Cast And Tour Dates Announced For The Ultimate Aretha Franklin Tribute, R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

The Queen of Soul is coming to you with a concert experience like no other! The cast has been announced for the North American debut of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., an electrifying tribute experience celebrating the legendary Aretha Franklin. After a national casting search, the supreme American talent bringing this event to life has been found in New York's Trejah Bostic leading the band, supported by vocalists Meghan Dawson, Nattalyee Randall and Ashton Weekes who will also host. The national tour kicks off at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on October 6, 2022.

 

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. will be directed by Broadway's Christina Sajous (Spongebob Squarepants, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, American Idiot, Baby It's You), with Musical Direction by Darnell White (Revelation The Musical, Gospel at Colonus). R.E.S.P.E.C.T. follows the musical maven's story through a soundtrack of the hits that made her the Queen of Soul. More than just a concert, this is the Aretha experience like no other featuring all of your favorite hits in one evening including "Natural Woman," "Think," "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me," "Chain of Fools," "Respect," and many more!

The brand new production is adapted from McGee Entertainment's Australian touring smash-hit, RESPECT-The Aretha Franklin Story starring Angie Narayan (Australian Idol), which continues to play to sold out audiences across the country.

The North American tour will kick off its first leg with 44 shows through January 2023, including stops in 15 states. A second leg of the tour will be announced shortly through Spring 2023. To view the full list of tour stops, visit https://www.respectontour.com/. Tickets will be available for purchase via local venues. For booking inquiries, contact The Booking Group through Brian Brooks at BBrooks@tbgtours.com and Rich Rundle and RRundle@tbgtours.com.

Follow R.E.S.P.E.C.T. on social media at instagram.com/respectontour/ and facebook.com/respectontour.to learn more about this incredible new show and the artists bringing it to a city near you.

About the Artists

TREJAH BOSTIC (Lead Singer) is a singer/actress based out of Brooklyn, New York. Her most recent credits include Great Great Aunt Rose in "Rosie Revere Engineer and Friends" with TheatreWorks USA and Celie in "The Color Purple" at The Barn Dinner Theatre in Greensboro NC. This will be her first national tour! "I am super excited to be a part of this amazing cast and I'm looking forward to going on this journey and experiencing all the beautiful audiences that we will come to meet."

MEGHAN DAWSON (Host 2) is thrilled to be stepping into her first National Tour! Born and raised in south Louisiana, she was surrounded by a rich musical culture at a very young age. Love for whimsical storytelling and musical instruments is credited to be what started her performance aspirations. Most recently seen in Six! The Musical as Tudor queen Catherine Parr. She attended Louisiana State University under an Opera concentration and has used that technical training to perform around the world.

Nattalyee Randall (Host 1 / Lead Singer understudy) currently resides in NYC but is originally from Springfield, IL. She attended Western Illinois University for Music and English Education. She is an activist, ultra marathoner, teacher, and actor. You can catch her in the movie "The Ghost Who Walks" that is on Peacock TV. She recently directed and executive produced the documentary "The Race Against Race" which premiered at DOC NYC. Much love and thanks to Susan Campochiaro Confrey of CBU Management and JC William Agency.

ASHTON WEEKES (Host 3) aka ASHTNMRTN is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and actor whose music flows in between genres exploring soul and sensuality. His songs dive into early experiences with love, sex, and heartbreak. "Mindfreak", his latest release on Blck Mrcy Recordings is a sultry, playful mid-tempo about enigmatic bosses looking to flex. His past work includes appearances in Damien Escobar and Father John Misty videos, performing with fashion brand Pyer Moss and the upcoming microseries H.E.R.

Christina Sajous (Director) Broadway: Spongebob Squarepants (Sandy Cheeks), Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark (Arachne), American Idiot (Extraordinary Girl), Baby It's You! (Shirley), Tupac Shakur's Holler If Ya Hear Me. Regional: A Wonderful World (Miami New Drama) Paradise Square (Berkeley Rep), The Prince of Egypt (TheatreWorks), Carmen: an Afro Cuban Musical (Tectonic Theatre Project), Romeo & Juliet (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), Disgraced (Denver Center of Performing Arts). TV/Film performing credits include "Spongebob Squarepants The Musical Live on Stage" as Sandy Cheeks (Nickelodeon), "Run the World" (Starz) "Kevin Can F*** Himself" (AMC) "Chicago Med" (NBC), "Blue Bloods" (CBS),"Jesus Christ Superstar Live" (NBC), "Alpha House"(Amazon), "One Life to Live" (ABC), "Broadway Idiot" (Netflix). Christina attended NYU: Tisch School of the Arts, and the International Theatre Wing in Amsterdam.

Darnell White (Music Director) A noted staple in New York City's music scene, Darnell has developed a pristine reputation as a performer, composer, and musical director. As a music director he has collaborated with artists including Melba Moore, Brian McKnight, Blaine Krauss, Amma Ossei, Willis White, Angela Birchett, David LaMarr, Carlton Jumel Smith and more. He recently served as musical director for the off-Broadway show Revelation The Musical as well as the film adaptation of Gospel at Colonus, Lady Day at Emerson's Grill (Depot Theater) and served as the Artist in Residence at the American Songbook Association. He is currently the musical director for several churches in the New York area and the chorusmaster for Trilogy: An Opera Company in Newark, NJ. Darnell is highly recognized as one of New York City's top vocal coaches and is always accepting new talent into his studio.

RIGHT ANGLE ENTERTAINMENT (Producer) specializes in the production, marketing, management and distribution of live theatrical, digital and concert events. RAE's proud roster includes: America's Got Talent Live!, The Price is Right LIVE!, The Masked Singer National Tour, The Simon and Garfunkel Story, The Office! An Unauthorized Musical Parody (Off Broadway and National Tour), FRIENDS! A Musical Parody (Off-Broadway and National Tour), Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (National Tour and Grand Old Opry), Together Live with Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle, Sasha Velour's Smoke & Mirrors Tour, among many others.

Maple Tree Entertainment (Producer) Headed by Dean Elliott, Maple Tree Entertainment Ltd is a theatrical production company that specializes in creating, presenting and producing high quality music, drama and musicals both in the UK and across the world. Maple Tree Entertainment's flagship show The Simon & Garfunkel Story has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people across the world and is still today the leading theatrical show concerning Simon & Garfunkel. The company is committed to extremely high-quality work and will always have the satisfaction of the audience as its main driving goal.

QUATRO ENTERTAINMENT (Producer) co-produces The Simon & Garfunkel Story, The Life and Music of George Michael, The British Invasion - Live On Stage and promotes national Broadway touring shows. With offices in Calgary, Alberta, Victoria, British Columbia and Reno, Nevada they present hundreds of events across North America each year. Recent Broadway touring shows include Dirty Dancing, Kinky Boots, Rock of Ages and The Illusionists. For more information visit: http://quatroentertainment.com.

 

 

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