ShadesOfMarketing

On Tuesday, March 12th, 2013 , I sat in The Merriam Theatre as both press and a true fan of the theatre. Popular demand has encouraged producers Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jay Z and Stephen and Ruth Hendel to bring the national touring production of 'FELA!' back to the City of Brotherly Love. Watching, I felt as if I was 'na de Shrine' and I'm sure that's what director and choreographer Bill T. Jones had in mind with this production. Set in The Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria, 'FELA!' is a show inside of a show that centers on Fela Kuti, an outward opposer of the corrupt and repressive military dictatorships that ruled Nigeria and much of Africa during the late 70's.  Fela Kuti created Afrobeat, a mixture of eclectic drums with lyrics to reflect his feelings towards oppression. His name became known across the world, however, The Shrine was his club, his world.  Adesola Osakalumi in FELA by Sharen Bradford Fela himself, played

Joilet F. Harris as Lena Younger in  A rden Theatre Company's production of A Raisin in the Sun. Photo: Mark Garvin  "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" This question silently echoes through the audience during the Arden Theatre Company's production of " A Raisin in the Sun. ' This historical tale takes us almost day by day through the 'dreams' of the Younger  family  as they await the delivery of a life insurance check. With the title pulled from the lines of one of Langston Hughes' most popular works, we witness the Younger  family 's dreams being threatened.  L-R: Jaleesa Capri as Beneatha Younger, U.R. as Walter Lee Younger, Joilet F. Harris as Lena Younger, Nikki E. Walker as Ruth Younger, Yannick Haynes as Travis Younger  in Arden Theatre Company's production of A Raisin in the Sun. Photo: Mark Garvin Set inside the Younger's home in South Side Chicago during the 1950s,

I totally need to clean this place up. It looks a mess. Let me apologize for this. I promise you by March 23rd when the site officially launches you won't have to look at this...mess of words. But in the meantime and in between time, this is it. This is going to be an AMAZING week. Covering FELA, A Raisin In The Sun, attending a Melanie Fiona concert and a spoken word event. Some say busy, i say material!!! I've been meaning to get back in the groove of writing just because instead of only writing reviews and I think I'm back. But it doesn't hurt that i have a couple reviews to show you guys too! I'm writing this from my office in New York so if you took the time to read my previous post then clearly things at work are going well. I regret deleting all posts before that but I promise to make up for it with quality posts in the future. I should be eating lunch right now instead I'm click clacking away. I wanted to get up close and personal with you guys before I