Broadway Songstress N'Kenge Stars in Donna Summer Tribute Show

The summer may be over this year, but Broadway actress, singer and producer, N'Kenge, keeps the heat up in her one woman musical tribute, Forever Summer - a Tribute to Donna Summer. This fall, N'Kenge brings her electrifying talents to the Adrienne Theater (located at 2030 Sansom Street) in the heart of Philadelphia, performing all the hits by the Queen of Disco in one explosive show. For one night only, N'Kenge stars in the one-woman show on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7 PM. Tickets are $20-50 and are available online here.

An award-winning actress and vocalist herself, N'Kenge always revered Summer's incredible talent and musical legacy that she left behind. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on Billboard's album chart and became a cultural icon. Her prominence on the Billboard charts spanned beyond the disco era, as she rocked into the 1980s with hits like "She Works Hard For the Money," which became an anthem for women's rights. Summer was also the first black woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award and achieved 16 number one singles throughout her career. In 2013, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where she is listed as "the Diva De Tutte Dive, the first true diva of the modern pop era."

N'Kenge conceived and produced all the music for Forever Summer, and has been performing it throughout the US and internationally. She says, "I always found Donna Summer to be the consummate professional artist - fiercely talented, gorgeous and yet so down to earth. She was a huge inspiration for me, and I feel so fortunate to be able to honor her with this show!"

Tickets for Forever Summer, starring Broadway's N'Kenge, are available now on Eventbrite.

More about N'Kenge

Grammy, Tony and Emmy-nominated artist N'Kenge has performed as a soloist throughout the US and overseas, including at world-renowned performance venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and Madison Square Garden. She has headlined Pop and Opera concerts with the Seattle Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, among many others. A proud alumna of both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, she has performed alongside Smokey Robinson, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Groban and Vanessa Williams as well as with jazz greats Ornette Coleman and Wynton Marsalis. As a singer/songwriter, N'Kenge has worked with Ray Parker Jr., Preston Glass, Chris Willis, Ryan Shaw and Ray J, to name a few.

N'Kenge made her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim. She also starred in the Broadway production of Motown: the Musical, where she originated the role of Mary Wells. Most recently, N'Kenge received high critical acclaim for her performance as The Moon in the Broadway revival of Caroline, or Change. N'Kenge was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the leading roles in both the Elton John/Tim Rice Musical Aida and in Marion Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas by the Helen Hayes Awards and the Arizoni Theater Awards.

In addition to her performances, N'Kenge is also a producer, currently developing a Broadway-bound musical celebrating Dorothy Dandridge's life and music. She is also developing a new TV musical dramedy, Black Butterfly, with TV producer Gina Goff.

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