Imagine you go to see a comedienne. She talks about sex and drugs and racial issues and being a lesbian and any number of taboo subjects. Pretty fun night, right? Now imagine she's in her 50's, 60's or even 70's. Even more fun. Now imagine it's the 1970's or even earlier. And there we have the career of one of the funniest and most groundbreaking African American women of the last century, Jackie "Moms" Mabley. And in a tribute to this pioneer, writer Dan Owens and director Jacqueline Moscou and the folks at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute have come up with the world premiere of "Hello Darlin's: Mom's got something to tell you!" And while there may have been a few rough moments in the evening, it amounts to a hilarious and touching look back at a trailblazer of comedy whose career spanned over 50 years and who needs to be remembered.
Last Thursday, September 19, was the first day of rehearsal for Broadway's AFTER MIDNIGHT. Day 1 included a costume presentation by the acclaimed fashion designer Isabel Toledo. Scroll down for photos of the cast and creative team!
Multi-Platinum superstars Toni Braxton and Kenny 'Babyface' Edwards are the latest Grammy Award-winning artists set to join the roster of 'Special Guest Star' vocalists in the new Broadway musical After Midnight. With an impressive 16 Grammy Awards between them, Braxton and Edwards will join the company following k.d. lang, Tuesday, March 18, 2014 through Sunday, March 30, 2014. As previously announced, After Midnight will reintroduce the Cotton Club's exciting tradition of welcoming the stars of today in limited engagements throughout the musical's run. After Midnight will begin preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) on Friday, October 18, 2013 with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013. Tickets for Braxton and Edmonds' engagement will go on sale Monday, November 4, 2013.
During a U.N. GA Summit reception at the Waldorf Astoria, Dule Hill and fellow cast members of AFTER MIDNIGHT performed for President Obama and the First Lady. The cast performed 'I've Got the World on a String,' 'Devil in the Deep Blue Sea,' and 'Creole Love Call.' Hill sung the first of these.
Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, After Midnight, featuringFantasia Barrino, will begin preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (246 West 47th Street) on Friday, October 18, 2013 with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013. Emmy Award-nominated actor Dule Hill will join Barrino onstage as 'The Host' of the evening.
Check out more photos of the marquee at the Brooks Atkinson below!
What happens when the life you planned isn't the life you get? New author Sharisse Kimbro uses fiction to explore how women reconcile the lives they wanted at 21 with the lives they end up with 20 years later in her debut novel Beyond the Broken, available today at http://www.sharissekimbro.com. Beyond the Broken is self-published in partnership with Open Books Editions.
Dallas Theater Center launches its 2013-14 season with A Raisin in the Sun. Tre Garrett of Fort Worth's Jubilee Theatre will make his directorial debut at DTC with this Tony Award-winning play. A Raisin in the Sun begins with a Pay-What-You-Can performance tonight, September 13 and runs through Sunday, October 27 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
The new Broadway Musical, After Midnight, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, will begin previews on Friday, October 18, 2013 at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 W 47th St) with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013. According to the New York Times, singer K.D. Lang will make her Broadway debut in the show.
Producers Scott Sanders and Wynton Marsalis have announced the wildly eclectic opening night cast for the new Broadway Musical, After Midnight. The company includes a wide array of 25 cutting-edge performers from varied backgrounds who will come together to create an explosive, modern interpretation of Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, After Midnight will begin previews on Friday, October 18, 2013 at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 W 46th St) with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013. Tickets are now on sale.
Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, After Midnight, featuring Fantasia Barrino, will begin preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (246 West 47th Street) on Friday, October 18, 2013 with an official opening night set for Sunday, November 3, 2013. Emmy Award-nominated actor Dule Hill will join Barrino onstage as 'The Host' of the evening.
Check out photos of the marquee at the Brooks Atkinson below!
With the excitement over the fiftieth anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'Dream' speech quietly receding from the national stage, it might be a good time to examine the life of another twentieth century human rights giant.
My Last Day Without You, an award winning romantic drama directed by Stefan Schaefer will release theatrically in AMC Theatres in Washington DC, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago and New Orleans on October 4 th. The film stars Nicole Beharie (42, Shame) lead of the upcoming much-anticipated FOX series 'Sleepy Hollow.'
WorkShop Theater Company, and Artistic Director Scott C. Sickles, has announced its 20th season, celebrating its diverse history. WorkShop's Main Stage Season begins in September with the world premiere of Lou-Lou Igbokwe's Iyom; November marks the return of Philip Hall's highly acclaimed musical adaptation of Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi; and the spring will bring director Ryan Lee's vision of Shakespeare's challenging classic, The Winter's Tale. In addition to developing new plays and reviving classics, WorkShop has broadened its scope in the past few years by fostering new short plays, musicals, and children's theater. This fall, WorkShop welcomes a new Managing Director, Joseph Giardina, who is also an arts education consultant for the New York City Department of Education's (NYCDOE) Office of the Arts and Special Projects.
Dallas Theater Center launches its 2013-14 season with A Raisin in the Sun. Tre Garrett of Fort Worth's Jubilee Theatre will make his directorial debut at DTC with this Tony Award-winning play. A Raisin in the Sun begins with a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Friday, September 13 and runs through Sunday, October 27 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
THE ARENA PLAYERS, the oldest, continuously operating, African-American community theater prepares to embark on its 60th seasom with an opening night fundraising event.
Tony Award-winning playwright Larry Kramer is the recipient of the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for an American Playwright in Mid-Career as well as a Master American Dramatist award
During the red carpet premiere for the movie The Butler, Fantasia Barrino, star of the upcoming Broadway production AFTER MIDNIGHT, talked about her return to the Great White Way after her turn in The Color Purple. Watch the interview below!
New York City Center is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival with a very special season, beginning with two free evenings of dance at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, hosted by The Public Theater, on September 16 and 17 (rain date, September 18). The Festival will continue at City Center from September 25 - October 5 with performances by 20 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, including three new works from today's most exciting young choreographers, commissioned by New York City Center in celebration of the tenth anniversary.
