'Seven's' Up Tony Award winning actor
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
will direct the revival of
August Wilson's 'Seven Guitars' at New York City’s Signature Theatre Company’s Peter Norton Space, July 31 - Sept. 23.
The
Lackawanna Blues star won the Tony Award for Best Featured Performer in the original Broadway production of 'Seven Guitars,' in 1996.
"August left so much for us to do and to explore,” said Santiago-Hudson about the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, who died of liver cancer last October.
"He was fully in love with African-American people, their laughter, anger, style and perseverance. It’s a glorious thing for me to be in a position to honor the integrity of this man’s work, which says: All my people are worthy and their worst qualities are redeemable."
Set in Pittsburgh's Hill District circa 1948, 'Seven Guitars' revolves around seven people sharing frustration, joy and loss. The new show will feature
Kevin Carroll, Cassandra Freeman, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Brenda Pressley, Lance Reddick, Roslyn Ruff and
Charles Weldon, with new music from Obie Award winning blues guitarist Bill Sims.
It's the first play of Signature’s 2006-2007 three-play tribute to the works of Wilson. Signature has established a special $15 ticket price (regularly $55) for all performances in the originally scheduled eight-week runs of the series, which will also include 'Two Trains Running' (beginning in November) and 'King Hedley II '(February 2007). The $15 ticket price and the August Wilson Series are made possible by Time Warner Inc.
"August Wilson’s contribution to the American theatre is beyond measure," said
James Houghton. "We are thrilled to be presenting three of his legendary twentieth-century cycle plays and deeply honored by the faith his estate has bestowed upon Signature Theatre Company. As August worked with us over the past few years he was excited for his work to be presented in New York in an intimate setting and at an affordable price making the work accessible to all. We hope to do him proud."
OutKast ReturnsFive-time Grammy Award winning hip-hop duo
OutKast returns in a big way with new music and their fist movie project this summer.
Group members
'Big Boi' Patton and
Andre '3000' will release
'Idlewild' August 22, confirms a LaFace/Zomba spokesperson. The album, of the same name, will be released the same week as the film.
The
Brian Barber-directed project is set amidst the backdrop of a 1930s rural Georgia speakeasy known as The Church. In 'Idlewild' the duo portrays lifelong friends in a story fueled by non-stop action, music and show stopping dance numbers. Barber, the award-winning camera man behind OutKast videos "Hey Ya," "The Way You Move" and "The Whole World," wrote the script for the movie.
Released through Universal Pictures and HBO Films, the film also stars
Cicely Tyson,
Ben Vereen, Ving Rhames, Terence Howard, Macy Gray, Patti LaBelle, Faizon Love, Paula Jai Parker, and
Malinda Williams. Dance sequences were choreographed by three-time Tony Award winner
Hinton Battle."Mighty O" is the first single to be released from the CD, which was produced by long-time collaborators
Organized Noize.See 20 of OutKast music videos on AOL Music here.Cross Colors Ice Cube's
six-episode docudrama, 'Black.White,' will arrive on home video Sept. 12, via Fox Home Entertainment.
The series set the nation abuzz when three members of the white Wurgel family wore black face makeup and three members of the African-American Sparks family donned white face makeup, and the two families traded races for a period of six weeks.
The two-disc DVD package will include bonuses, such as Cube's "Black.White." music video, audio commentary by producers and cast, behind-the-scenes featurettes on casting and makeup, an educational DVD-ROM study guide created by U.C. Santa Barbara race relations expert
Dr. Howard Winant, and much more.
Healing HandsGrammy Award winning R&B diva
Patti LaBelle will be in the Big Apple this weekend, performing at the
Apollo Theater June 26, to kick off the New York Gay Pride weekend.
Presented by Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the concert is billed
"A Healing In Harlem"
and will feature a post party at the Alhambra Ballroom with special guest performances by former Weather Girls singer
Martha Wash. Kathy Jordan Sharpton (wife of
Reverend Al Sharpton) will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies -- confirmed a spokesperson for the event.
Also, part of the festivities will be free HIV/AIDS testing administered by Harlem Hospital and The Harlem Directors Group near the Apollo (271 West 125th Street, Suite 215) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Founded in 1986 by Pentecostal Minister Reverend Charles Angel to combat the homophobia and the AIDS epidemic within the Black community, GMAD has over the years broadened its focus to include transgender persons, bisexuals, heterosexuals and Latinos.
"We are proud of our accomplishments thus far, but we know that the battle of AIDS is not won," GMAD’S executive director, Toes Osubu said. "We cannot relax our efforts, but must continue to fight with dedication and diligence."
