‘JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING: Brittany Adebumola & Dominique Thorne. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING
Written by Jocelyn Bioh
Directed by Whitney White
Through November 19, 2023
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street

(212-239-6200), www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

By David NouNou

It’s a busy day at Jaja’s African Hair Braiding salon. The events take place in a 12-hour period from opening time at 9am in the morning to 9pm closing time on a very hot day in Harlem. We know the clients and their relentless demands; that’s nothing new. What is new is getting a better understanding of the hardworking women that are on their feet all day long working in this shop. These working women are all different and each one has her own aspirations.

For the most part, nothing special is going on in the shop (except for the unique design of David Zinn’s exceptional authentic set) other than the masterpieces being created. The specialty is the showcasing of the women themselves. They are indeed all talented in hair braiding. There is the usual bickering, the usual dishing, and the uncomfortable awkward situation of (whether you are a woman or a man) going to a hair-dressing salon or a barbershop and deciding you want to change the person who has been doing your hair and the dilemma it presents. That one particular incident is a sidesplitting moment in the play. Amidst all the hilarity, there is a curve ball thrown in to illustrate the complexities that life can present to these women.

Some of these women are African immigrants: Miriam (Brittany Adebumola) is from Sierra Leone. She has been here for a few years to make money and returning back to her country to return here with the daughter she left behind. Owner Jaja (Somi Kakoma) has been here for many years and is getting married today to a white man, and her daughter Marie (Dominique Thorne)— who has been running the shop—has great misgivings about the event. Bea (Zenzi Williams) has been working at Jaja’s for more than 10 years and dreams of opening her own top-notch salon, and she has a meltdown scene with her best friend, Aminata (Nana Mensah), for taking back an unfaithful husband.

Although this is an ensemble piece, there are genuine performances worth noting: Ms. Adebumola is a standout in retelling her life story up to this point, and is simply wonderful. Ms. Williams is indomitable and Ms. Mensah is formidable as the feuding friends. Maechi Aharanwa as Ndidi, the youngest of the stylist, is terrific as the “can’t we all just get along” member of the group. Kalyne Coleman does a mean Beyonce after she gets her hair braided like Miss B. Lakisha May plays three distinct customers to perfection.

The one flaw in the show is Whitney White’s inconsistent direction. She takes time in fleshing out and presenting the characters, but I’m sure that is due to playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s writing. However, Ms. Bioh has packed and tangled so many issues in the last 15 minutes of the play that it is very difficult for Ms. White to properly unravel them and make them fully comprehensible for the audience to digest.

That being said, one must admire the play because it has an important message. It pays homage to all the hardworking immigrants who come here to find a better life. In this case, it is a hair-braiding salon in Harlem. For every immigrant who has come here to perform a service, she or he has a story of their own and deserves the respect of each of their clients.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 6, 2023
Reviewed at October 5, 2023 press performance.

‘JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING’: Nana Mensah, Dominique Thorne (in background) & Somi Kakoma. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING’: Kalyne Coleman & Maechi Aharanwa. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING’: Rachel Christopher & Zenzi Williams. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING’: Lakisha May (seated) & Nana Mensah (in mirror). Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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THE GROUNDBREAKING MUSICAL

THE WIZ WILL OPEN ON BROADWAY ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024

 LIMITED ENGAGEMENT BEGINS PREVIEWS MARCH 29, 2024 AT MARQUIS THEATRE

New York, NY– Producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker announced that the all-new production of the Tony Award-winning hit musical The Wiz will open on Broadway on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in a limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre (210 West 46th Street). Preview performances will begin on March 29, 2024.

To sign up to be the first to buy tickets to this highly anticipated Broadway musical, please sign up for first access at www.wizmusical.com. The Wiz will go on sale exclusively to fans on November 3, 2023 starting at 10 AM ET before going on sale to groups and the general public.

The Wiz launched its pre-Broadway national tour last month with a triumphant opening in Baltimore, where the musical had its original world premiere nearly 50 years ago. The Baltimore engagement is sold out.

The Broadway cast will feature Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Deborah Cox as Glinda and Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow, and Wayne Brady as The Wiz. The Wiz ensemble includes Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones,Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.

‘THE WIZ’: Funny man & ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ host Wayne Brady plays The Wiz & R&B icon Deborah Cox plays Glinda.Photo: Courtesy of OMDKC.

Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida), award-winning choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Black is King), additional material by Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), and Emmy Award®-winning music director and Grammy Award® -winning writer, Adam Blackstone (Dance Music Arranger), are conjuring up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop will bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road.

 The Wiz design team will include scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical) and make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (The Piano Lesson).

The production will include ‘Everybody Rejoice’ music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the ‘Emerald City Ballet’ with music by Timothy Graphenreed.

Joining the producing team with Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker are Elizabeth Armstrong, James L. Nederlander, Hudson/Mann, Cody Lassen/Matthew D’Arrigo, Independent Presenters Network, Amanda DuBois Productions/Ari Edelson, Dori Berinstein, Spencer Ross/Stephanie Cowan, Terry Schnuck/Gabrielle Palitz, Pippa Lambert/Alissa Norby, Gina Vernaci, Common, DECO Entertainment, MC Lyte, Patty Baker, Marlene & Gary Cohen, Concord Theatricals, The Fabulous Invalid, Fakston Productions, Brian & Nick Ginsberg, Gabrielle Glore, Grove Entertainment, Haffner-Wright Theatricals, House Woods Productions, John Gore Organization, Kawana Entertainment, Willette Klausner, MMC Productions, Lamar Richardson, Runyonland Productions, Erica Lynn Schwartz, The Shubert Organization, Lu-Shawn Thompson, Lana Williams-Woods, The Araca Group, Blakeman-Robinson Entm’t/Ricardo Marques, Robert Tichio/Score 3, Best Yet Entertainment/Branden Grimmett, Dkim Caldwell/Mickalene Thomas, DMQR Productions, Jason Turchin, Epic Theatricals/Jeffrey Grove, Joel Glassman/Westin Hicks, Jamrock Productions/Sonya Houston, Sally Johnston/Ann Scott, Judith

The Wiz launched a national tour in Baltimore, MD, home of the 1974 world premiere of the musical opening September 24, 2023, and performances are currently playing through September 30, 2023. Following its run at the Hippodrome Theatre, the tour will slide into Emerald cities across the country before it begins its limited engagement on
Broadway. Additional information on tour cities, venues, performance schedules and single ticket on sale dates are available at WizMusical.com. Fans can now sign up for an email newsletter with up-to-date information as well as follow The Wiz on social media
channels.

Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” The Wiz takes one of the world’s most enduring (and enduringly white) American fantasies, and transforms it into an all-Black musical extravaganza for the ages.
The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee
Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). “Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s break-out single, and “Home” has since become a
bona fide classic. That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 1,672 performances – on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King,
Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson.

For more information, please visit the following:

www.wizmusical.com

www.facebook.com/thewizbway

www.instagram.com/thewizbway

www.twitter.com/thewizbway

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Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth Concert
Returns to Times Square

June 18, 2023
11:00am – 12:30pm

www.diversity.broadway

New York, NY – May 11, 2023 – The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative announces the third annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert in Times Square on Sunday, June 18^th from 11:00am – 12:30pm (rain or shine). This free outdoor concert is open to all as the community gathers to honor this important holiday. Black culture and expression will be celebrated by Black Broadway artists performing songs, dances, and spoken word accompanied by live music provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund. Special guest speakers will also make appearances throughout the event.

“We know that the arts can bring people together and it is beautifully evident during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth as thousands gather in the heart of Times Square to reflect on the importance of this national holiday through live performance,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “We thank the Broadway community for helping to make this third annual concert possible.”

This year’s sponsors include United Airlines, M·A·C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The Music Performance Trust Fund, The Araca Group, Open Jar Studios, and The Times Square Alliance.

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth. Details about this year’s host and talent line-up will be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.diversity.broadway.

Presented by The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative, Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth creative and production teams include Steve H. Broadnax III as Director and Writer, Rashad McPherson as Music Director, Brian Moreland and Aaliytha Stevens as Executive Producers as well as Co-Chairs of The Broadway League’s Multi-Cultural Task Force, Jhanaë Bonnick as Stage Manager, and Devon Miller of Foresight Theatrical as General Manager.

The goal of Black to Broadway is to inspire deeper engagement with awareness of, and access to Broadway for all Black people. Created by The Broadway League in 2019, this initiative is an industry-wide celebration of the Black community on Broadway – on stage, in the audience, behind the scenes, and as leaders in the Broadway community. To learn more about Black to Broadway, visit BroadwayLeague.com or Diversity.Broadway.

Juneteenth concert in 2022: 2023 Tony Award nominee Alex Newell (‘Shucked’) performs for crowed. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

EVENT DETAILS

Title: Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth
Date: Sunday, June 18, 2023
Time: 11:00am – 12:30pm; rain or shine
Location: Duffy Square in Times Square (46^th and 47^th Streets between Broadway and Seventh Avenue)
Cost: Free
Website: www.diversity.broadway

About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

M·A·C (Make-Up Art Cosmetics) is a leading brand of professional cosmetics and part of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Since its creation in Toronto, Canada, over 30 years ago, the brand’s popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from Makeup Artists, models, photographers, and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in over 130 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M·A·C on TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest (@maccosmetics); become a M·A·C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/MACcosmetics); follow M·A·C on Instagram (instagram.com/maccosmetics) and watch M·A·C videos on YouTube (youtube.com/maccosmetics). For a M·A·C location near you, visit maccosmetics.com.

THE MUSIC PERFORMANCE TRUST FUND (MPTF) was established in 1948 as a nonprofit independent public service organization whose mission includes contributing to the public knowledge and appreciation of music, as well as making music a part of every child’s life experience. Headquartered in New York City, the tax-exempt MPTF, operating under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, evolved from a landmark collective bargaining agreement between the American Federation of Musicians and the major recording companies of the day. Today the MPTF is a vital organization that brings music to the public and supplements the income of musicians, all at no cost to those receiving this precious gift of music.

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE (Charlotte St. Martin, President), founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in nearly 200 markets in North America and internationally. Each year, League members bring Broadway to upwards of 30 million people in New York, on Tour across the U.S. and Canada, and around the globe. The Broadway League’s newest category of membership, League Fellows, affords access and benefits to upcoming professionals who represent a diversity of background, ethnicity, experience, and views. The Broadway League annually co-presents the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards®, one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry.

The post Free Broadway Juneteenth concert 6/18/23 in Times Square appeared first on StageZine.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

PARADISE SQUARE
Book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
Choreography by Bill T. Jones
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ParadiseSquareMusical.com

By David NouNou

It’s certainly not the lack of a good storyline that plagues Paradise Square. It has a riveting and compelling story, but the book hammers and repeats itself again and again. In case you missed it in the book, the score will hammer it some more, and if you still missed it, the repetitive choreography will tap, stomp and body slap the message home.

Paradise Square is a fictionalized historical version set in the Five Points area in Lower Manhattan and the events leading up to the violent Draft Riots of 1863 that started as immigrant protests against the Civil War draft, but then turned to violent attacks against the Blacks. As I mentioned earlier, it is a complex and riveting tale, but it is presented quite heavy-handedly.

Nelly Freeman O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) is a Black owner of a saloon—left to her by her father who was a slave—in the Five Points. Nelly is married to a white military Irishman, Willy O’Brien (Matt Bogart) who helps her run the saloon until he is drafted. Matt’s sister Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy) is married to Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley), Nelly’s brother. The four share the duties to run the saloon. The saloon is open to all immigrants, people of all races down on their luck and even prostitutes. Nelly is the leader of Five Points and a mother figure that makes sure everyone is welcome.

Reverend Samuel takes in a runaway slave and changes his name to Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont), a man who allegedly killed his master in Tennessee. The reverend keeps Washington hidden to protect him. Add to the mix Annie Lewis’ nephew from Ireland, Owen Duignan (A. J. Shively), a recent immigrant who also needs lodging. Washington and Owen end up dancing in the saloon to pay for their stay. Of course, in every Garden of Eden, there is a snake; here, he is a boss man and elected official, Frederic Tiggens (John Dossett). He is the man that will blow Paradise Square by destroying the bond between the Blacks and the Irish.

There is a lot to digest here, but the story isn’t as convoluted as it sounds once you get to meet the characters. It’s that their tale is repeated again and again through the book, score and dance numbers. The book meanders, the score is unmemorable, and Bill T. Jones delivers some excellent dance steps, but they keep recurring with every song and it gets monotonous after the fifth round. Moises Kaufman’s direction doesn’t add much but moves characters from one end of the stage to the other, and from upstage to downstage and reverse.

However, all is not lost. The incandescent, dynamic powerhouse Joaquina Kalukango blows the roof off the theatre with her soaring voice and heartbreaking, gutsy performance. She has a lovely opening number entitled “Paradise Square,” and her final song “Let It Burn” is theatrical history in the making. Her emotion-packed delivery of the song thrills the audience and they erupt with thunderous applause. Last year, she was nominated for a Tony for Slave Play. This year, she has to be the shoe-in to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2022
Reviewed at May 3, 2022 performance.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: (left to right) Joaquina Kalukango, Nathaniel Stampley, Chilina Kennedy & the cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango & Matt Bogart. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Ellis Quinn, Chloe Davis & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Sidney DuPont & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Chilina Kennedy & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: A.J. Shively. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Colin Barkell & Garrett Coleman. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Nathaniel Stampley & Chilina Kennedy. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Kevin Dennis, John Dossett (5th & 6th from left), A.J. Shively (6th from right) & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

Video clips from Paradise Square

The post ‘Paradise Square’: Blacks & Irish in 1863 NYC appeared first on StageZine.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: Brandon Micheal Hall, LaChanze & Chuck Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus.

TROUBLE IN MIND
Written by Alice Childress
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
Through January 9, 2022
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

Written and first performed in 1955 as an Off-Broadway show to critical acclaim, Trouble in Mind was meant to transfer to Broadway in 1957 but never came to fruition because the playwright, Alice Childress, refused to tone down the racial discourse in her play to make it more palatable for white audiences.

Being an actress herself, Ms. Childress was tired of playing maids and other types of demeaning roles, so she wrote this play within a play and created the role of Wiletta Mayer, the title character. Wiletta has been an actress for many years and has played by the rules of the stage games of complying with everything she has to do to stay in the game.

We meet Wiletta (LaChanze), walking across the stage on the first day of rehearsal, stopping center stage in order to absorb that solitary moment where she is alone on the stage and savoring the thrill of that magical moment. She is about to star in a drivel of a play set in the South. Fellow cast members waft in: John Nevins (Brandon Micheal Hall), a young actor who will be playing her son; Millie Davis (Jessica Frances Dukes), the best friend; Sheldon Forrester (Chuck Cooper), veteran of the stage playing Wiletta’s husband; Judy Sears (Danielle Campbell), the white ingénue who becomes friendly with John Nevins; and the imbecilic white director, Al Manners (Michael Zegen), a guy who has stereotypical notions of directing this show about a black family and whose word is the only word that counts.

On the third day of rehearsals, the fur begins to fly. The director wants all the wailing and flailing and broad gestures associated with black characters from his cast.  However, Wiletta tries to explain that she can’t play the character that way and wants to play it in a normal, natural, and real manner. Floodgates open.

Racial issues are at the core of this play but they are intertwined with both humor and seriousness that makes it relevant to this day.

LaChanze is a Broadway veteran who received her first acclaim and Tony nomination for Once On This Island and has never stopped being a force of nature. We know her mostly for her musical performances, but in Trouble in Mind, she hits new heights as a dramatic actress. Her blowup/meltdown in Act II leaves one breathless.

Michael Zegen, better known for playing Joel Maisel in Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” is in the unenviable role of delusional director, Al Manners. His name is an oxymoron.

Chuck Cooper adds nobility to every role he plays, and newcomer Jessica Frances Dukes keeps the laughs coming.

Not as universal in theme as Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Alice Childress shows the universality of what every African American actress has had to endure.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 22, 2021
Reviewed at November 21, 2021 press performance.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: LaChanze, Chuck Cooper & Michael Zegen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: LaChanze. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: LaChanze. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: Jessica Frances Dukes & LaChanze. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: LaChanze & Simon Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: Michael Zegen, Alex Mickiewicz & Don Stephenson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘TROUBLE IN MIND’: Danielle Campbell & Michael Zegen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Da’Vinchi and Dyllón Burnside. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN
By Keenan Scott II
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
212-239-6200, https://thoughtsofacoloredman.com/

By Scott Harrah

The stories of seven African-American Brooklyn men are interwoven into Keenan Scott II’s thought-provoking Thoughts of a Colored Man, a 90-minute drama that recently opened on Broadway.  The stories are all things we’ve heard before—from poverty to success to coping with societal expectations, biases, dead-end jobs, etc.—but they ring true to life and propel the stories with enough heartbreak to keep audiences both sympathetic and interested.

Each character is named after an emotion.  We have Love (Dyllón Burnside), Happiness (Bryan Terrell Clark), Wisdom (Esau Pritchett), Lust (Da ’Vinchi), Passion (Luke James), Depression (Forrest McClendon) and Anger (Tristan Mack Wilde).

The entire show is presented as a series of vignettes and some work better than others.  Standouts include the first-rate Forrest McClendon as Depression, a man in his 30s who still lives with his mother and works at a Whole Foods for minimum wage.  Mr. McClendon gives a sincere, touching  performance as a man who puts his family’s needs above his own and even tries to buy his younger brother a pair of $200 sneakers.  Some might remember Mr. McClendon and his Tony-nominated role a decade ago in The Scottsboro Boys.

Bryan Terrell Clark is truly dynamic as Happiness, a well-educated gay man who, unlike the other guys in the show, is from an upper middle-class family and has enjoyed many privileges, but finds himself in the awkward position of being looked down on by other black men because they think he’s had it too easy.  The reality is being a gay man of color is a double whammy.  He’s struggled as much as the other men, just in a different way.

Esau Pritchett gives one of the show’s most straightforward performances as Wisdom, an older barber shop owner who has lived through decades of African-American struggles.  He doesn’t allow foul language in his shop, and reprimands one of the younger customers for using the “f” word gay slur in front of Happiness because he wants everyone to feel welcome in his establishment.  Mr. Pritchett is a wise father figure to all the guys who come into his shop, and we know he’s lived through too much grief and speaks from experience. He has learned that tolerance and understanding go a long way in a rough neighborhood and wants everyone to realize this.

The stories of some of the other men are less compelling, such as that of Anger (Tristan Mack Wilds), a college basketball coach who works with athletes that are more into getting big endorsement deals than anything else.

The action all takes place on a minimalist set, mostly using Sven Ortel’s projection designs.

Steve H. Broadnax III extracts fine performances from the cast and keeps everything moving fluidly.  Of all the new fall 2021 Broadway plays depicting African-American experiences, Thoughts of a Colored Man so far is the best.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 17, 2021
Reviewed at October 16, 2021 press performance.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: (Left to right) Luke James, Esau Pritchett, Da’Vinchi, Forrest McClendon, Dyllón Burnside, Tristan Mack Wilds, Bryan Terrell Clark. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Da’Vinchi & Dyllón Burnside. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: (Left to right): Luke James, Esau Pritchett, Da’Vinchi, Forrest McClendon, Dyllón Burnside, Tristan Mack Wilds, Bryan Terrell Clark. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Luke James. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

The post ‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’: 7 men’s stories appeared first on StageZine.

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brandon Victor Dixon & Audra McDonald. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

SHUFFLE ALONG
OR THE MAKING OF THE MUSICAL SENSATION OF 1921 AND ALL THAT FOLLOWED
Book by George C. Wolfe
Original Book by F. E. Miller & Aubrey Lyles
Music & lyrics by Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake
Choreography by Savion Glover
Directed by George C. Wolfe
Music Box Theatre
239 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.shufflealongbroadway.com

By David NouNou

The syncopated rhythm of Shuffle Along at the Music Box Theatre will blow you away in this musical within a musical. Act I is about putting together the first all-black musical: cast, producer, director, writers and musicians on Broadway in 1921. Act II is the aftermath and what became of the creators and the people that were involved in this almost forgotten sensation of the era. Both parts are valid and essential. Act I is entertainment of dizzying heights. Act II plods with the usual heavy-handed dialogue that only George C. Wolfe can churn out. What a blissful, deliriously enjoyable and heavenly evening could have been achieved had the director George C. Wolfe toned down the lugubriously preachy writings of writer George C. Wolfe

However, the evening’s real hero is Savion Glover. His choreography is currently unparalleled on Broadway. His syncopated formation of his dancers is perfection to the utmost degree. We sit there dazzled with every number. In large part due to Mr. Glover’s vision, this heavy-handed musical soars into the stratosphere.

It is an understatement to say that putting this magnificent cast together is a major achievement. Audra McDonald (as Lottie Gee, leading lady of the show) is now an American institution. Adjectives are mere words to what her talent offers. Brian Stokes Mitchell as F. E. Miller, part of the duo who conceived the show, reuniting for the first time with Ms. McDonald since 1998’s Ragtime, is a pleasure to watch and hear, but there is not enough of a character that focuses strictly on Mr. Mitchell’s formidable voice and talent. Billy Porter as Aubrey Lyles, the other part of the duo who conceived the show, gives his character the proper comedic and acidic touches but doesn’t come close in gravitas to his Lola from Kinky Boots.

The two best male parts are that of Eubie Blake, the pianist and composer and also Lottie’s lover, played enigmatically and charmingly by the wonderful Brandon Victor Dixon; and Noble Sissle, Eubie’s fellow composer, staunchly and admirably played by Joshua Henry.

Essentially the story revolves around the four gentlemen who were separate duos: F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles and Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake pooling their talents together and bringing the first black musical to Broadway. It shows all the pitfalls and travails they endured to bring this musical to life. However, the success, fame and money that Shuffle Along acquired also brought them their demise because, all having the best intentions to re-team, ultimately brought them their separation and alienation from each other.

The ingredients for the perfect musical are all here; unfortunately, the book gets in the way. The dancers and their precision steps are incomparable. Also one cannot overlook the lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer; they evoke every emotion imaginable and have partnered for many years on lots of shows, and may this brilliant partnership endure forever. Also, the arrangements and orchestrations by Daryl Waters are sensational.

Given all the talent and brilliance that emanates from the show, you can’t go wrong, I do suggest you see the show before mid-July due to Ms. McDonald taking a maternity leave, and no one would ever want to miss an Audra McDonald performance.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 11, 2016

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Joshua Henry, Brandon Victor Dixon, Billy Porter, Brian Stoke Mitchell & Richard Riaz Yoder. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brandon Victor Dixon & Audra McDonald. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brandon Victor Dixon & Audra McDonald. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brian Stokes Mitchell & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Billy Porter. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Joshua Henry & Brandon Victor Dixon. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brian Stokes Mitchell. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Brandon Victor Dixon & Joshua Henry. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘SHUFFLE ALONG’: Adrienne Warren & Audra McDonald. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

The post ‘Shuffle Along’ sensational despite flaws appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

THE COLOR PURPLE
Based upon the novel by Alice Walker
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray
Directed by John Doyle
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
245 W. 45th St.
(212-239-6200), http://colorpurple.com/

By Scott Harrah

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel The Color Purple was a tricky classic to adapt for the screen and stage. Steven Spielberg did a superb job making the story into a film, but the Broadway musical adaptation a decade ago, despite 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 (including a win for LaChanze for Best Actress in a Musical as Celie), was considered too lavish and overdone by some critics. So it is truly amazing what British director John Doyle—who brought us all those gimmicky Stephen Sondheim revivals of Company and Sweeney Todd, featuring actors doubling as musicians, playing instruments—has accomplished. This revival, which originated at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, is a total reinvention of the musical, with no real sets other than a wooden backdrop with chairs. In addition, British actress Cynthia Erivo, as the lead character Celie, gives the most-talked-about performance of the 2015/2016 season, stealing the show in virtually every scene with her emotionally exhausting, virtuoso portrayal of the poor, awkward-looking, downtrodden young African-American girl in rural 1930s Georgia.

Mr. Doyle has taken a complicated saga (the novel was written in Southern black slang as letters to God) and Marsha Norman’s bloated Broadway book adaptation and pared everything down to its bare bones, and this simply works beautifully. Fortunately, Mr. Doyle has moved away from the days of making actors play instruments and here focuses on what he does best. He streamlines this blockbuster musical, snips away the fat, and keeps the emotional content intact.

One doesn’t need to be familiar with the book or movie to understand the basic plot, but in a nutshell, Marsha Norman’s original script skips over a lot of the story’s details. Celie is 14 when we first meet her, pregnant, and is soon forced to marry Mister (Isaiah Johnson), a man who beats her. He separates from her sister Nettie (Joaquina Kalukango). The Color Purple is a tale of black women overcoming domineering, abusive men and insurmountable odds despite race and gender, and Mr. Doyle’s utilitarian set and direction helps us focus on these incredible, inspiring characters. It’s impossible not to root for them.

Danielle Brooks (Taystee in “Orange is the New Black) is glorious as Sofia (the role played by Oprah Winfrey in the film), a sassy mama who takes no guff. She brings down the proverbial house when she belts out the women-fight-back anthem “Hell No!” in Act One. Fine performances are also given by Joaquina Kalukango as Nettie, Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo, Patrice Covington as Squeak, and Carrie Comprere, Bre Jackson and Rema Webb as local church ladies.

Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, as the glamorous singer Shug Avery, is a bona fide Hollywood name helping this production sell tickets. Ms. Hudson will surely please fans with her trademark golden pipes in such rousing numbers as “Push Da Button” and the duet with Celie, “What About Love?” Unfortunately, she has a lackluster stage presence. The character of Shug Avery is supposed to be a bisexual powerhouse, ultimately becoming Celie’s partner, and she should command everyone’s attention whenever she’s onstage. Were it not for Ann Hould-Ward and Christopher Vegara’s gorgeous costumes, Ms. Hudson’s Shug Avery wouldn’t be noticeable at all. When Ms. Hudson delivers a line, she’s definitely good, but it seems she is giving the same performance she did as Effie in Dreamgirls. Ms. Hudson is a diva indeed, but she may disappoint anyone expecting more from such an accomplished star. However, the rest of the cast’s performances are so strong that it doesn’t matter.

Cynthia Erivo makes her Broadway debut here, but she’s already established over in the United Kingdom, where she toured in Sister Act (playing another role Whoopi Goldberg originated for a Hollywood hit). There is no question Cynthia Erivo is bound for stage superstardom on our shores, and the whole audience gets chills as she belts out her 11^th hour number “I’m Here” toward the end of Act Two. By spring’s awards season, Ms. Erivo, Mr. Doyle and this revival itself are going to clean up with this richly shaded, exquisitely acted Color Purple.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 16, 2015
Reviewed at performance on December 15, 2015

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Isaiah Johnson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, Isaiah Johnson & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Danielle Brooks, Patrice Covington, Cynthia Erivo, Bre Jackson, Carrie Comprere & Rema Webb. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Antoine Smith, Patrice Covington, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, Isaiah Johnson, Kyle Scatliffe & Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

The post ‘The Color Purple’ reinvented in revival appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE GIN GAME’: Cicely Tyson & James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE GIN GAME
Written by D.L. Colburn
Directed by Leornad Foglia
Through January 10, 2016
Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.thegingamebroadway.com

By David NouNou

Although The Gin Game won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976 (trust me, that year was very slim pickings), one doesn’t necessarily see it for content but for the incredible actors and actresses that have played the roles of Fonsia Dorsey and Weller Martin over the last 40 years. Having been fortunate to have seen the original production in 1977 with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn at this same theatre, I was too young to appreciate its subtle nuances. Saw it again as a revival in 1997 with Julie Harris and Charles Durning, I appreciated it more in middle age, but I thought they were too young for these roles. Now that I am older, I finally caught up with the play and two of its finest performers.

This time the cantankerous Weller is James Earl Jones, and the gentile, soft-spoken Fonsia is Cicely Tyson. They are both superb and sublime. Here are two performers at the top of their game, and believe me, these two have had their share of game. Whether it was in The Great White Hope and Fences for Mr. Jones, or The Trip to Bountiful for Ms. Tyson, they have never stopped giving excellent performances on the stage, screen and television.

The plot is simple. Weller has been in this old-age home for three months and doesn’t like mixing with the other octogenarians. Fonsia has just arrived and bonds with Weller over gin games. He is a sore loser and she gets feistier with every game. With every game they get to know each other better, as well as their real selves.

What makes this version so unique is when you consider the ages of both Ms. Tyson, who is 90, and Mr. Jones, 84, and their spot-on delivery. There isn’t a beat or a nuance that is lost, and their character changes are just remarkable. Leonard Foglia, the director, has matched them well and paced them accordingly to give them characterizations.

The new fall season has just started and there are lots of fine actors giving good performances, but I doubt that you will see greater ones than what Mr. Jones and Ms Tyson are displaying at the John Golden Theatre this fall.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 16, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on October 15, 2015

‘THE GIN GAME’: Cicely Tyson & James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: James Earl Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: Cicely Tyson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: Cicely Tyson. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE GIN GAME’: James Earl Jones & Cicely Tyson. Photo: Joan Marcus

The post ‘The Gin Game’: Jones & Tyson in winning revival appeared first on StageZine.