The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) and Documentary Arts in association with Central Track Productions have announced that Tony Award winner Lillias White will join the cast of the Off-Broadway premiere of Blind Lemon Blues, created by Alan Govenar and Akin Babatunde featuring more than 60 Blind Lemon Jefferson songs. Performances begin February 15th and continue through February 25th only, at The York Theatre at St. Peter’s (54th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues).
Lillias White is a native New Yorker. On Broadway she has performed in The Life as Sonia, for which she received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and the Friends of New York Awards. Her other Broadway credits include How To Succeed In Business... (Jonesey), Cats (Grizzabella), Once on This Island (Asaka), Dreamgirls (Effie) and Chicago (Mama Morton). Off-Broadway, she’s been seen in The Vagina Monologues, Crowns (Audelco Award), Dinah Was (as Dinah Washington) and in William Finn’s Romance in Hard Times (Obie Award). On film, Lillias has been seen in Game Six with Michael Keaton, Pieces of April with Katie Holmes and she is the voice of the lead muse in Disney animated Hercules. Lillias television appearances include “Law and Order,” “Law and Order SVU,” “Great Performances” with the Boston Pops, and most recently, in “Great Performances Live from Carnegie Hall” as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. In addition to her work on stage, screen, and television, Lillias performs regularly with the Colorado Symphony (“Too Hot to Handel”) the Palm Beach Pops, NY Pops and in other venues worldwide including Jazz at Lincoln Center and at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in California. As a recording artist, Lillias has recorded the Broadway cast recordings of How To Succeed In Business, The Life, The Odd Potato, Dreamgirls 20th Anniversary Concert, The Actor’s Fund productions of Hair and Funny Girl, as well as her own CD “From Brooklyn to Broadway.” Her latest album of jazz music will be released in 2007.
Blind Lemon Blues celebrates the legacy of Blind Lemon Jefferson and his profound influence upon the development of
American popular music. Jefferson was a blind street musician who played his guitar with a tin cup tied to its neck at the corner of Elm Street and Central Avenue in Dallas, Texas until a Paramount Records scout discovered him. Between 1926 and 1929, Jefferson made more than 80 records and became the biggest selling-down-home blues singer in America. After seeing a workshop of Blind Lemon Blues, playwright August Wilson said, “I listened to the music of Blind Lemon everyday for five years. Blind Lemon Jefferson was the voice of Black America at that moment.”
The musical had its world premiere at the Forum Meyrin in Geneva, Switzerland, in February of 2004, and was featured as the opening of the Festival de L’lmaginaire in Paris, France in March of 2004. In 2005 Blind Lemon Blues made its US debut in November 2005 at the Hall of State in Dallas and returned to France for the Blues Sur Seine Festival. Following its showcase at The York Theatre, Blind Lemon Blues will be presented in a nine-city tour to The Netherlands and Belgium by the World Music Theatre Festival.
Blind Lemon Blues, is a limited engagement for 10 performances only. Tickets can be purchased by calling The York Theatre Box Office at 212-935-5820 or online at
http://www.yorkrhefltrc.org
No comments:
Post a Comment