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Mega-Musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations – Now at the Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
February 15, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 (L – R)- Michael Andreaus, Jalen Harris, Harrell Holmes Jr., Elijah Ahmad Lewis, E. Clayton Cornelious (Photo Credit: ©2023 Emilio Madrid) Ain’t Too Proud debuted on the Kennedy Center stage in 2018 when it opened in DC before heading directly to Broadway. We thrilled to the musical and the extraordinary performances then. But since going to Broadway the show has amped up every single production value from the electrifying choreography by Sergio Trujillo, to the scenic design by Robert Brill and Projection Design by Peter Nigrini. For two and half hours, time stops. If you blink, you’ll miss everything cool you ever knew. Your heart will race, your jaw drop and your feet won’t stop toe-tapping. This is one of the most exciting musicals you will ever see. It is sheer entertainment from curtain up to the final wild applause.
 Brittny Smith, Amber Mariah Talley, Shayla Brielle G. (Photo Credit: ©2023 Emilio Madrid) Jam-packed with hits from America’s number one R&B/Soul/Funk/Pop group of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, this bio-musical from the Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a blast-from-the-past, an oldies-but-goodies mega hit. Told through the eyes of Otis Williams (Michael Andreaus), the group’s founding member, the story takes us on a top-of-the-pops journey from the original foursome’s Detroit roots on Euclid Avenue through its heyday under über producer Berry Gordy (Jeremy Kelsey) with songs written by Smokey Robinson (Derek Adams who also plays Damon Harris).
Through the years the group gained and lost members from the originals – David Ruffin (played by the spectacular Elijah Ahman Lewis), Eddie Kendricks (a riveting Jalen Harris), Melvin Franklin (the silken bass of Harrell Holmes, Jr.) and Paul Williams (E. Clayton Cornelious – played without missing a beat by understudy Brian C. Binion on opening night). The group’s veteran agent, Shelly Berger (Ryan M. Hunt), was tasked with guiding their sound and keeping them in line.
 Brittny Smith (Photo Credit: ©2023 Emilio Madrid) Though the story guides us through their triumphs and tragedies and the ebb and flow of group member changes, the show hangs on fiercely to their mega-hits – hits that a generation of us danced to, made out to and even got married as we sang along to their soulful love songs. But don’t think for a minute that the audience was a bunch of aging baby boomers clinging to memories of their teenage years. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I looked around to see who was there – who was tapping their toes, mouthing the lyrics and bobbing their heads, and they were all ages. Because you cannot sit still to this energy-pumping, concert-style musical – certainly not while watching the performers execute the highly-stylized, synchronized dance movements The Temptations made famous or the exquisite harmonies of the group of five performing 30 of their platinum hits. These were the tunes that backgrounded family BBQs, birthday parties, dance parties and discothèques. Melodies that were listened to on car radios and record players and on street corners where quartets would spring up like weeds. There is so much joyfulness in the early music – “My Girl”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”, “Cloud Nine” and so many more.
 National Touring Company of Ain’t Too Proud (Photo Credit: ©2023 Emilio Madrid) When the scene changed with the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, the group’s music – “War”, “I Wish It Would Rain” and “Ball of Confusion” – reflected societal upheavel. Just as “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” reflected the psychedelic era.
The musical is backdropped with period-centric projections by Peter Nigrini of Sponge Bob Square Pants and Amélie fame and choreographed to a gold standard by Sergio Trujillo known for his work on Jersey Boys and On Your Feet. Familiar with Dancing with the Stars? Orchestrations are by the show’s 18-year veteran musical director, Harold Wheeler with music directed and arranged by the legendary Kenny Seymour. Multi Tony Award-winning Director Des McAnuff puts it all together and it’s as tight as the group’s pegged trousers and trim sharkskin jackets or the sequined gowns worn by Diana Ross and The Supremes who make an appearance along with music icon Tammi Terrell (Shayla Brielle G.), all of whom are costumed by Paul Tazewell veteran designer of Hamilton and a ton of other blockbuster Broadway hits.
Book by Dominique Morisseau. Based on the book “The Temptations” by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski. Music and lyrics from The Legendary Motown Catalog.
Highly recommended! If I gave out stars, which I don’t, I would give it five stars!
 National Touring Company of Ain’t Too Proud (Photo Credit: ©2023 Emilio Madrid) Through February 18th at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Studs Terkel’s Seminal Book “Working” Brought to Life at Creative Cauldron
Working
Creative Cauldron
February 12, 2024
Jordan Wright
Special to The Zebra
 Sally Imbriano, Erin Granfield, Molly Rumberger, Oscar Salvador, and Chelsea Majors (Photo/William T. Gallagher Photography) Back in 1974 American writer/historian/actor/broadcaster, Studs Terkel, wrote a seminal book on ordinary workers. Its subtitle was “People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do”. A fascinating, deep dive into the often monotonous, constantly challenging lives of everyday American workers. I read it then and it changed my perspective on life and the people who are its driving force. That long lasting impression left me eager to see the musical produced by the small but mighty Creative Cauldron. Proudly celebrating its 22nd anniversary, the regional theater has been thrilling audiences with its often daring, always fascinating productions.
Directed by notable and Helen Hayes award-winning director Matt Conner, who has been commissioned by Creative Cauldron to write an original work for the next five years, Working is a project he has long had his sights on. The entire creative team is well-respected in local theater and includes Helen Hayes nominees Choreographer Stefan Sittig, Music Director Paige Rammelkamp and Lighting Designer Lynn Joslin.
 Molly Rumberger, Sally Imbriano, Oscar Salvador, Tony Lemus, Chelsea Majors, and Erin Granfield (Photo/William T. Gallagher Photography) Fourteen, storytelling, musical numbers by a six-person cast fill the small stage and keep the action moving swiftly as the cast delivers songs by notable songwriters Lin Manuel-Miranda, Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, and Craig Carnelia.
The stories they tell are moving and poignant. Conner has included videos of real-life locals including the Mayor of Falls Church, the building developer of their soon-to-be-completed, brand new theater, a local government agency retiree and an endearing series made up of local children talking about what they want to be when they grow up. The videos are interspersed within the music and connect us to the universal hopes and dreams of the workforces of the past, present and future.
Characters include Freddy Rodriguez, a fast-food delivery worker; Delores, a waitress, “It’s an art! I’m not just a waitress, I’m a one-woman show.”; Frank, an interstate trucker who doesn’t see much of his family until it’s too late; Rose, a third grade school teacher, “Everything has to be fun!” she declares as she deals with unruly students; Raj, a tech support guy; Rex, a hedge fund manager, “Unless you have winners you can’t have losers.”; Kate, a stay-at-home mom, “What I do only matters to three people.”; Grace, an assembly line millworker; Sharon, a receptionist, “I call it the land of no phone,”; Anthony, a stone mason; Utkarsh, an eldercare worker; Mike, a father longing for more family time; Maggie a cleaning woman; and Theresa, a nanny, raising other people’s children. Taken altogether they are a sea of dashed hopes and longings.
 Sally Imbriano, Chelsea Majors, and Erin Granfield (Photo/William T. Gallagher Photography) An energetic cast of six, plays numerous roles – gliding in and out of the many characters with ease. Treated as an ensemble, the playbill lists them by not assigning the performers to their individual roles. There are some fine performances by Molly Rumberger, Sally Imbriano and Erin Granfield. Other cast members include Tony Lemus, Oscar Salvador and Chelsea Majors.
Scenic and Costume Design by Margie Jervis; Lighting Design by Lynn Joslin; terrific Video Projections and Lighting by James Morrison.
Through March 3rd at Creative Cauldron, 410 Maple Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046 – For tickets and information call the box office at 703 436-9948 or visit www.CreativeCauldron.org.
An Unforgettable Production of Next to Normal at Round House Theatre
Next to Normal
Round House Theatre
Jordan Wright
February 6, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 The cast of Next to Normal at Round House Theatre (Photo by Margot Schulman) How do you make a story about a bi-polar mother having a nervous breakdown palatable to musical theatre audiences? First, you make the characters poignantly identifiable – Dan (Kevin S. McAllister), a loving husband and father devoted to keeping his family intact; Natalie (Sophia Early), their angsty teenage daughter living in the shadow of her dead baby brother, Gabe, and fighting her own demons; Henry (Ben Clark), her boyfriend committed to seeing her through her pain; and Gabe (Lucas Hinds Babcock), the ghost of the dead child who haunts Diana in her darkest moments. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal with its deeply emotional story might seem highly unlikely to resonate with theatregoers, but it truly does. Thanks in large part to the unforgettably lush score by composer Tom Kitt with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, the show is impossible to resist.
 Lucas Hinds Babcock (Gabe) and Tracy Lynn Olivera (Diana) (Photo/Margot Schulman) Ignoring the needs of her family, Diana (Tracy Lynn Olivera) is prescribed more and more pills to dull the memory of the loss of her child and heal her break with reality. Her struggle to keep it all together for the sake of her family, is thwarted by Gabe’s constant demands to be remembered. In the song, “I’m Alive”, he tells his mother he must never be forgotten.
As Diana descends into a manic state in a fog of despair from a plethora pills, she begins to question the meds, the therapy, and even her psychiatrist, Doctor Madden (Calvin McCullough), whom she pictures as a rock star – one of the funnier bits. “What happens if the break was not in my mind or my blood, but in my soul,” she asks Dan after the constant “hauntings” by Gabe. Dan, struggling to hold the family and their tenuous marriage together, wonders aloud, “Why would you want to remember the things that hurt you?” In her manic state these questions are impossible to contemplate… and even more difficult to explain.
 Kevin S. McAllister (Dan), Sophia Early (Natalie), and Tracy Lynn Olivera (Diana) (Photo/Margot Schulman) Thirty-six numbers turbo-charge this sing-through with joy, pathos, passion and anguish too. The cast is superb – their voices exquisitely blended and nuanced. Olivera is a well-known, well-respected commodity in area theaters and here her subtly powerful performance is balanced beautifully – shining but not outshining this remarkable ensemble. Audiences will be moved by McCallister’s rich baritone and commanding presence as the father who must keep the family from falling apart at the seams. A surprise casting is the clearly up and coming young actor, Lucas Babcock, as Gabe’s ghost. His voice and performance will tear your heart out. It stopped me in my tracks. This is a big role – physically and emotionally demanding and I’m excited to see what’s next for this straight-out-of-college young actor’s future.
 Ben Clark (Henry) and Sophia Early (Natalie) (Photo/Margot Schulman) Director Alan Paul (Whatever he directs, for god’s sake, just go!) has assembled the best cast with top-drawer performances plus Chris Youstra’s staging that brings it all seamlessly together. This is the one to see now!
Choreographer, Eamon Foley; Music Director, Christopher Youstra; Scenic Designer, Wilson Chin; Costume Designer, Helen Huang; Lighting Designer, Sherrice Mojgani; Sound Designer, Ken Travis; Dramaturg, Naysan Mojgani.
Highly recommended!
Through March 3rd at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. For tickets and information contact the box office at 240 644-1100 or visit www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
Tick, tick…BOOM!
Broadway Center Stage at
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
February 2, 2023
Special to The Zebra
 Brandon Uranowitz and the Cast of tick tick BOOM (Photo by Teresa Castracane) Tic, tic, boom is the sound Jon (Brandon Uranowitz) hears in his head as he feels himself falling into obscurity as a musical composer. Looming large is his 30th birthday. With nothing to show for decades of laying his soul bare in words and rhymes, he ponders the wisdom, or idiocy, of taking a job in the corporate world like his former roommate and best friend, Michael (Grey Henson). Michael is flying high on success and shows Jon that having a luxury penthouse and flashy BMW can erase the pain of failure and a respite from their 6-floor walk-up.
At the same time Jon’s beloved, Susan (Denée Benton), is bent on leaving the city and getting a home in the country where their lives would be less stressful. This is not an option for Broadway hopeful Jon whose raison d’être is inextricably tied to the stage. His keyboard forms the nucleus of the limited props.
 Denée Benton and Brandon Uranowitz (Photo by Teresa Castracane) Playwright, composer and lyricist Jonathan Larson’s real life was a tragedy in itself. Drawing from his own bohemian life and inspired by Puccini’s La bohème, he wrote the wildly successful rock opera Rent. His own poverty and struggle for recognition were undoubtedly its inspiration. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here since Larson died at 36 years-old on the night before its Broadway opening in 1996.
Fast forward to the 2021 film adaptation of tick, tick…BOOM! which you may have seen on Netflix and is definitely worth your time. It was directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and roundly praised.
 Brandon Uranowitz and the tick tick BOOM cast (Photo by Teresa Castracane) Director Neil Patrick Harris comes to this stage production with some strong connections to its early-stage iterations when in 2005 he was cast as Jon in the London premiere. He’s performed in Rent and feels a personal connection to Larson’s work.
Bringing this semi-autographical musical tick, tick…BOOM! to a new audience has inspired Harris to re-invent its earlier productions. He has added a four-person ensemble to the three-hander. Why? More voices? More harmonies? It inserts a bit of Broadway pizazz (We’re a musical with song and dance!!!), but at what cost? It’s distracting. In this staging, actors are over-choreographed – shuffling chairs and other furnishings around the stage in a kind of chorus line does not sharpen the mood. Background video projections distract without providing connections to the script. The Georges Seurat painting used as the promo poster for Sunday in the Park with George popped up for a nanosecond, but it didn’t dovetail with any of Jon’s lines referencing his relationship with Sondheim.
 Grey Henson and Brandon Uranowitz (Photo by Teresa Castracane) An accurate reflection on Larson’s lean years, it drips with sarcasm and angst and is reminiscent of Sondheim’s “The Ladies Who Lunch”. It is the heartbeat of his life in New York City and reflects the nucleus of his despair. To be sure there are some very funny bits as in the tune “Sunday” which references Larson’s time waiting tables at the Moondance Diner trying to appease difficult diners during brunch service. As to diminishing its focus, you’re left to wonder if the decision to plump it up with extra actors wasn’t made by an ad hoc committee. If you go, love it for the music which is lush, emotional and extraordinary. Thirteen numbers flesh out the story backed by a four-piece band. It really doesn’t need more than that.
Through February 4th at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org
What’s Onstage in the DMV
Jordan Wright
January 16, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 (Photo/Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade) Annie
Where: National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
When: Jan 23 – Jan 28
Find more information at www.TheNationaDC.com
The Lehman Trilogy
Where: Shakespeare Theatre Company
When: Feb 22 – Mar 24
Find more information at www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Have You Ever Seen the Sun
Album Release
Where: Meade Memorial Church of Alexandria,
When: Jan 28
Find more information at www.YellowDoorConcertSeries.com
Scripts in Play Series
Free readings at Avant Bard
Where: Avant Bard, 2700 S Lang St, Arlington, VA 22206
When: Jan 19 and Jan 21
Find more information at: www.AvantBard.org
Nunsense A-Men
Where: NextStop Theatre Company
When: Jan 12 – Feb 11
Find more information at www.NextStopTheatre.org
Las hermanas Palacios – the Palacios Sisters
Where: GALA Theatre
When: Feb 1 – Feb 25
Find more information at www.GalaTheatre.org
 Mouse on the move (Via Imagination Stage) Mouse on the Move
Where: The Family theatre at Imagination Stage
When: Jan 13 – Feb 11
Find more information at www.ImaginationStage.org
Merrily We Roll Along
Where: Keegan Theatre
When: Feb through Mar
Find more information at: www.KeeganTheatre.com
Washington Revels Jubilee Voices Concert
Free concert
Where: Lyceum Alexandria
When: Feb 18 only
Find more information at https://apps.alexandriava.gov/Calendar/Detail.aspx?si=56832
Mindplay
Where: Arena Stage
When: Jan 19 – March 3
Find more information at www.ArenaStage.org
Tempestuous Elements
Where: Arena Stage
When: Feb 16 – Mar 17
Find more information at www.ArenaStage.og
The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes
Where Woolly Mammoth
When: Feb 4 – Mar 3
Find more information www.WoollyMammoth.net
Torch Song
Where: Dominion Stage
When: Jan 26 – Feb 10
Find more information at www.DominionStage.org
Private Jones
Where: Signature Theatre
When: Feb 6 – Mar 10
Find more information at www.SigTheatre.org
Where We Belong
Where: Folger Theatre
When: Feb 15 – Mar 10
Find more information at www.Folger.edu
 Caroline Bowman as Elsa (photo/Deenvan Meer( Frozen
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Now through Jan 21
Find more information www.Kennedy-Center.org
Tick, tick… Boom!
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Jan 26 – Feb 4
Find more information at www.Kennedy-Center.org
The Girl Who Became Legend
Family Theater
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Feb 2 – Feb 11
Find more information www.Kennedy-Center.org
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Feb 13 – Feb 18
Find more information at www.Kennedy-Center.org
Love, Love, Love
Where: Studio Theatre
When: Jan 10 – Feb 18
Find more information at www.StudioTheatre.org
Lend Me a Soprano
When: Olney Theatre Center
Where: Feb 7 – Mar 10
Find more information at www.OlneyTheatre.org
Romeo & Juliet
When: Synetic Theater
Where: Feb 9 – Mar 24
Find more information at www.SyneticTheater.org
Shutter Sisters
Where: 1stStage
When: Feb 1 – Feb 18
Find more information at www.1stStage.org
A Chorus Line
Where: Toby’s Dinner Theatre
When: Jan 12 – Mar 10
Find more information at www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
 This Much I Know (Via Theater J) This Much I Know
Where: Theatre J
When: Jan 31 – Feb 25
Find more information at www.TheatreJ.org
Next to Normal
Where: Roundhouse Theatre
When: Jan 24 – Feb 25
Find more information at www.Roundhouse.org
Annie
Where: The Little Theatre of Alexandria
When: Feb 10 – Mar 2
Find more information at www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Passport to the World Music Festival
Where: Creative Cauldron
When: through Feb 3
Find more information at www.CreativeCauldron.org
Tuck Everlasting
Where: Aldersgate Church Community Theater
When: Jan 12 – Jan 21
Find more information www.acctonline.org
Working
Where: Creative Cauldron
When: Feb 3 – Mar 3
Find more information at www.CreativeCauldron.org
Kennedy Center to Celebrate MLK, JR.’s Legacy with Headliners
Nolan Williams Hosts MLK, Jr. Celebration in Song
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
January 10, 2023
 (Photo/The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) In a musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Kennedy Center will host a celebration of King’s legacy. As an integral part of the Center’s Millennium Stage performance series, the annual program, co-hosted by Georgetown University will feature a musical performance by Jordin Sparks, Nolan Williams, Jr. and Cécile McLorin Salvant accompanied by pianist Sullivan Joseph Fortner, Jr. and backed by the Let Freedom Ring Choir led by Music Producer, Nolan Williams, Jr.
Held in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, a highlight of the program will be William’s, Jr.’s “Rise Up and Fight”, a civic anthem composed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer.
 Nolan Williams Jr. Nolan Williams, Jr. is best described as a creative force. An award-winning producer, music director, composer/lyricist, playwright, filmmaker, musicologist, and cultural curator, the multi-hyphenate Williams, Jr. has dedicated his professional career to creating works that illuminate issues of civil rights, social justice, and cultural curiosities. His body of work includes choral/orchestral works premiered by major American orchestras; music for television; the bestselling African American Heritage Hymnal (over 500,000 copies sold worldwide); songwriting credits on two Grammy®-nominated projects; arts and educational festivals produced in partnership with the Kennedy Center and Philadelphia’s Mann Center; cultural programming developed with the Smithsonian, U.S. State Department, and multiple embassies; video/documentary projects, including the star-studded viral video “I Have A Right To Vote” (over two million global media hits); “Becoming Douglass Commonwealth” (winner of ten media prizes); and a slate of theatrical productions, including his critically-hailed new musical Grace – winner of eleven 2022 Broadway World Washington, D.C. awards, including Best Musical and Best New Musical).
(Read my review of Grace here – https://whiskandquill.com/grace)
Local DC resident, Williams, Jr. is CEO of NEWorks Productions, a leading producer of impact-arts programming and entertainment since 2003. He has given musical leadership to this Let Freedom Ring concert since the same year.
In 2019, Williams, Jr. was named the Kennedy Center’s inaugural Social Practice Resident.
 Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks is a Grammy® nominated, multi-platinum singer-songwriter and actress who, in one of the show’s highest-rated seasons, garnered worldwide attention as the winner of season six of American Idol. Cumulatively, Sparks’ popular singles have sold over 10 million digital tracks in the U.S. Sparks is also a gifted songwriter. Arianna Grande’s smash single, “The Way,” was co-written by Sparks and earned her a B.M.I. songwriting award. She has toured with superstars Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, New Kids on The Block, and the Backstreet Boys and headlined her own tour.
Sparks has garnered two B.E.T. Awards, one American Music Award, and one People’s Choice Award, and has been nominated for two MTV Awards and a Grammy®. She made her Broadway debut starring in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash, In the Heights, and made her film debut playing the lead role in the SONY Pictures film Sparkle, opposite the legendary Whitney Houston. Sparks‘s positive body image, message, and success have impacted people worldwide. She considers philanthropy an integral part of her life and was recently profiled by CNN Heroes and Dress for Success for her charity work.
She has since returned to the Broadway stage as the lead in the TONY® award-winning Waitress with music by Sara Bareilles, to critical acclaim, and Executive-Produced and starred in Hallmark’s, A Christmas Treasure. She is a sought-after successful social media influencer due to her impressive social media following. She has also successfully transitioned into network broadcasting hosting/co-hosting on some of television’s most iconic programs, such as NBC.‘s TODAY Show, ABC.’s Good Morning America, ABC.’s The View, CBS.’ The Talk, PBS’ Great Performances (with John Lithgow), amongst others. She currently holds the position of Governor of the LA Chapter of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS).
Sparks released two previous albums in 2020. “Sounds Like Me,” and her first-ever Christmas album, “Cider & Hennessy.” She received a Dove, Billboard, and Grammy nomination in 2023 for her #1 single with For King & Country, “Love Me Like I Am”, and released the single, “Call My Name” along with her latest single, “Candy Cane Lane”.
 Cécile McLorin Salvant Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and baroque music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received Grammy Awards® for Best Jazz Vocal Album for three consecutive albums, “The Window”, “Dreams and Daggers”, and “For One To Love”. In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur Fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Salvant released her debut Nonesuch Records release “Ghost Song” in 2022; the album went on to receive two Grammy® nominations. Mélusine, an album mostly sung in French, along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl, was released on March 24, 2023, and has now been nominated for two Grammy® Awards.
 Anna Deavere Smith The program will feature musical performances by Jordin Sparks, music producer and commissioned composer Nolan Williams, Jr., Cécile McLorin Salvant, pianist Sullivan Joseph Fortner, Jr., Anna Deavere Smith, Rodrick Dixon, Rayshun LaMarr, Benjamin H. Moore, and John Riddle.
In addition, Georgetown University will present the annual John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award to Reginald L. Douglas, Artistic Director of Mosaic Theater Company of DC. The aim of Reginald L. Douglas and Mosaic Theater is to use theater to build community and foster change. The award is given by Georgetown University to a local individual who exemplifies the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mosaic Theater Company produces bold, culturally diverse theater that illuminates critical issues, elevates fresh voices, and sparks connections among communities throughout the D.C. region and beyond.
Mosaic’s innovative education and engagement programming provides opportunities for community members of all ages and backgrounds to engage more deeply with the themes of Mosaic’s plays. As a national leader in new play development work, Mosaic serves as an incubator for stories often untold on U.S. stages. Mosaic is committed to investing in artists and advancing equity practices, which has garnered national attention and served as a model for other theaters.
In its first eight seasons, Mosaic has produced over 10 world premiere plays (with more underway), engaged nearly 4,500 students across all eight wards of D.C. through educational initiatives, programmed over 700 panel discussions and conversations, and commissioned or developed over 30 plays and musicals.
Mosaic has received the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company, and in 2022, Mosaic received 11 Helen Hayes nominations, including three for “Outstanding New Play”.
As part of Georgetown University’s MLK Initiative: Let Freedom Ring! the event builds on the success of the first joint program in January 2003, which featured the legendary Roberta Flack and attracted more than 5,000 patrons. The second, held in August of 2003, commemorated the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and featured actor and civil rights leader, Ossie Davis. Past concerts have featured Jessye Norman in 2004; Aaron Neville in 2005; Yolanda Adams in 2006 and 2016; Brian McKnight in 2007; Denyce Graves in 2008; Aretha Franklin in 2009; India. Arie in 2010; Patti LaBelle in 2011; Bobby McFerrin in 2012; Smokey Robinson in 2013; Dionne Warwick in 2014; Natalie Cole in 2015; Gladys Knight in 2017; Vanessa Williams in 2018; and Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell in 2019, Chaka Khan in 2020 and Leslie Odom Jr. in 2023.
The event will occur on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566.
The ticket giveaway begins January 15 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hall of Nations and will be limited to two tickets per person. This performance will be captioned. If you or a member of your party requires accessible seating or seats in the captioned section, please notify staff when you reach the front of the ticket distribution line. This performance will also be live-streamed on the Kennedy Center’s Facebook and YouTube pages and its website at www.kennedy-center.org.
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