A Sign of Things to Come
Although previews are not until October and the scheduled opening is set for December 1, signs are already up outside The Broadway Theatre for the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple.
Scott Sanders, Creative Battery, Roy Furman and Quincy Jones are the producers behind this show. Previously adapted into an Academy Award nominated motion picture, this stage version had its world premiere production at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. The Color Purple stars Broadway veteran La Chanze (Once On This Island, Dessa Rose). Book is by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, based on the book by Alice Walker, choreography by Donald Byrd, directed by Gary Griffin.
The Broadway Theatre is located at 1681 Broadway (at 53rd Street), New York, NY.
In other theater news, Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad will reprise her role as Aunt Ester in the upcoming production of Gem of the Ocean at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ.
Rashad received a Tony nomination for her work in the August Wilson play, which played Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre Nov. 23, 2004-Feb. 6, 2005. In the McCarter engagement Rashad will be joined by John Amos, best known for his work on such TV programs as "Good Times" and "The West Wing" as well as the award-winning miniseries "Roots."
Gem of the Ocean will play the McCarter Oct. 11-30. The production will mark the directorial debut of Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago Hudson.
Gem of the Ocean is the ninth play in Wilson's ten-play cycle chronicling the African-American experience through each decade of the 1900s. The story, set in 1904, "begins on the eve of the 285th birthday of Aunt Ester (a recurring character in Wilson’s play cycle). Citizen Barlow, a man who is in spiritual turmoil, arrives at Aunt Ester's house in Pittsburgh's Hill District and is soon set off on a spiritual journey to find the mythic City of Bones, leading him to startling discoveries and setting him on a course of duty and redemption."
Finally, it’s Restaurant Week in New York!
The “week” actually runs now until September 5 and takes place only on weekdays. Many of New York’s best restaurants (of which there are thousands) will serve three-course lunches for $20.12 and three-course dinners for $35.00 (beverage, tax and gratuity additional). Check online for a list of participating establishments and experience the quality, variety, and hospitality that makes New York the best restaurant city in the world.
Posted by bernie at August 6, 2005 8:23 AMTrackBack
YES! All this is exciting info, especially the August Wilson and Color Purple info.
Posted by: Rashid at August 6, 2005 9:09 AMThis is great info on the coming performances, and I do love our black artists. Keep serving it up. I am spending a fortune on airfare to/from NYC these days. Gotta go put you on my blog list now. Shem hotep!
Posted by: fratman1906 at August 6, 2005 11:03 AMAs soon as we leave town, everything happens. :(
Can't wait to return and catch some of the magic. Until then, will depend on your reviews.
If you make plans to come down to Princeton to see Gem of the Ocean, let a brutha know. I'd love to tag along and enjoy the experience with ya. And holla at me if you're en route to the Color Purple, too. It's a must-see in my book!
Posted by: Larry D. Lyons II at August 10, 2005 9:03 AMOnly ONE upcoming show with colored people? and nothing new?! Color purple been done. Where are the black playwrights, composers, etc. Hollyweird?
Posted by: Mister Man at August 10, 2005 8:05 PM