A SOLDIER'S PLAY National Tour is Coming to the Forrest Theatre in January

The Kimmel Cultural Campus, in partnership with The Shubert Organization, will present the Philadelphia premiere of Roundabout Theatre Company's 2020 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Play, A Soldier's Play. This show, honored with the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, comes to Philadelphia - home to the playwright, Charles Fuller - as part of a limited national tour running at the Forrest Theatre, January 24 - February 5, 2023.

Emmy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee Norm Lewis will star as 'Captain Richard Davenport.' Joining him will be Broadway, TV, and film star Eugene Lee, who originated the role of 'Corporal Bernard Cobb' in the original 1981 Off-Broadway Production of A Soldier's Play; his role in this production is 'Sergeant Vernon C. Waters.' A Soldier's Play will be directed by Tony Award winner and Roundabout Theatre Company's Senior Resident Director Kenny Leon.

"We are delighted to present this revival of Charles Fuller's work for the very first time in his hometown of Philadelphia, a city where arts and culture thrive," said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. "Fuller's play is a shining example of a work that is just as relevant today as it was at its premiere four decades ago."

In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service, and identity in America. Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece opened on Broadway for the first time on January 21, 2020, at Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre, nearly forty years after it was written. The acclaimed production was nominated for 7 Tony Awards and 3 Drama Desk Awards, winning Best Revival for both.

"The recent passing of The Giant that is Charles Fuller has only magnified his brilliance... an amazing writer who left us so much with his masterful A Soldier's Play," said director Kenny Leon. "We honor him with this American tour of the Broadway production of this great American classic. Come - laugh, think and reflect - America is in need of love."

The cast includes Will Adams as 'Corporal Bernard Cobb,' Brandon Alvión as an understudy, Sheldon D. Brown as 'Private C.J. Memphis,' Malik Esoj Childs as 'Private Tony Smalls,' Ja'Quán Cole as an understudy, William Connell as 'Captain Charles Taylor,' Charles Everett as an understudy, Alex Michael Givens as 'Corporal Ellis,' Matthew Goodrich as 'Captain Wilcox,' Chattan Mayes Johnson as 'Lieutenant Byrd,' Branden Davon Lindsay as 'Private Louis Henson,' Tarik Lowe as 'Private First-Class Melvin Peterson,' Al'Jaleel McGhee as an understudy, Howard Overshown as 'Private James Wilkie' and Alex Ross as an understudy.

Joining director Kenny Leon for the tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's A Soldier's Play is the Broadway design team that includes Derek McLane (Sets), Dede Ayite (Costumes), Allen Lee Hughes (Lights), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound), and Cristina Angeles (Associate Director). The tour of A Soldier's Play is produced by Roundabout Theatre Company and Tamar Climan.

The A Soldier's Play tour stage management team is John Atherlay and RL Campbell. The company management team is Frank Lott and Jordan Lingreen. Roundabout Theatre Company's tour of A Soldier's Play is made possible in part by generous support from Denise Littlefield Sobel.

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200, visiting Click Here, or in-person beginning on January 3, 2023, at the Forrest Theatre box office (1114 Walnut Street).

The Shubert Organization

The Shubert Organization is America's oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. For over 120 years, Shubert has operated hundreds of theatres and produced hundreds of plays and musicals in New York City and throughout the United States. Under the leadership of Robert E. Wankel, Chairman and CEO, Shubert currently owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres, six off-Broadway venues, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. Notable productions and co-productions include Cats, Sunday in the Park with George, Dreamgirls, The Heidi Chronicles, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Amadeus, Children of a Lesser God, The Grapes of Wrath, Ain't Misbehavin', Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spamalot, The Elephant Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Band's Visit, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Company, and the new musical Some Like It Hot. In addition, Shubert's innovative ticketing solutions offer unparalleled distribution and marketing to the theatre industry and beyond. Its consumer-facing brands-Telecharge for retail ticket sales and Broadway Inbound for group sales and the travel industry-sell millions of tickets each year. The Shubert Foundation, sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc., is dedicated to sustaining and advancing live performing arts in the United States. The Foundation provides general operating support to not-for-profit theatres and dance companies. Foundation grants in 2021 totaled $32.1 million. For more information, visit www.shubert.nyc.

KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) - representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and seven esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO!, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, co-workers, and programs here.

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