7/2/15 O&A Out and About at Mighty Real’s Viewing Party for TV One’s Unsung Revisited

By Walter Rutledge

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Mighty Real’s Viewing Party for TV One’s Unsung Revisited took place on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at Cove Lounge (325 Lenox Ave. btw 126th and 127th).  Co-producers and life partners Anthony Wayne and Kendrell Bowman were inspired to create Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical after seeing the Unsung documentary about disco diva/recording artist Sylvester on TV One in 2010. After Mighty Real’s successful Off-Broadway debut last Fall, the producers of Unsung reached out to Wayne and Bowman, and conducted interviews for a special episode on the creation of the musical.

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The episode began airing on TV One Wednesday July 1 at 8pm and documents the journey from concept to stage. The production developed from a series of concerts at le poisson rouge in New York City in 2012. In 2013 the musical enjoyed sold out performances at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. and in Miami. Their efforts culminated in an Off-Broadway one-month limited engagement at Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 W. 46th Street) in September 2014. Mighty Realreturned to NYC for a sold-out one-night-only event at The Gramercy Theater on January 18, 2015, followed by performances at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco (February 11- March 1, 2015), the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia (April 2015), and returning to The Howard Theatre in D.C. for a special performance for Black Pride (May 2015).

The musical will play a special one-night-only performance in New York City at The  Gramercy Theatre (127 East 23rd Street) on Friday, July 31st at 8 PM (doors open at 7PM). Tickets are priced $79.50, $89.50, and $99.50 (limited VIP – priority seating, post-show Meet & Greet and photo with the cast) and are now on sale at TicketMaster by calling (800) 745- 3000, or online at ticketmaster.com or FabulousSylvester.com

Adewale Adekanbi Jr. photographer

To see O&A Interview with Anthony Wayne and Kendrell Bowman Click Below:

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http://outandaboutnycmag.com/10214-oa-interview-with-anthony-wayne-and-kendrell-bowman-mighty-real-a-fabulous-sylvester-musical/

To read O&A review of Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical Click Below:

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http://outandaboutnycmag.com/93014-oa-review-mighty-real-a-fabulous-sylvester-musical/

 

 

6/22/15 O&A Picks Of The Week June 21- June 27: Art, Dance, Film, Music, and Theatre

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Summer is finally here! And it has ushered in a whirlwind of arts events. We have fine art, dance, film, music and theatre; something for everyone. Here are a few of the many events happening in the city that never sleeps guaranteed to keep you Out and About. Continue reading

5/6/15 O&A Its Saturday- Anything Goes: Lena Horne – The Lady and Her Music (1982)

It is Saturday

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Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music the 1981 Broadway musical revue, written for and starring American singer and actress Lena Horne. The show opened on May 12, 1981, and after 333 performances, closed on June 30, 1982, Horne’s 65th birthday. In 1981 Horne also won a special Tony Award at the 35th Tony Awards, a special award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, and the City of New York’s Handel Medallion. At the 24th Grammy Awards, Quincy Jones and Horne won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, and Horne won the Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, Female. Continue reading

Shall We Dance Friday: Sophisticated Ladies- Hinton Battle, Phyllis Hyman, Greg Burge and Paula Kelly

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Sophisticated Ladies starring Gregory Hines, Hinton Battle, Phyllis Hyman, Greg Burge and Paula Kelly is a musical revue based on the music of Duke Ellington. The musical opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 1, 1981 and closed on January 2, 1983 after 767 performances and fifteen previews.  Continue reading

3/7/15 O&A Its Saturday- Anything Goes: Music From Empire

It is Saturday

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Empire, the fox musical drama television series, is breaking records every week. The hour-long family drama created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong and starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, centers around a Hip hop music and Entertainment company, Empire Enterprises. One undeniable aspect of the show’s success is the music. Fox’s senior VP of TV Music Geoff Bywayer said to expect the fictional musical world to collide with the real musical world; “We want to make the world of ‘Empire’ almost feel like a real music-breathing entity.”  Continue reading

1/9/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Black and Blue- The Musical

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Black and Blue is a musical revue celebrating the black culture of dance and music in Paris between World War I and World War II.  Choreographed by Henry LeTang, Cholly Atkins, Frankie Manning, and Fayard Nicholas the cast of forty-one singers, dancers, and musicians included Ruth Brown, Linda Hopkins, Carrie Smith, Savion Glover, Claude Williams, Roland Hanna, Grady Tate, Jimmy Slyde, Bill Easley, Jimmy “Preacher” Robins, Lon Chaney (the jazz tap dancer, not the actor) Bunny Briggs and  Dianne Walker. The Broadway production opened on January 26, 1989.  Continue reading

11/26/14 O&A Theatre: Ritual (REVIEW)- “The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank”

By Walter Rutledge

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Off Broadway is to live theatre, what the concept car is to the automotive industry. It allows the public to participate in the process of creation, where memorable productions transition into unforgettable theatre. Ritual, a play conceived and produced by Stanley Bennett Clay is a clever one-act drama that reveals the secrets of an “ideal” upper middle class Africa American Family. 

To everyone on the outside looking in, the Becker Family of Baldwin Hills was living the American dream. Leon (David M. Raine), a successful lawyer, and his beautiful wife Sylvia (Q) are the proud parents of two children daughter Teresa (Latresa Baker) and son Mason (Reginald James Albert). Teresa is a dutiful daughter and younger brother Mason is the brilliant son attending an Ivy League School. From the moment we are invited in to their living room we quickly discover humorist, the late Erma Bombeck, was correct; “The grass is always greener over the septic tank.” Continue reading

10/10/14 O&A Review: Ain’t Misbehavin- Fats Waller’s Harlem

 By Walter Rutledge

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Harlem original Fats Waller returned uptown to the community he loved via the Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin presented at Faison Firehouse Theater. This version of the high-spirited, and high-energy musical revue is directed by A. Curtis Farrow; and presented in collaboration with Irving Street Rep. and FaisOne Productions. The first thing that becomes apparent is how well the intimate setting complements Waller’s songbook; which has become a compass articulating the Harlem Jazz era of the 1930’s and 40’s. Continue reading

10/8/14 O&A Its Saturday Anything Goes: Our Weekend Picks

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Its Saturday and as the autumn leaves continue to fall the arts are getting that exciting seasonal lift. There is music uptown, musicals celebrating Harlem and Brooklyn, and dancers dancing downtown. Here are our weekend picks in the city that never sleeps guaranteed to keep you Out and About.   Continue reading

10/2/14 O&A: Interview with Anthony Wayne and Kendrell Bowman- Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical

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A video interview with the co-producers and co-directors Anthony Wayne and Kendrell Bowman of the Off-Broadway musical Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical during the run of the show at the Theatre at the Church of St. Clement’s. Continue reading