4/22/25 O&A NYC REVIEW: Macbeth in Stride

By Walter Rutledge

For those of us that believe “Hell has no fury like a women scorned”. And for those of us who know firsthand you do not mess with a Black woman who “ain’t feeling it”. Leave your Elizabethan mindset at home and head to the Harvey Theater to experience MacBeth in Stride – Shakespeare from a sistah’s point of view. Written and performed by Obie- Award winner Whitney White the production takes Shakespeare and female empowerment to a new level. This soulful contemporary rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Macbeth runs for only five remaining performances through April 27 at the Harvey Theater located at 651 Futon Street in downtown Brooklyn. Continue reading

3/7/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Stormy Weather- Lena Horne, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Cab Calloway, Nicholas Brothers, Katherine Dunham and dancers

Shall We Dance Friday

Stormy Weather is a 1943 film musical produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The movie is considered one of the best Hollywood musicals with an all African-American cast and serve to  showcase of some of the top African-American performers of the time. Continue reading

10/10/24 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ MOVIE TRAILER: Wicked – Musical Event

The newest TV spot for the upcoming Wicked movie adaptation has shared a preview of the musical numbers that fans can expect.It also shares new looks at the cast that includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey, who play the roles of Elphaba, Galinda, Madame Morrible, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Fiyero Tigelaar, respectively. Continue reading

2/2/24 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: It Don’t Mean a Thing! Phyllis Hyman, Hinton Battle and Gregg Burge.

On March 1 1981, Sophisticated Ladies debuted on Broadway. The show run for 767 performances  and garnered two Tony Awards for Willi Kim for Best Costume and Hinton Battle for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. It Don’t Mean a Thing! featuring the sultry Phyllis Hyman, Hinton Battle and Gregg Burge.  Continue reading

11/20/23 O&A NYC THEATRE- REVIEW: Hadestown- Sometimes True Love Can Be Hell.

By Walter Rutledge

Recently I had the extreme pleasure to see the Broadway smash hit Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theater. The 2019 eight-time Tony Award winning musical is still wowing audiences with Anais Mitchell’s incredible lyric music score and touching book featuring dual love stories. Before we talk about Hadestown lets first have a Greek mythology tutorial. Continue reading

11/30/21 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Harlem On Parade (1944)| Louis Armstrong and Dorothy Dandridge

Harlem On Parade is a musical number from the 1944 American musical romance film Atlantic City. The supporting cast features Louis Armstrong, Buck & Bubbles and Dorothy Dandridge who recreated Vaudeville acts. The film was reissued in 1950 under the title Atlantic City Honeymoon. Continue reading

12/4/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: March Of The Wooden Soldiers- Laurel & Hardy

Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical film released on March 10, 1934. The film is also known by its alternate titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet (the 1948 European reissue title), March of the Wooden Soldiers and Wooden Soldiers (in the United States). Continue reading

7/26/21 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Maya Angelou in Calypso Heat Wave (1957) 

Calypso Heat Wave (1957)  stars Merry Anders, Meg Myles and, as herself, Maya Angelou.
Continue reading

11/25/21 O&A NYC THANKSGIVING THROWBACK: March of the Wooden Soldiers- Laurel & Hardy

Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical film released on March 10, 1934. The film is also known by its alternate titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet (the 1948 European reissue title), March of the Wooden Soldiers and Wooden Soldiers (in the United States). Continue reading

11/23/20 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Cindy (1978)- Cinderella In Harlem

Cindy is a 1978 American musical television film that features an entirely African-American cast. Directed by William A. Graham, the film is an urbanized retelling of Cinderella. Continue reading