100409 Centre Stage



 

 

From the Senior Editor:

Well, after close to a year of teleconferences, brainstorming sessions, interviews and very long nights with a pot of coffee, a pack of smokes and a worn-out laptop computer, it's finally here - the first issue of Centre Stage Magazine.

We're here because of the dream of our leader and publisher, Ralph Emerson. We're here because every editor, writer and photographer associated with GBMNews has an unbridled love - no passion - for discovering untold stories and sharing them with the world. But more than that, we're here because we realize that the business of reporting the news still matters.

Our cover story in this inaugural edition will take you to South Africa, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Los Angeles in the guise of a super talented young actor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim whose breakthrough performance in Hotel Rwanda would be the key to his fulfilling his dream of making his mark in Hollywood. Our report on Atlanta's National Black Arts Festival is a testament to the creative genius that lives in artists of color around the globe - men and women who continue to hone their various gifts of art, dance, acting, music and song, and serve as an inspiration to us all.

Centre Stage is a magazine dedicated to informing our readers about major events in the world of theater, dance and the arts. To that end, in this issue you'll see profiles of actors like the incomparable E. Roger Mitchell, models like Terrance Nichols, and reviews of outstanding theater - from musicals like The Color Purple, Hair and Grey Gardens, to hard-hitting dramas like Wendy Wasserstein's Third and the poignantly choreographed world premier of Come Fly With Me -- a musical tribute to "Old Blue Eyes."

Finally, we'll look at one of the many annual celebrations of this country's Black LGBT community as they gather to mark this year's PRIDE events in Atlanta. And that's just the beginning.

Les Brown weighs on how to make your dreams come true, even in the midst of a slumping economy. And you can expect some hot photos and great interviews from the theatrical scene as the fall season opens across the U.S. with shows like Around the World in 80 Days, The Sty of the Blind Pig and Julius Caesar.

Tell your friends about us and log in often for surprise stories, news updates about things that continue to impact the lives of the Black LGBT community and features that will blow your mind. We're here family and we plan to stay for a long time. Enjoy!

D. Kevin McNeir,
Senior Editor, Centre Stage Magazine
Senior News Correspondent, GBMNews
Atlanta

 

 In this Issue: Like the Shark, Actor E. Roger Mitchell Says He "Keeps Moving to Survive" Recollections from the National Black Arts Festival Horizon Theatre Ends 25th Season with a Winner - Third
Hakeem Kae-Kazim: Coming to a Theatre Near You Fantasia Takes Over in Oprah's The Color Purple Sinatra's Sensational Songs and Tharp's Choreography Are a Winning Combination Sixties Classic Hair Marks 30th Season at 7 Stages Theatre
For Terrance Nichols a Great Smile Just May Be His Claim to Fame Review: Alice Walker's The Color Purple, edited by Kheven LaGrone Jill Hames Triumphs in Broadway Musical Grey Gardens Fame Flops in Remake of Beloved 80s Classic Film
Meet J. Cherry      

 

 

     
 
 

Hakeem Kae-Kazim: Coming to a Theatre Near You

Nigerian Superstar is Equally at Home From Her Majesty's Stage to Hollywood

By Sr. Correspondent,  D. Kevin McNeir
Photography by Michael R. Moore

 

 
 
 
 
When you hear the name Hakeem Kae-Kazim what comes to mind? Some readers may need a few minutes before coming up with a proper response. But if you're really tuned in to American films or British theater, then you know Hakeem is one of the most talented actors around who continues to amaze critics and moviegoers alike with the wide range of roles that he takes on and nails, seemingly with little effort.

The Nigerian-born actor who was raised primarily in the United Kingdom gained overnight, international acclaim for his outstanding performance in the Oscar-nominated "Hotel Rwanda" in which he played Georges Rutaganda. But as he says, he's been acting for a number of years - on the stage, television and in films, honing his craft and waiting for opportunity to knock. 
 
Now with his recent performances in worldwide hits including Lost, Pirates of The Caribbean, Darfur and X-Men Originals - Wolverine, this Nigerian "prince" appears to have discovered the key to knocking the doors down.

In fact, many critics tout this brother as the next "Sidney Poitier," another aspiring actor who left his country to come to America, never looking back until the Oscar was safely in his possession. We talked with Kae-Kazim about how he got started in acting, his family, his most recent accomplishments and his dreams. When you're finished reading this article and viewing photographs taken by veteran photographer Michael R. Moore, we are sure that Hakeem Kae-Kazim is one name that you will never forget.
 

GBMNEWS: You seem to have quite an impressive fan club both in parts of Africa and in England. Tell us about your childhood and why England and the continent of Africa are so special to you.

Kae-Kazim: I was born in Nigeria but when I was around two-years-old, my parents moved to the United Kingdom. Of course I had no choice but to follow (smile). I attended school there and was performing so much that by the time I was 17, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in acting. My parents had had other plans though - they wanted me to become a doctor.

GBMNEWS: I understand that you were part of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company and that you have been most impressive while taking on some pretty challenging roles. How did you go from doing Shakespeare in England to doing feature films here in the United States?

Kae-Kazim: Shakespeare has always been a major part of my repertoire. I received my training at Britain's Old Vic Theatre School, which was mainly a classical acting training institution. After leaving drama school in 1987 I was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare and remained there for a couple of years. I got the opportunity to play the Prince of Morocco in "The Merchant of Venice" and Claudio in Measure for Measure." By 1990 it was time to move on and I joined the Royal National Theatre where I worked with some of the best actors one could imagine and picked up some great reviews for my performances in "King Lear" (Edmund) with Brian Cox and "Richard III" (Tyrell) with Ian McKellan. "Richard III" was taken on a world tour and later made into a film.

I was also starting to do a lot of television including Ellington for Yorkshire TV and the title role of Julius Caesar for BBC-TV. I suppose I could have been satisfied with the variety of work I was getting in England and the way I was being received by the public but things happened that took me in an unexpected direction.

See, I got married in South Africa and while we were attending a friend's wedding, I met a woman who asked me if I was interested in doing a commercial. Being in South Africa was so exciting at the time with President de Klerk transforming the country into a multi-racial democracy and ending apartheid.

I was getting some great offers for television - I guess that's how I started to get so many fans there. And of course we filmed "Hotel Rwanda" there too.
 

GBMNEWS: So Hotel Rwanda was the film that opened up opportunities for you in the United States and put you in the face of the American public?

Kae-Kazim: Yes. I mean the feedback was tremendous and I have to admit - my dream was to always move to America. But in truth, I heard that they were going to do the movie by accident. I was living in Cape Town but was told that the producers had no plans to come from Johannesburg to cast. So I contacted my agent Sybil Sands and she was able to get in touch with the director, Terry George who was planning to spend the weekend in Cape Town. I met him at his hotel and we spoke about the movie and other things as well. 

The next day I got a phone call saying they wanted me to play Georges Rutaganda. It took about 10 days of filming for my role, all of that being in Johannesburg, and before that I really didn't know much about what was happening in Rwanda, even though we are so close geographically. South Africa was celebrating its first year as a democracy but the events in Rwanda were more off the radar. Making that movie had a profound effect on me. I began to do some research and looked into the colonial history of the country. 

Then I met many Rwandan refuges that had left their country and were living in South Africa, many of whom played extras in the film.

For me it was a journey of pain and discovery. I had no idea the film would have such an impact on people, especially the American audiences.

But that response allowed me to come here (the US) and do bigger and better work and provided me with the opportunity to help put Africa and its talent on the world map. 

 

GBMNEWS: How do you decide which roles are best for you and how have you adjusted to living in the United States? Is it different being an actor here as opposed to England or South Africa?

Kae-Kazim: My favorite medium right now is film because I love the intensity and the subtlety of performance that is required. And I think that it doesn't really matter where you live - being an actor anywhere is hard work. When I am considering a role, I want to believe that it is a decent part or project. I like movies that have an earthy quality. I have to admit that I have been lucky with the films and other projects that have come across my desk. 

The key is that the role resonates with me. Living in the United States has been wonderful for my wife, our girls (6 and 10) and me. We've been here for almost three years now and have been doing okay despite the tough economic times. America is still the center of the world in terms of the film industry and the quality of the product. In my short time here I have found that roles for people of color are more limited in terms of depth of the character than they were back in England and South Africa. Maybe I will think differently with time.

GBMNEWS: Who were the greatest influences on you as an actor and why?

Kae-Kazim: There were two people who really got me started as an actor and by default had great influence in my decision to become one. The first was my old English teacher at my grammar school in the UK - Mr. Guy Williams. He was always so passionate in class reading the classics, whether it was Shakespeare or Dickens. He put his heart and soul into every character like a man possessed. It was enthralling for me to watch and listen. And he cast me in my very first play at school - it was a joy. 

The second was a man named Michael Croft who started the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. I would spend my summer holidays doing plays with other kids with different backgrounds and from around the country. He cast me as Othello and later I went on to play Henry V in the play of the same name, both of course by Shakespeare. He was a great encourager and had total belief in me as a talented young actor. I spent many hours with him in conversations about acting and becoming an actor.

 

GBMNEWS: When we last spoke you mentioned that you had just finished two films, The Fourth Kind and Darfur. When can we expect to see both films and what was it like to do a movie about the tragedies in Darfur?

Kae-Kazim: "The Fourth Kind" is tentatively scheduled for release in November. I am not sure where "Darfur" (working title was "Janjaweed") is except to say they are still working on it. What I can say is that it is a fascinating film because there was no script. It as all totally improvised and many of the villagers in the movie are real people who escaped from Darfur and are now living in South Africa where we filmed them as refugees. The trailers and clips that I have seen make me feel like this is an important film for the world to see. I play the role of a Nigerian army colonel who is taking journalists around to see what is happening in the country.

GBMNEWS: How has your summer been and what new projects are you working on?

Kae-Kazim: The summer has been a slow one in terms of work - as you know the possibility of an actors' strike loomed big for a while but thankfully since the SAG agreement has been signed things have picked up. The latest and one of the most interesting projects that have come along thus far is called "Ramon" and it is a fascinating and sometimes funny look at immigrants in America and their attempts to become legal. I would love to be the next James Bond villain or adversary. I want the character to hail from Africa and be a man that has finesse and sophistication.

GBMNEWS: We want to congratulate you on your recently being invited to the "4th Annual Nollywood Foundation Convention as their guest of honor and want to ask you what it was like to be acknowledged by filmmakers, academics and media industry specialists from your home country of Nigeria?

Kae-Kazim: First I have to talk about my fans back in Nigeria. I get fantastic support from them and the responses they send about my acting roles are great. But remember I lived in South Africa for 10 years before coming to the United States so my star, as it were, is a lot bigger there. As more and more people in Nigeria have realized that I am from there their interest in me has picked up tremendously. I hope that my fame in both countries, South Africa and Nigeria, is due mainly to the quality of my work and the joy of seeing an African actor on the international stage in quality projects. 

 
 
Michael R. Moore, photographer;  Hakeem Kae-Kazim; Catherine Lyn Scott, Hakeem's Publicist; Floyd Clark (Mr. Moore's mentor/assistant) and his wife Cheryl
 

 

 

For Terrance Nichols a Great Smile Just May Be His Claim to Fame

Aspiring Actor/Model is Keeping His Eye on the Prize

By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir

 

 

To be young, gifted and black were attributes that the late, legendary songstress Nina Simone talked about and affirmed throughout her career - eventually making those words and her haunting rendition of the same-titled song her signature piece.
   
   
A few years after moving to Atlanta from his hometown in 2004, he was discovered by a well-known photographer who told him, "Your features would respond very well to my camera. Have you ever thought about modeling?"

Nichols, 26, admits that as a youth he enjoyed being the center of attraction, but saw himself more as an actor/movie star than as a model.

"My mother kept me involved in church ever since I can remember and like so many others, it was there that I began to sing," he said. "I was drawn to the theater as well and appeared in various theatrical productions where I was required to both sing and act.

However, it wasn't until I participated in my first professional photo shoot in July 2006 that I realized that this modeling work could not only

 be a lot of fun but might be my ticket to Hollywood."

In an industry that is obsessed with height, Terrance, who stands 5 feet 8 inches tall has overcome that obstacle and embraced an ever-growing career in the modeling industry. In fact, his masculine features and photogenic presence have led some photographers to describe him as resembling "the male version of Grace Jones."

"I know many of my colleagues in the business are obsessed with having the perfect body but I have had to work with the body that I was given and make it work for me," he said. "I don't have the kind of build that many models do. I have a small waist, big legs and a muscular upper body. I describe it as a male Coke bottle figure, which is not the norm, so I definitely stand out. The thing I try to do is capitalize on my assets."
   
   
Nichols has been featured in Next Media Online Publications, Art Nouveau Magazine and other photographers' websites. Some of the nation's best photographers have captured his look including: Jerris Madison, Ethan James, Davide Stennett, Trevor Green, Jariel Jones, Leslie Andrews and Corey Reese.

And he continues to study some of his favorite actors including Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman - preparing himself for the day when he can make his mark on the big screen.

"I won't deny that I want to get into serious acting one day," he said. "I've had the opportunity to do some stand-in work for Tyler Perry's comedy series House of Payne, and I believe that my time will come. Right now I am taking my modeling career very seriously and have a versatile portfolio that sets me apart from others. But I will always be an actor at heart - I think I could perform just about any role if given the chance."		 Nichols gave this writer that smile for which he has become so famous and it was evident that he has the kind of look and sex appeal that could propel him right to the top.

"My smile is my best attribute especially my pearly white teeth," he said with an impish grin. "My personality really rests in my smile. Of course I work out too but that's more because I enjoy being active than because I am working on having the perfect body."

Nichols admits that he is not the typical 26-year-old man. Most of the time he can be found studying scripts, watching films and on occasion, enjoying an eclectic collection of music.
"My friends are all very different and I have a small circle in which I tend to surround myself," he said. "I just finished school at Georgia State University with bachelor's degrees in managerial science and business economics. Now that I've completed that task and as I am still very single, I can keep modeling and acting and waiting for that big break which I know is coming."
As long as Terrance keeps that smile of his and remains as focused as he is today, we are sure that we'll be hearing much more from this young brother in the very near future.
 

Meet J. Cherry

The Face with a Name

By Rudy Reed

Photos supplied by
DMLJ Photography and
NEWBENTPHOTOGRAPHY

 
 
One of the reasons I particularly love flipping through magazines or surfing the web to fashion sites is to come across a fresh face.A new model that has just come onto the scene that the masses know nothing about is always a treat. I was first introduced to J. Cherry on modelmayhem, a networking site that features models, stylists as well as photographers. With an array of edgy hairstyles to compliment a gorgeous face, I had to know more about the man behind such a seductive and powerful stare.
Being born Jeremy L. Cherry- Wilson, the model was first nicknamed J. Money (the Wild Card). He associates this nickname with other aspects of his life such as performer, partier, and even fighter. Thinking that was overly street J. took on another alias-J. Cherry. "I feel that I will be taken more seriously in the modeling industry by toning it down a bit" he went on to say.

When asked was modeling his first passion, the 22 year old stud answered with a prompt "NO." "I originally wanted to sing and possibly act, but after High School I was told by several people that I had a look." Knowing nothing about modeling the 5'10 hazel eyed creature got his start by first 

 doing hair shows to become familiar with the industry.

As his skills progress,  unfortunately the newbie, began seeing a darker side to this new world. He quickly realized that the industry would not be an easy beast to tame, especially being a man of color.

I compare this industry to the streets. It can be both fake and ugly. You can never really trust anyone, but at the same time, I like the constant drive and motivation for success.

You get a chance to come in contact with so many people; and in some cases, you get to transform and push yourself into a person you never thought  people would see," he adds."

 As I read the last comments the aspiring model has just told me, I can't help but wonder why one would want to be in an industry that may not be considered fair.

I can only come up with one word, PASSION. Although he is not with an agency, J. Cherry has been fortunate enough to have had several gigs come his way, and is blessed to have more coming. He hopes to one day model for D&G, Sean John, and Calvin Klein.

To see more pictures of J. Cherry, please feel free to check out his portfolio at:

Model Mayhem

MySpace

 
 

Like the Shark, Actor E. Roger Mitchell Says He "Keeps Moving to Survive"

Talented Thespian Keeps Showing up Everywhere

By Sr. Correspondent,  D. Kevin McNeir
Photography by Horace Henry

 

 
 
Drifter Citizen Barlow (E. Roger Mitchell) is comforted by housekeeper Black Mary (Tonia M. Jackson) as he experiences a spiritual journey in Aunt Ester's house in Gem of the Ocean, part of the exclusive Atlanta event August Wilson Full Circle  at the Alliance Theatre in partnership with True Colors Theatre Company.
 
Don't be surprised if you look on an Atlanta stage and see Summerville (South Carolina) native E. Roger Mitchell giving you every ounce of energy he has while demanding your attention in a principal role. These days he seems to be showing up and showing out everywhere.

Whether he's tackling the challenging work of award-winning playwright August Wilson for the Alliance Theatre, amazing audiences in shows like Miss Evers' Boys for True Colors Theatre or surprising you with an African accent in his most recent appearance in A Cool Drink of Water at the Horizon Theatre, Mitchell continues to show why he is quickly becoming one of the most sought after talents in theatre today.		 "It's hard to believe that I have been a professional actor for 16 years but I have loved every minute of it including the struggles and challenges that are inevitable for anyone who wants to make it in this business," he said.

Mitchell, the youngest of 10, began his preparation by first attending Claflin University, a small Methodist college in Orangeburg, South Carolina. After completing his studies he accepted an internship with the Alliance Theatre where he came under the tutelage of Kenny Leon - one of the most recognized and respected names in theatre today.
 

E. Roger Mitchell (front right) with Miss Evers (Jasmine Guy) and the rest of the cast

"Internships were the thing back then and so every young actor was praying for a chance to get that hands-on experience and exposure that was crucial for their development," he said. "At the time (1994) the Alliance and Louisville were the top two programs but Atlanta was where I really wanted to go so I could work with Kenny Leon who was serving as the artistic director.

"It was a real change for me because I was doing children's theatre. Then suddenly, I was understudying all of the Alliance's shows and meeting everyone - that's how we earned our weeks to become eligible equity actors. That's what's so cool about doing A Cool Drink of Water right now - I am working with people like Bernardine Mitchell who taught me how to become a professional actor."

Mitchell paused, almost appearing to take a walk down memory lane, before going on to share recollections of those days when he worked with other unknowns who all had one thing in common - the determination to become the best they could be.

He shared with this writer experiences of working with people who would soon become his friends - actors, singers and directors who would later become stars in their own right - from David Pinkston and Shirley Murdock to one young African-American who was running around the country producing shows on the gospel circuit, using his own money and refusing to accept defeat - the now legendary Tyler Perry.

 "We were all struggling artists back then - I can recall going on the road for short stints with Tyler and helping him setup and break down stages before moving on to the next location," Mitchell said. "He helped put food on many folks' tables. What I remember most is the night he called me late one evening in 1998. It was probably November or December because my mother had just died. Tyler called very excited to tell me that his latest production had sold out. That's when we both knew that he was on his way."

Mitchell completed his internship and then moved to New York City in 1997 where he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts at The City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn. And while he says he has seen real changes in his profession, particularly in the technology that supports the industry, one thing that has remained constant is the importance of always being prepared.

"Today you can record anywhere on the planet and send your tape with your MP3 player, as a quick time file or a wave," he said. "Technology has made the world much smaller because in most cases you can now audition without even being in the same city as the directors and casting agents. That means that your competition is global and you have to be ready."
 
Spiritual advisor Aunt Ester (Michele Shay) shares her wisdom with drifter Citizen Barlow (E. Roger Mitchell) in Gem of the Ocean, part of the exclusive Atlanta event August Wilson Full Circle at the Alliance Theatre in partnership with True Colors Theatre Company.
 

Memorable Roles

Like other jobs requiring creativity, acting is the kind of profession where one knows when they have hit the mark or fallen short. It doesn't take the reviews from a Siskel or Ebert - they just know. For Mitchell, the first time he knew he "got it" was when he was auditioning for an HBO film called Boycott.

"That's the first role I can recall feeling like I had really nailed my audition," he said. "And it was a film that remains one of my favorites. The director was Clark Johnson (Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire) who has proven himself as an actor and director and is just a wonderful individual. Whitman Mayo (Grady on the sitcom Sanford and Son) auditioned with me and we were both eventually cast. I played a character that actually participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Working with Jeffrey Wright and Terrance Howard, two brothers that I really admire, and of course Clark was one of the most significant moments in my early acting career."
Mitchell would work on other projects directed by Johnson, appearing in a few episodes in The Shield (television) and in the film SWAT - and his reputation continued to soar.

"Those roles were great for my resume," Mitchell said with a laugh. "Things were starting to happen for me and I could feel it. But more than that - Clark acknowledged me and my abilities - that was a righteous thing for him to do."

 According to Mitchell, the greatest mistake that he almost made was turning down the chance to star in the bookend pieces of August Wilson - the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose "Decade Cycle" (one play for each decade in the 20th century) would garner a host of awards from the United States and abroad.

"I was up for roles in both Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf, which were going to be directed by Kenny (Leon) and Kent Gash (then the company's assistant artistic director)," he said. "It was part of the Alliance's tribute to Wilson and they were going to do Gem in the early afternoon (it chronicles the 1900s) and Golf (it chronicles the 1990s) in the evening. 

I had already had the chance to do Fences, but doing those two shows back-to-back - that experience changed my life."

Anyone who has ever seen Wilson's ten-play series can attest to the fact that each play is an amazing, complex story with surprising connections and links between characters and themes. And like the work of South African playwright Athol Fugard, Wilson's plays are epics - easily running three hours or more without factoring in intermission. So, how did Mitchell learn the part for two plays that demanded over five hours of onstage work?
 
"The directors advised us to look at the two plays as one piece - the first as act one and the second as act two," he said. "Actors know we have to learn our lines and so of course there were many hours spent in memorization. Looking back on the experience I think it was some of the best work I have ever done and I am talking about stage, television and film work that I have under my belt. 

There are those moments when you know that what you have done is to hold up the imitation of life in a true and honest fashion. That's what I was able to do with Wilson's two works, and with the directors, cast and crew that were assembled, it all just flowed."

Mitchell, never one to rest on his laurels, just began filming a pilot for FOX and is working on an independent movie as well. And of course, he continues to listen to his agent and mentors in the business while considering several other "irons in the fire."

"There's always something out there for an actor, a writer or a musician," he said. "The economy may be in a slump but the arts are still going on. I am like the shark, which realizes that if he doesn't keep swimming, he won't survive. I guess maybe I could find a good current close to my gills that would allow me to just chill but that's even more difficult to secure. For me, I would rather keep moving."
And so he does.
 

 

Fantasia Takes Over in Oprah's The Color Purple

Local Morehouse Grad Stu James shines in the role of Harpo

By Sr. Correspondent,  D. Kevin McNeir
Photography by Paul Kolnik

 

 
 
 

What else can be said about the musical
The Color Purple?

 

 

Fantasia
With the writing of Alice Walker, who won the Pulitzer for Fiction for her lesbian-themed novel, and with the music and lyrics of Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, the original Broadway production opened in December 2005 with the financial backing of the woman with the Midas touch, Oprah Winfrey on Broadway and was an instant success.

Now it's back in Atlanta for a limited run where trivia buffs might be interested to know that the show was actually workshopped by the Alliance in Atlanta in the summer of 2004, before its Broadway debut.

But enough trivia - Fantasia Barrino (Celie), Stu James (Harpo), Angela Robinson (Shug Avery) and Latoya London, who reprises her role as Celie's sister Nettie, are among a cast of outstanding thespians who bring the artistry of song, dance and dramatic presentation to the Alliance Theatre as part of its Theatre of the Stars presentations.

And while this is the show's second time in Hotlanta, opening night was sold out.
Push Da Button featuring Grasan Kingsberry and Sumayah McRae.
 
Shug Avery Comin to Town
 
Mysterious Ways featuring Trent Armand Kendall (Preacher) and 
Bridgette Bentley (Church Soloist).
 
Fantasia is wonderful in her vocal delivery, but from this writer's perspective she still has some work to do in terms of becoming a full-fledged actress. Just take a look at the strong performances by London or this writer's favorite from the show, local boy who made it big

Stu James to see what acting is really all about.

Some have asked what could Fantasia bring to this reprisal that has not already been done by folks like LaChanze, who earned a Tony Award for her role in the original production? All this writer can say is go check it out for yourself. As the second half unfolds, she appears to become more comfortable with her own talents and the challenges as well as opportunities of live performance.

There are a few scenes that you should not miss including: Mister's song of redemption in the second half, which is truly beautiful. 

Then there is the love scene between Sophia and Harpo, proving that while we cannot chose who

 we love that we can make sure they know how special they are to us.

And then, when Celie introduces her own uniquely-styled pants to the women and men in the community, the harmony of those singing sisters is nothing short of breathtaking. Also, when Nettie, through her letters, introduces Cellie to the beauty that is the continent of Africa, the dance and the scenery are something to behold. Finally, don't miss the periodic appearances of the three gossiping church sisters - they are not only hilarious, but the sisters can SANG!

In the final analysis, it is the music of this wonderful play that never loses its flavor and a heart-wrenching story that never grows old, no matter how many times I see or read it.

And what a better way to spend your evening than realizing that no matter what our circumstances may be in life - that the splendor of the color purple is a reminder that there is still a power greater than any of us that wants us to find peace and love - on this side of the "chilly Jordan."
Look for The Color Purple to hit your hometown soon. Go to www.theatreofthestars.com for more information.

 

 

Review: Alice Walker's The Color Purple, edited by Kheven LaGrone

By Steven G. Fullwood

 
 
In her landmark book of essays, In Search Our Mothers' Gardens, Alice Walker offers a fascinating way to consider genius:

"We are a people. A people does not throw its geniuses away, And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again for the sake of our children, and if necessary, bone by bone."

From the essay, "Zora Neale Hurston: A Cautionary Tale and Partisan Review."

Walker specifically used the case of Zora Neale Hurston, extraordinary writer and anthropologist who died destitute and was buried in an unmarked grave, as an example of genius. Black genius. Hurston's best-known work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, continues to astound readers some 70 years after it was published with its pre-feminist, self-actualization story of Janie Crawford, a Black woman in the living in the South, searching for herself as a wife/lover in the complicated arms of the community.

Portrait by Curt Richter
I was introduced to Walker and Hurston's work as an undergraduate student who constantly grappled with Black genius-what it was, it could be, but most often how black genius, particularly the works of W.E.B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison and James Weldon Johnson, were used primarily to sponsor uplift race narratives.

In the age of Obama, this troubling class-based philosophical narrative, penned mostly by Black male writers, continues to thrive as the end goal de facto of Black people despite the complexity of Black life throughout the Diaspora.

Walker's genius is indebted to Hurston's, similar in that it privileges the once silent voices in of Black women in American literature-the diverseand complicated voices of my mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, cousins and friends. To hold in my hands two decades later, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, edited by Kheven LaGrone, speaks of the impact of this work.

Initially his impressions was that of the "triumph and transformation" of Celie, born Black, female and severely oppressed to personal power, sexual renewal and redemption.

He begins with his initial appreciation for the work based largely on his own experience, to critically asserting that Walker, like the popular gansta rap group, NWA, successfully sold the "nigger" or violent Black male to the masses. This assured Walker not only financial success but also helped to establish her place among the great writers of the late 20th Century.

While the argument is persuasive in some respects but also begs certain questions. Are Black writers, ghettoized by virtue of their race, are obligated to tow the uplift narrative at the expense of telling truths? More importantly do race critics undermine art in general by suggesting that one's work be viewed solely through the lens of race politics? 
   
It was difficult to write a review that would both share the sparkling insights of the book itself, and to also hold it accountable for its of-the-moment philosophical and academic sensibilities. The work is immeasurably useful in parsing the varied philosophical strands of Walker's controversial novel, as well taking hold of the text by examining the harsh criticisms that were burgeoning when the book was published some twenty-five years later.

It was important to me to begin this review by talking about Black genius because Alice Walker is, without a doubt, a genius. Her creative body of fiction, non-fiction, essays and poetry has informed and continues to inform a generation of writers who bear witness to racism, sexism and homophobia in their respective communities in their work as novelists, poets, critics and cultural workers. Indeed, who among us can imagine the world without The Color Purple, the book or subsequent film?

This canonized text arrived with blazing insights, feeding the undernourished readers of literature who were hungry for a book that had at its center a Black woman. It was somewhat radical for those who were not used to or had no use for the Black female voice.

Since its publication, through the success and controversy of The Color Purple, Walker has become an institution. She most certainly will not be buried in an unmarked grave. Alice Walker's The Color Purple helps to illuminate why.

In the editor's introduction, LaGrone's recounts and reveals an expansive and commonly held complicated view of Purple.  

 

 

Due to the pervasiveness of Black stereotypes, similar charges have been lodged against a plethora of writers including James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, groundbreaking intellectuals who have dared reveal similar, unsettling truths about certain aspects of Black life to the apparent applause of the larger white community.

Implicit in LaGrone's sweeping analysis is the complications of race matters and its consequences for Black artists in general. In the absence of the white normative literary gaze, who exactly is The Color Purple for?
   

 
14 critical essays take on this and other poignant questions with supreme confidence. Divided into five sections, "Rendering the (Womanist) Hero," "Theology of Liberation," "Dear God...Dear People...Dear Everything," "The Spirit of Space," and "The Classic Beneath the Polemic." Among the most absorbing and expansive essays include "Alice Walker's Womanist Reading of Samuel Richardson's Pamela in The Color Purple" by Apryl Denny rethinks how the novel has use beyond the normal critiques of it. Denny's juxtaposes Purple with Pamela, an 18th Century novel at the center of which is a servant-class heroine who demands a morality reserved generally for middle- and upper-class women. This complex critique enjoyable and at times brilliant as the author reveals one of the crucial differences between the main characters of each novel, Celie and Pamela. While the former seeks a value outside of male authority by gaining her own, the latter does little more than pledge her allegiance to it.

Where Denny's meditation traverses literary spaces, Danielle Russell's "Homeward Bound: Transformative Spaces in the The Color Purple," delves into how space "and identity" is "irrevocably entwined with place."

That the search for and recovery of identity will "entail both physical and imaginative locations," writes Denny, is thoughtful and remarkable. And while I disagree with the framing of the blues in Courtney George's "My Man Treat Me Like a Slave": The Triumph of Womanist Blues over Blues Violence in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, the essay is powerful to begin to consider the role that the blues plays in self-actualization by revealing abuse in the home in public setting. Walker's novel is not a blues novel; certainly not like Corregidora by Gayl Jones or Eva's Man, also by Jones.

The womanist sensibility, along with the epistle construction of Purple actively resists the blues narrative, but George's critique is valuable in revealing the complexity and the impact of the novel.

Many of the other essays consider these issues with insight, wit and authority.

LaGrone's editorial hand is confident and necessary. Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an invaluable gift to scholars and lovers of literatures, Alice Walker enthusiasts, and, of course, admirers and critics of the novel itself.
 

 

Recollections from the National Black Arts Festival

Small Can Sometimes Mean "Outstanding"

By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir
Photographs courtesy National Black Arts Festival and Gudron Stone   

 

 
 
When residents in the greater Atlanta area heard that the annual National Black Arts Festival (NBAF), a summer spectacular of music, lectures, African arts and crafts and films, had been scaled down from its normal 10-day stint to only five days (July 29 - August 2nd), many people wondered if the quality of the Festival would suffer.

And to make matters worse, word leaked out that Stephanie Hughley, founding artistic director of the NBAF in 1987 who after serving as vice president of programming for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center before returning to NBAF as its executive director in 1999, would be stepping down prior to the start of the Festival to pursue other opportunities.

But with the leadership of the Festival's Board of Directors, a dedicated volunteer pool and a downsized but far from downtrodden staff, the Festival went on this year without a hitch.

 The Woodruff Arts Center would serve as the primary venue for the Festival's events this year, ending a tradition of having events scattered throughout the City. The rains held up, the weather was superb and many of the featured programs, like the concert that served as a tribute to the late Nina Simone, and the lecture by motivational guru Les Brown, sold out. It all goes to show that bigger does not necessarily mean better.

Here are a few highlights from this year's festival including some outstanding photographs obtained through the generosity of Margaret Kargbo (public relations).

It should be noted that Neil A. Barclay has been appointed as the new CEO and executive producer for the Festival, replacing the incomparable Hughley. Barclay has agreed to an interview with GBMNews later this year.
   
Music: Sounds that Soothe the Savage Beast

It was like an old school block party as 15th Street was closed for Main Stage performances by artists that included Russell Gunn, Common Ground, Vinx, Gritz and Jelly Butter and Britain's own Julie Dexter while on the Center Stage, Rahsaan Patterson brought his unique musical talents along with newcomer Choklate.

Julie Dexter has the pipes to perform alongside any of America's top female R&B singers and she proved it, pulling out a repertoire that included songs by The Beatles, Nancy Wilson, Marvin Gaye and even Beyonce. Dexter, who is both a singer and an accomplished pianist, has an almost haunting quality to her voice, which is both powerful and crystal clear. Her band is one of the best this writer has ever heard.

GBMNews hopes to tell its readers more about this singing sensation later in the year when her schedule allows her to sit down and talk with us.

In the meantime, look for her single, It Ain't Easy, an upbeat R&B tune that encourages people to keep going, even in the face of adversity. Dexter reminds this writer of Patrice Rushen who wrote, sang, played and produced her way into our hearts during the late 1970s and 1980s.
   

The other group that was a total surprise is Gritz and Jelly Butter, made up of four brothers who threw down on the stage with a variety of musical genres including neo-soul, jazz, hip-hop, R&B and some of their own original tunes. Even when a brief summer squall passed over the stage, not one person in the audience left their seat - a testament that Gritz and Jelly Butter has that rare quality of mesmerizing its audience.

The group is currently playing in regular rotation at some of Atlanta's most popular venues including: Sambuca, Justin's and Vino Libro. They joined forces about 2½ years ago, assembling with the urgings of Wayne "Mister" James (bass) who used the support of Atlanta's poetry community and open mic masters to catapult the group into the spotlight. "Mister" is joined by David "Sho-Tyme" Holmes (drums/keys/MC), J. Winston (keyboards/vocals) and Chocolate Thaii (vocals/saxophone).

What started in the spring of 2007 when the band played together for the first time at Mocha Match Coffee Bar, has morphed into a soulful collaboration of skilled artists whose potential has yet to be reached.

What took this writer totally by surprise was the ease with which the band moves from one style of music to another. For example, after easing their way through the popular song "Joy and Pain," a Frankie Beverly & MAZE classic, Gritz suddenly shocked its audience with a riff from Jennifer Hudson's chart-topping Spotlight.
   
It's this kind of improvisational skill combined with an almost seamless connection and an onstage blend among the four artists, that makes Gritz and Jelly Butter one of today's best unknown groups in the country. With them completing the tracks for a CD that will hit the streets soon and with a growing audience here in Atlanta, it's clear that Gritz is just tapping the surface.

In the next issue of Centre Stage Magazine, we will run an exclusive interview with Chocolate Thaii who talks about his experiences as a performer at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and we will share a conversation with all four members of Gritz and Jelly Butter who elaborate on the music they play and the goals that have set.

And then there was Nina Simone: "The High Priestess of Soul."

Each year the Festival pays tribute through its Legends Celebration to one person who has dedicated their life and career to the arts, through writing, music or dance. Former legends honored at the Festival have included: the Neville Brothers, Maya Angelou, Sidney Poitier, Roberta Flack and last year, Gladys Knight.

But this year all eyes were on Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone. The 15-time Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, pianist and civil rights activist left us with an unforgettable assortment of music ranging from I Love You Porgy, I Put a Spell on You, Ne Me Quitte Pas, to the highly controversial and self-penned Mississippi Goddamn and what would become her signature piece, To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

 
   
Simone's band including her longtime musical director Alvin Shackman, were on hand to provide the music with four top-notch vocalists, Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Lisa Simone Kelley (Simone's daughter) and Joi Gilliam, each interpreting her music with their own vocal styles.

Reeves is always light years ahead of the competition with her ability to scat, bend notes and stay on perfect pitch during an improvisational journey sans musical accompaniment. And Wright has the kind of stage presence and vocal mastership that makes you beg for more.

But with all respect to Reeves, Wright and Gilliam, the evening belonged to Simone's little girl, who has now evolved into one heck of singer.

Her stage name is Simone and she clearly carries the spirit of her mother in her song. In her performance of I Hold No Grudge, she worked the scale like a master carpenter, modulating effortlessly and closing the song by teasing us with her lower range and a resolved chord that was reminiscent of the classic Nina Simone style.
   
Words to Inspire and Enlighten

Actor, filmmaker and producer Robert Townsend was the headliner during the Festival's opening night at the always-popular Creatively Speaking series. During his comments and before the viewing of one of his many films, Townsend spoke about what is most dear to his heart - inspiring our youth, particularly those from the inner city, to follow their dreams. Townsend has been a longtime supporter of the United Negro College Fund and continues to make positive films that force one to laugh, cry, think and believe.

Other speakers who were part of the Creatively Speaking series included filmmaker and author Nelson George, artist Fahamu Pecou, jazz trumpeter Russell Gunn who was joined by Emory professor, Dr. Dwight Andrews, in a lively chat about the influences of jazz today and the always-inspiring Les Brown.

Brown, is back on the circuit with his motivational lectures, after surviving life-threatening prostate cancer. He was joined by several of his children who have been trained by their father and now work as motivational speakers in the US and around the world.

"Someone's opinion of us does not have to be our reality," Brown said.

"You don't get out of life what you want but what you are. So you have to program yourself for success."

Brown spoke with this reporter after the lecture sharing much more about his mission, his newest endeavors and sharing a few of his priceless words of inspiration. The interview will be shared with our readers in an issue of Centre Stage Magazine later this fall.
   
The Magic of the Stage and Unforgettable Films

Five plays were presented during the Festival this year but two stood out with brilliant performances by their casts. The first, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, Ntozake Shange's legendary choreopoem, was presented by True Colors Theatre Company and directed by Jasmine Guy.

Guy has recently returned to her former home of Atlanta and wasted no time in making her presence known. Her performances earlier this year in two True Colors productions, Miss Evers' Boys and Blues for an Alabama Sky, prove that Guy has studied under the best and mastered her craft. She is a natural for live theater. In her directorial debut at this year's Festival, Guy worked with a stellar cast including Nicole Ari Parker, Crystal Fox and Robin Givens adding special nuances to Shange's classic piece.

The other onstage gem was Thomas W. Jones II's A Cool Drink of Water. (The full scoop on this play can be seen in a feature article included in this issue). It's a refreshing look at what might have happened to Mama Lee and the rest of the clan - the family that was featured in Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun.

And for those who prefer an evening with the silver screen, there was a plethora of outstanding movies, once again presented under the auspices of the Pan African Film Festival that offered provocative films created by filmmakers of color throughout Africa and the African Diaspora. As always, this year's films was a showcase of work that helped to reinforce positive images while facilitating the destruction of negative stereotypes, fostered open communication between peoples of diverse cultures and led audiences to begin dialogue on some of the more important issues of our time.

 Perhaps the greatest challenge this writer faced was getting to all of the films, which began early in the day and ran until close to midnight. While this list is in no inclusive of the best at the Festival, they are, in this reporter's humble opinion, films that you should look for and by all means go out and see.

 

  • Put It in a Book (short series), US, directed by Rodrigo Garcia

  •  Tight Jeans (short series), UK, directed by Destiny Ekaragha

  •  Jump the Broom (short series), US, directed by Kena Tangi Dorsey

  •  Dockweiler (short series), US, directed by Nick J. Palmer

  •  Another Love Story (feature), Brazil, directed by Lucia Murat

  •  Fabulous (short series), US, directed by Fred Thomas Jr.

  •  Nobody Smiling (feature), US, directed by Jamal Dedeaux

  •  Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 (documentary), directed by Judy Richardson & Bestor Cram

  •  Nubian Spirit: The African Legacy of the Nile Valley (documentary), US, directed by Louis Buckley

  •  Gospel Hill (feature), US, directed by Giancarlo Esposito

  •  Jerusalema (feature), South Africa, directed by Ralph Ziman

  •  The End of Poverty? (documentary), US, directed by Philippe Diaz

  •  Skin (feature), South Africa, directed by Anthony Fabian

  •  Close Enemies (feature), Nigeria/US, directed by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen

 
 

Sinatra's Sensational Songs and Tharp's Choreography Are a Winning Combination

Come Fly With Me debuts at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre

By Sr. Correspondent,  D. Kevin McNeir

 

 
 
 
Tony Award winning choreographer Twyla Tharp recently premiered her newest show, Come Fly With Me, at the Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff, featuring the legendary music and vocals of Frank Sinatra. And with the accompaniment of an onstage big band and an amazing group of internationally-acclaimed dancers and acrobatic daredevils it is sure to earn this phenomenal artist even more accolades and awards to add to her mantel.

"It's a profound honor, and frankly, a thrill to partner in the premiere of a brilliant work that com bines the jaw dropping dance theatre of Twyla Tharp and the music of that icon of icons, Frank Sinatra," said Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth in a prepared release. "Come Fly with Me gives Alliance patrons and the city of Atlanta the first look at the music and choreography that will be a deeply significant contribution to American theatre - a mix of artistry and excellence not to be missed."		 While this reporter was too young to know the music of Sinatra, seeing this work which features a dance group of 32 - including the phenomenal dancing of Karine Plantadit, the vocal artistry of Dee Daniels and a 17-piece band - and showcases a cavalcade of hit songs including Let's Fall in Love, Witchcraft, Body & Soul, Take Five, My Way and of course New York, New York, was a wonderful journey along the songbook of America.

The production features original recorded "masters" of Sinatra's voice along with the musical contributions of a live on-stage Big Band. The setting is four couples who fall in and out of love, telling their story in a crowded nightclub.

It is one of the first times that Sinatra's music has been set to dance, prompting his daughter, Tina Sinatra to ask, "why hadn't someone done it before?"
   

Each of the dancers brings his or her own special gifts to the stage, but from this writer's vantage point, the most outstanding of the bunch is without question Plantadit, who moves effortlessly from ballet to jazz to modern dance routines. She is simply superb and joined by a stellar group of fellow dancers who collectively illustrate the beauty and amazing versatility of the human body.

Rumor has it that the show's producers are planning a North American tour set to commence in the summer of 2010 and are discussing the possibility of a Broadway run. With this cast and the creative genius of Tharp - such commiserations are definitely a no-brainer.

Go see Come Fly With Me - it's the marriage of choreography and vocal excellence at its best. Come Fly With Me runs through October 11th. For more information go to www.alliancetheatre.org.

FYI: Next up for the Alliance Theatre is Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, which will feature a multi-media presentation of the hit songs of that group from Liverpool that led the British invasion in the early 1960s. All indications are that this will be one of the Alliance's best ever.

 
 

 

Jill Hames Triumphs in Broadway Musical Grey Gardens


Atlanta Premier Opens 22nd Season for Actor's Express

By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir
Photography by Chris Ozment

 

 
 
 
Jill Hames, Michael Monroe and Wade Benson.
Grey Gardens, the hit Broadway musical based on the documentary that focuses on the lives of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis' eccentric aunt Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter "Little Edie," is a campy, upbeat show that reveals the sometimes hilarious and other times heartbreaking relationship between a self-centered mother and her equally troubled daughter. In fact, as the musical illustrates, these two women take "co-dependent" to a whole new level.
Filled with delightful musical with songs like Marry Well, Will You? and Around the World, the show illustrates the vocal versatility of Hames - an Atlanta mainstay who has appeared on nearly every stage in the city. She is joined by Kathleen McManus who plays the role of Big Edie and at times you almost feel like you're in a popular gay piano bar wondering if you have enough to tip the entertainment. Together they are a hoot with a wonderful stage chemistry that makes this show a real treat.

 

Jill Hames
 
The Beales' story is one that has captured the hearts of fans for over 30 years and in this musical version, most of the dialogue is shared through song. What is life like for the rich and famous where families like Kennedy, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller frolic about at their luxurious summer homes in the Hamptons, hosting black tie soirees and evening dinner parties? That's what this play is all about as well as the eccentricities and shattered dreams that befall one of America's most celebrated legacies.

One wonders if Big Edie was really as strange as she is portrayed in Grey Gardens, where her dominating personality and big voice demands our attention overshadowing her unfortunate daughter who is destined to live her life reminiscing over failed relationships, broken engagements and a plethora of missed opportunities for independence and happiness.

As the second half opens, we see how "being invisible" and living a life in the shadow of her eccentric mother has effected the once-beautiful Little Edie. In costumes that are more appropriate for a circus buffoon, she marches across the stage berating her mother while the former showcase mansion continues to crumble around them. Perhaps the demise of the home is a metaphor for their own lives - now tragic replicas of a once proud and mighty family.

Michael Monroe
   

One of the more fascinating scenes is a kind of slow motion shot where the many cats that have taken refuge in the Grey Gardens mansion meander through the home and are portrayed by the cast, searching for food and showing us the dilapidated residence from a cat's eye view.

If you need a good laugh, this is the show for you. Where else can you experience a talented twosome like Hames and McManus offer hyperboles about being fat, being political misfits while lamenting over the tragedy of living in one's summer home in the winter?

Artistic Director Freddie Ashley has made a wise choice in starting the season with this entertaining musical - don't miss it.

Grey Gardens runs through October 10th. For more information go to www.actors-express.com
 

 
 

Horizon Theatre Ends 25th Season with a Winner - Third

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wasserstein's comedy is a real "delight"

By Sr. Correspondnent, D. Kevin McNeir

 

 
Atlanta's Horizon Theatre has worked hard to establish itself as one of the best theatrical companies in the region. And as this writer is exposed to more of their productions, it is hard to find fault with this "gem of the South." So while most companies might take the safe route at the end of another successful season and present a play that is easy to perform and well-known by both its actors and audience, Horizon, in their presentation of Wendy Wasserstein's comedic drama Third, takes on the challenging and final work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who would lose her battle with cancer just months after the play's premier and creates in a word - magic.  
 
 

Third is a provocative comedy that deals with a tenured female professor, Laurie Jameson, at a New England college facing the "next act" of her life and the dialogue is both lively, and engaging, forcing the audience to consider their own decisions and place in the world.

Mary Lynn Owen returns to the Horizon Theatre in the guise of Jameson, a liberal-minded feminist who balks when Woodson Bull III nicknamed Third, convincing played by Will Bradley, offers a non-traditional reading of the work of Shakespeare, leading the feisty academician to accuse her student of plagiarism. 

But it's not his academic work that is called into question as much as it is Jameson's inability to deal with a world that has changed in dramatic proportion while she remains locked in a world where life was more simple and easy to handle.

In short, it is a play that looks at how we judge and pre-judge others, often allowing our assumptions to become our own version of reality.

But Third refuses to go down without a fight and as the work progresses he shows that he is much more than the simple "privileged, preppie, frat boy" that Jameson thought.

Along the journey, both Jameson and Third, who has become the scapegoat for his professor's anger and frustrations, illustrate the damage that can ruin our lives when we allow our biases and quick judgments to guide us.

And as Jameson, who is dealing with a suddenly empty nest, a father struggling with Alzheimer's, her best friend's fight to overcome breast cancer, and a husband and daughters who have become strangers before her eyes discovers, sometimes the monuments that we have erected in our lives to protect us can ultimately become the source of our own confinement.

Lisa Adler, Horizon's co-founder and co-artistic/producing director, directs the play and illustrates the power that comes when contemporary works of humor and hope are brought to the stage for an audience that hungers for a chance to laugh and a reason to believe in themselves once more.

Third runs through October 11th. For more information go to www.horizontheatre.com

 

Sixties Classic Hair Marks 30th Season at 7 Stages Theatre

Local talent and on-stage rock band return us to the Age of Aquarius

By Sr. Correspondnent,  D. Kevin McNeir
Art courtesy of 7 Stages Theatre

 

 
As the audience waited patiently for the curtain to rise on Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, young men and women began to move towards the stage, decked out in tie-dye jeans, multi-colored beads, suede vests, fringes and afros. Many had flowers in their hair and appeared to be quite comfortable without shoes and in some cases shirtless flaunting the freedom associated with nudity.

But the most prominent symbol was the rainbow - a reminder that the garden of humanity is represented by all kinds of colors and one which has since been adopted by the LGBT community to illustrate their own diversity.

 
For those too young to remember, Hair follows a Tribe of inspired teenagers who believe in free-love, pacifism, experimentation with sexual identity and the eradication of racism. And with words like cool, groovy and hip dominating the dialogue, and with unforgettable songs like Aquarius and Let the Sunshine 

In, this play is a high-charged walk down memory lane.

Directed by 7 Stages' Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Del Hamilton, the show even features an on-stage rock band and a shocking frontal nudity scene that was part of the original production. 

 The cast consists of outstanding local talent including Naomi Lavender, Jason Royal, Warren E. Ullom, Francena Byrd and Theodus X Crane II, and an amazing rock band that features Rob Thompson and Sam McPherson on guitar, David Miksch on drums and Steve McPeeks on bass.

The wonderful world of Hair made its first stage appearance at the Public Theater Off Broadway in 1967, hitting Broadway in April 1968 at the Biltmore Theatre and is a play that was heavily influenced by the Vietnam War. It is apropos that now America is dealing with war again - this time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 A unique opportunity to relive the vicissitudes of life that were prominent during the racially-charged 1960s where the body was perceived as a "sexual gift" and at a time during the hippie movement was in full swing, Hair is a tale that remains ever fresh, ever exciting and always entertaining. 

And be prepared for the conclusion of the show, where the audience is invited to participate in a celebration of dance and song.

Let the Sunshine In!

Hair runs through October 10th. For more information go to www.7stages.org.

 

Fame Flops in Remake of Beloved 80s Classic Film

By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir

"Fame, I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly …"

Those were the words that marked the triumphant 1980 film about kids struggling for perfection at a New York school for the performing arts where actors like Irene Cara, Debbie Allen and Gene Anthony Ray revealed their show-stopping theatrical skills through song, dance and emotionally-charged dialogue.

 

 
 
 
 
And as Allen in the role of dance instructor Lydia Grant admonished her students, she would utter what has become one of the most recognized lines in show business: "You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right now is where you start paying … in sweat." Allen returns in the remake - this time as the principal of the high school, which is again the place where young people hoping for stardom and international success hone their skills while dealing with the typical challenges of becoming adults.

But this new Fame is a far cry from the original even though it is essentially the same story, primarily because we are never allowed to connect to the "stars" of the tale - the students themselves. What challenged Coco, Leroy and their classmates in the original film - teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction, exploitation by adult sharks or embracing one's homosexuality, are no longer such controversial issues. Perhaps in this new millennium they are so common that they have become part of the panorama known as life.

There are still wonderful moments in this new version, especially the performances of Naturi Naughton who portrays

 Denise in place of Cara's Coco and does a credible job singing the 1981 Oscar-nominated song "Out Here on My Own," and the ultra-masculine Collins Pennie, who is the new age version of Leroy, this time as a rapper instead of a dancer. But we never feel the pain of these young hopeful stars. And so, the real drama never unfolds.

The instructors, including Charles S. Dutton and Kelsey Grammer are great choices and bring a sense of reality to their roles, but then this isn't supposed to be a story about teachers, is it? And even though scenes like the lunchroom jam session and the graduation finale survive the insertion of hip-hop and a more modern musical mix the movie fails to move this writer.

Fame will forever remain one of the greatest high school musicals, if not just movies, of the 20th century because it became "our" story - but as for this newer version - it may be best to just wait for the DVD or, heaven forbid, a bootleg copy because this time Fame flops.
 
       
 

In theaters: September 25, 2009
Starring: Asher Book, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Paul McGill, Debbie Allen