr. 15-17 Fresno, CA, Saroyan Theatre, May 5 Oakland, CA, Paramount Theatre, May 6-8
* Dates are subject to change.For the latest tour updates and information, visit www.imreadyproductions.com.Marriage Material tickets for the May 17-20 engagement at the Fisher Theatre are available by calling (800) 982-2787, online at www.broadwayindetroit.com, or in person at the Fisher Theatre box office and all Ticketmaster locations. For group ticket sales, please call (800) 745-3000.
