1 month ago
UPDATE, pinch accumulation dates: Imitation of Life, nan caller philharmonic pinch a book by Lynn Nottage, euphony and lyrics by John Legend, and guidance by Liesl Tommy will statesman performances connected Wednesday, September 9, astatine The Griffin Theater astatine The Shed Off Broadway.
A co-production of The Shed and National Black Theatre, Imitation of Life will play a strictly constricted four- week position engagement done Sunday, October 4.
In nan announcement today, nan accumulation was described arsenic The Shed’s “first awesome measurement successful nurturing and processing a caller American musical. The philharmonic will beryllium performed pinch afloat formed and unrecorded orchestra.
Additional specifications including casting, creation and imaginative squad members will beryllium announced astatine a later date.
PREVIOUS, February 12: A caller shape adjustment of nan Fannie Hurst novel Imitation of Life, featuring euphony and lyrics by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award victor John Legend and a book by Pulitzer Prize victor Lynn Nottage, will premiere astatine nan Off Broadway venue The Shed this coming fall, producers announced today.
Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed) will direct. The Shed staging astatine its Griffin Theater is simply a co-production pinch National Black Theatre.
Additional specifications for nan constricted engagement including casting, creation and imaginative teams and accumulation dates will beryllium announced astatine later.
The philharmonic is based connected some nan 1933 caller and nan famed 1934 and 1959 Universal Pictures adaptations. The ’33 movie directed by John M. Stahl starred Claudette Colbert, Louise Beavers, Fredi Washington and Rochelle Hudson; Douglas Sirk’s 1959 type starred Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner.
The synopsis: “Imitation of Life follows 2 azygous mothers, 1 Black and 1 White, arsenic good arsenic their daughters, who build a shared life while each strives for occurrence and emotion successful a nine divided by title and class. Set crossed nan vibrant backdrop of 1920s Atlantic City and 1930s New York, this new, profoundly moving philharmonic explores themes of identity, nan American Dream, and what we time off for early generations.”
In a associated statement, Nottage, Legend and Tommy said today: “Originally published successful 1933, novelist Fannie Hurst’s Imitation of Life tells nan communicative of 2 women, 1 Black and 1 white, struggling to raise their daughters successful a world shaped by inequalities. While nan novel’s communicative is very overmuch a merchandise of its time, its themes of race, class, and gender successful America proceed to resonate today. As artists, we are drawn to Imitation of Life’s enduring affectional powerfulness and its imaginable to beryllium reimagined successful ways that consciousness some modern and urgent. It has been a profound joyousness to collaborate connected bringing this communicative to nan stage, and we are thrilled to premiere this philharmonic astatine The Shed, wherever we look guardant to sharing nan beautiful and profoundly moving travel of Delilah and Peola Johnston pinch audiences.”
The task marks Legend’s first awesome philharmonic shape endeavor arsenic a composer. He was a shaper connected some Ain’t Too Proud successful 2019 and Jitney successful 2017, and contributed nan opus “(I Guess I) Miss You” to SpongeBob SquarePants successful 2017.
