Ledisi & Billy Porter: Double The Pleasure With 'Island' Gig

By Karu F. Daniels, BlackVoices.com



Talking about a passion project.

Two of my all time favorite artists have joined forces to work their magic live on the stage.

Well, in all fairness – one is behind the scenes; the other is a part of an ensemble.

Yet, their undeniable talent both shines through.

Okay. Enough bloviating for the day. Here's the info...

Broadway dynamo Billy Porter and Grammy nominated wunderkind Ledisi marked their respective debuts this week with a revival of the 1990 Tony Award nominated musical, 'Once on This Island,' at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.

Presented by the Reprise Theatre Company, the show – an Caribbean spiced retelling of the fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid' with a splash of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' – only plays a very limited 16 performances, until September 14.

"'Once on This Island' is a study in contrasts: rich versus poor, immortal versus mortal, light versus dark, life versus death," shared Porter, a powerhouse performer who recently got his directing feet wet with an ambitious Afro-centric musical revue based on the songs of Stephen Sondheim.

"We have taken what many think are disparate elements – hip-hop/soul, gospel, jazz, musical theater, pop, and blues - and like the play itself, we are bringing them together to tell the story," he continued.

And as can be expected, the mainstream critics are dazzled.

Terry Morgan of 'Variety' magazine raved that it's "generally successful, an entertaining evening with moments of undeniable power."

'Los Angeles Times' critic David Ng used superlatives such as "vivacious," and "exotic" throughout his terrific review.

The original 1990 show, which played 469 performances at Broadway's Booth Theatre, featured Lillias White and James Stovall, and made a star out of LaChanze (who later went on to win a Tony Award for 'Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple').

Ledisi, who was nominated for two Grammy Awards and starred in the George Clooney movie, 'Leatherheads' earlier this year, told BlackVoices.com that Porter reminded her that she was more then a singer.

"This has been one of the most challenging exciting experiences of my life," she gushed. "I love this cast, the producers and my director."

Porter, along with choreographer Bradley Rapier, have assembled a cast which includes many Broadway and American regional theater vets, including Yvette Cason, Vanita Harbour, Jesse Nager, Leslie Odom Jr., and Nita Whitaker. Newcomer Kristolyn Lloyd plays Ti Moune.

"I am humbled by how the universe has conspired to light my path and lead into a place of creative peace and joy the likes of which I would have never experienced without the courage to dream big and the patience to let go and let God," Porter said, before adding, "And as for Ledisi Young...let me just say; the children aren't ready. She's a STAR!!!"

We at BlackVoices can lay claim on knowing that –way before other media outlets jumped on the bandwagon: we exclusively presented a one of kind live concert performance of Ledisi and Chaka Khan for a session of 'The Bridge.' Check it out here.