Lia Chang Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Laurie Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Following a sold-out engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer André De Shields returned to the cabaret stage for his latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU on Friday, October 5, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café in New York.

Larry Spivak, Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

The evening featured De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack, and special guest appearances by vocalist Ula Hedwig and composer Steve Margoshes.

Freida Williams, Ula Hedwig and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

Composer Steve Margoshes in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright, Mark Nadler, James Rado, Kimberly Grigsby were among the standing room audience that leapt to their feet at the end of the concert with wild applause.

Maurice Hines, André De Shields and Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright
at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

James Rado, Jonathan Groff, Kimberly Grigsby and André De Shields at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

De Shields and Company will be performing one more show tonight at 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street) in New York.

André De Shields was recently awarded a Fox Foundation Fellowship Grant for Distinguished Achievement of $25,000 to support his work at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. De Shields will further develop his experimental methodology, The Golden Triangle and the 5W Stack/Inner Athlete System. He will deepen this unique style of Griot Performance Art that combines rigorous physical exertion, discipline and contemplation through a new, original work, Confessions of a P.I.M.P. (Positive Individual Making Progress). De Shields will also mentor artists and young people in Victory’s Poets Conservatory and school programs. De Shields’ residency at Victory Gardens will begin in the Spring, 2013.

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

In a career spanning more than forty years, De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He recently performed a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!”

André De Shields as W.E.B. Du Bois in Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss © Lia Chang

De Shields is currently in rehearsal to reprise his role as W.E.B. Du Bois in KNOCK ME A KISS (by Charles Smith) at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, NJ. The show called “a dandy play…rollicking fun” by the New York Times, runs from October 25 through November 4.

For more information, visit www.andredeshields.com.

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Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 9, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Project1Voice’s Multiple Staged Readings of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind features André De Shields, Peter Coyote, Roger Robinson, Leslie Uggams, LaChanze, John Mahoney, Bill Irwin, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Irma P. Hall on June 20

André De Shields Photo by Lia Chang

From New York to Los Angeles on Monday, June 20, 2011, Project1Voice’s inaugural event –1 Voice, 1 Play, 1 Day will feature multiple staged readings of Alice Childress’ classic play Trouble in Mind. André De Shields, Leslie Uggams, LaChanze and Bill Irwin will appear in the New York reading directed by Charles Randolph‐Wright. Peter Coyote and John Mahoney are cast in the San Francisco and Chicago productions respectively. LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Roger Robinson are slated for the Los Angeles event while Irma P. Hall will head the cast in DeSoto, TX. Petronia Paley will direct the reading at Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ.

Project1Voice, founded by New York‐based actor/producer Erich McMillan McCall (Chicago, The Who’sTommy) is an organization created to preserve the legacy of African‐American theatres and playwrights.

1Voice, 1Play, 1Day is a national day of celebration that not only honors the late great playwright’s seminal work, but also highlights African‐American theatre companies that are struggling for their very existence.

Written in 1955, TROUBLE IN MIND is a powerfully incendiary and satiric drama based on the conflict of not compromising one’s artistic integrity. This play within a play follows the journey of a mixed‐raced cast in 1957 as they embark upon rehearsals for a racially charged play. Childress shows the actors’ complaints, directors’ frustration and even with the well‐meaning efforts of theater professionals to overcome their racial feelings. As the play unfolds each character is revealed, along with their cavalier approach to the scripts they hold. There is so much humor that the playwright’s theme within the theme will leave today’s modern audience marveling at how insightful and fresh the play feels today. Trouble in Mind was scheduled to make it to Broadway before A Raisin in the Sun. However the project was shelved when Childress refused to make the ending more upbeat and therefore more palatable for white audiences. The play has still to today, never gone to Broadway. In addition to featuring nationally renowned artists, the 1Voice, 1Play, 1Day readings of Trouble in Mind will also showcase the talents of local actors at eighteen (18) participating theatres in the following cities:

New York, NY
Theatres: American Performing Arts Collaborative, New Federal Theatre, New Professional Theatre,
The Billie Holiday Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company
Cast: Andre De Shields, Bill Irwin, La Chanze, Justine Lupe‐Schomp, Malachy McCourt, Tim McGeever, Alano Miller, Don Stephenson, Leslie Uggams.
Director: Charles Randolph‐Wright
Venue: American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street, between 8th and Broadway.
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $50 Orchestra $25 Mezzanine. www.project1voice.org,or 866-811-4111
For more information: 646-409-5175.

New Brunswick, NJ
Theatre: Crossroads Theatre Company
Cast: TBA
Director: Petronia Paley
Venue: Crossroads Theatre Company, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 732‐545‐8100

Philadelphia, PA
Theatre: Freedom Theatre.
Dr. Kimmika Williams‐Witherspoon, poet, playwright and Associate Professor of Theatre at Temple University will host the evening.
Cast: CeCelia Birt, Mets Suber, Lee Colston, Cathy Simpson, Brian Wilson, Amanda Schoonover, Tom McCarthy, Peter Pryor, Michael J. Pastorok, Fatimah Ali
Venue: Freedom Theatre, 1346 North Broad Street
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $10 Students with ID. http://www.freedomtheatre.org , 215‐978‐8497
Box Office –Hours: Tues‐Fri , 12 noon to 6pm.
For more information: 215‐765‐2793

Pittsburgh, PA
Theatre: Kuntu Repertory Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh
Details TBA

Washington, DC
Theatre: African Continuum Theatre Company with assistance from Howard University
Cast: Jewell Robinson, David Berkenbelt, Nickolas Vaughn, Lolita Clayton, Thomas Howell, Laura GodfreyDunlop, Michael Kramer, Joshua Morgan, Jim Esptein
Director: Shirley Basfield Dunlap
Venue: Howard University Ira Aldridge Theatre, 2455 6th Street, NW
Time: 8:00pm
Tickets: $15.00 www.boxofficetickets.com
For more information: 202‐529‐5763

Cleveland, OH
Theatre: Rainey Institute in association with Karamu House
Cast: Conni Blair, Peter Lawson Jones, Mariama Whyte, Antuane Rogers, Skip Corris, Brian Pedaci, George Roth, Hannah Stofan, Anthony Nickerson
Director: Dale Ricardo Shields
Venue: Debra Ann November Theater at Rainey Institute 1705 E. 55th Street
Time: 7:00pm TALK BACK after performance
Tickets: $35.00
For more information: 216‐881‐1766

Chicago, IL
Theatre: Congo Square Theatre Company.
This reading of Trouble in Mind is the center piece of its anniversary celebration.
Cast: TarRon Patton, Alfred Wilson, Anthony Irons, Ericka Ratcliff, Aaron Todd Douglas, Katie Jeep, Jonathan Weir, Shawn Douglass, Danny Goldring, John Mahoney
Director: Ann Joseph Douglass
Venue: Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green
Time: Reception ‐ 6:00pm, Reading – 8:00pm
Tickets: $100 – 773‐296‐0830
For more information: 773‐296‐0830, www.congosquaretheatre.org
Milwaukee, WI
Theatre: Uprooted with assistance from Youngblood Theatre Company
Cast: Sherry Williams‐Panell, Bobby Spencer, Keantre Gill, Tiffany Cox, Allen Edge, T. Stacy Hicks, Andrew
Voss, John Kishline, Stage Directions: Michael Coty
Director: Marti Gobel
Venue: Ten Chimneys South 43, West 31575 Genesee,Wisconsin
Time: TBA
Tickets: TBA
For more information: www.uprootedmke.com or www.tenchimneys.org
Phone- 262‐968‐4110

Birmingham, AL
Theatre: Aldridge Repertory Theatre
Cast: Tommie “Tonea” Stewart, John Mark Magaha, Yvette Jones‐Smedley, Amanda Graham, Neil David
Siebel, Dane Peterson, Rodney Clark
Venue: Virginia Samford Theatre, 1116 26th Street, South
Time: 8:00 pm
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 205-538-1828

Dallas, TX
Theatre: African American Repertory Theater
Cast: Irma P. Hall, Willie Minor, Vince Davis, Jack O’Donnell, Shucky Ducky, Christopher
Piper, Yolanda Williams, Emily Wood Bowron
Venue: Black Academy of Arts and Letters nn650 S. Griffin Street Dallas, Texas 75202
(At the corner of Canton and Akard Streets)
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10 – $50
For more information: 972‐572‐0998

Fort Worth, TX
Theatre: Jubilee Theatre
Cast: Barbara Woods, Lloyd Barnes, Altie Jenkins, Stormi Demerson,Douglas Carter, Alicia Miller, David
Ellis,Michael Raines,Bob Allen
Venue: 506 Main Street, Fort Worth, Texas
Details: 817‐338‐4411

Houston, TX
Theatre: The Ensemble Theatre
Cast: Brenda Wilson, Kendrick Brown, Cynthia Brown, Ron Jones, Paul Drake, Wayne DeHart, Bob Morgan.
Director: Wayne DeHart
Venue: The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main Street
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 713‐520‐0055

Los Angeles, CA
Theatre: Ebony Repertory Theatre
Cast: LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Roger Robinson, Leslie Odom Jr.
Venue: Nate Holden Performing Arts Center 4718 W. Washington Blvd
Details: www.ebonyrep.org
San Francisco, CA
Theatre: Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Cast: Margo Hall, Geoff Hoyle, Tobie Windom, Alan Taylor, Peter Coyote.
Director: Steven Anthony Jones
Venue: Zeum Theater in Children’s Museum at Yerba Buena Gardens
Time: TBA
Tickets: TBA
For more information: 415‐345‐3980

About the playwright
Born in Charleston, SC in 1912 and raised in Harlem, playwright Alice Childress began her career as an actress with the American Negro Theatre. She wrote over 17 plays including Florence, Gold Through The Trees, Wine in the Wilderness, Trouble In Mind, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story In Black And White and Let’s Hear It For The Queen. For a brief period Childress expanded her writing from plays to novels. She wrote three children’s novels, A Hero Ain’t Nothing but a Sandwich, which was made into a film in 1978, Rainbow Jordan and Those other People. After a lifetime of giving the American Theatre work grounded in social justice that offered authentic portraits of African Americans, particularly African American women, Childress died of cancer in 1994. (Permission to perform Trouble in Mind is granted by Flora Roberts, Inc. 275 Seventh Ave. New York,
NY 10001).

For more information about Project1Voice; 1Voice, 1Play, 1Day; Trouble in Mind and Alice Childress visit www.project1voice.org.

Articles on Andre De Shields:
André De Shields in Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at the Victory Gardens Biograph through June 12
André De Shields set for Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at the Victory Gardens Biograph
Photos: De Shields, McClendon, Elisa, Glasco, Nemser, Phillips, Thompson at The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy Reading
Spend Valentine’s Day with André De Shields in The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy at the Abingdon Theatre
André De Shields and Charlayne Woodard are featured in Red Bull Theater’s Off Broadway Production of The Witch of Edmonton
André De Shields leads cast of Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss at Abrons Arts Center
Andre Dé Shields is having a Devilishly Good Time in Damn Yankees at The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport
Photos of André De Shields in Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: From Douglass to Deliverance
Achieving the American Dream, Professional Charmer Andre De Shields Sees Theater is a Way to Life
André De Shields Celebrates Black History Month Starring in The Working Theater’s Production of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory at The Abingdon in February 2010
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe, MTC’s Ruined are Top Winners at 2009 Audelcos
Multimedia: Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe Opening Night Party Photos
Multimedia: Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe
André De Shields and Reg E. Cathey Star in Cato at The Flea
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Lia Chang: Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”

Broadway actress/vocalist Marva Hicks shares the stage with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director Byron Stripling, at the Southern Theatre for “A Night at the Apollo,” in Columbus, Ohio from April 13-17, 2011. The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is celebrating music greats like Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and many others whose careers were launched by this legendary finishing school, in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month. Click here for the interview between Columbus Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director Byron Stripling and Ms. Hicks.

Marva Hicks Photo by Lia Chang

Born in Petersburg, Virginia, Marva Hicks first started her early career as a gospel singer. After a short stint with the group Eighties Ladies, Ms. Hicks appeared on Broadway in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music for nearly three years. During a tour in London, she met Stevie Wonder. She began touring with him during the mid-80s and sang background vocals on his album, Characters. She then signed with Polydor in the late ’80s and released her debut album, Marva Hicks, in 1991, with the R&B hits “I Got You Where I Want” and “Never Been in Love Before.” As a gospel singer, Ms. Hicks is a featured vocalist on the Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir’s Christmas CD, GREAT JOY. She has toured the world with Whitney Houston, James Ingram, and Michael Jackson for HisTORY tour. In this 1996 video clip, Ms. Hicks duets with Michael Jackson on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” in Royal Brunei.
In addition to Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, other roles on Broadway include Rafiki in The Lion King and The Radio in Tony Kushner’s Caroline or Change. Off-Broadway, she appeared in Caroline, or Change (The Public Theater); with Leslie Uggams in Thunder Knocking on the Door (Minetta Lane) and Leslie Lee’s The First Breeze of Summer, directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson (Signature Theatre); with blues great Ruth Brown and Allan Toussaint in STAGGERLEE (Second Avenue Theater); and The Bikinis (Queens Theatre in the Park).

A favorite at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, the award-winning performing artist has worked on five productions including Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, starring Broadway legend Maurice Hines, for which she is nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Thunder Knocking on the Door (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress), The Women of Brewster Place, Crowns and Charles Randolph Wright’s Cuttin’ Up. Other regional credits include her role as Etta Mae in the world premiere of The Women of Brewster Place at The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta’s Suzi Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical); as Bess in a Jazz and Blues adaptation of Porgy and Bess (B. Iden Payne Award) at the Zachary Scott Theater Center in Austin, Texas; It’s Better With a Band (Prince Music Theater); Elliot Ness in Cleveland(Cleveland Playhouse), Twist (Walnut Street Theatre), One Mo’ Time, Sing Mahalia Sing, Bubbling Brown Sugar, and the US Tour of A…My Name Is Alice. Her film and TV credits include Assunder, starring Blair Underwood, Virtuosity, starring Denzel Washington, as Jacarra Principle on the ABC Daytime Soap Opera “One Life to Live” from 1997-1998, and guest starring roles on “L.A. LAW,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Mad About You” and “Sister, Sister“. She has been commissioned by Arena Stage to create and star in a solo musical piece about her journey in show business as a woman of faith.

Single tickets are available through the CAPA Ticket Office for $49 (main floor), $46 (first balcony) and $41 (second balcony). Tickets are available by phone at 614-469-0939 and through all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information call 614-294-5200 or visit www.jazzartsgroup.org for more information.

The Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra (CYJO) is proud to perform prior to Sunday’s afternoon matinee at 1 PM. Admission to CYJO is free with 2 PM matinee ticket.

The Swingin’ at the Southern music series is presented by the Jazz Arts Group with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Columbus Foundation and the Westin Columbus.

“A Night at the Apollo”
April 13-17, 2011
Southern Theatre – CAPA
21 East Main Street
Columbus, OH 43215
http://www.capa.com/venues/southern.html
www.marvahicks.com

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Below Vintage Marva Hicks singing “One Good Reason”

Reviews and Listings:
The Columbus Dispatch Review: Columbus Jazz Orchestra -Band and soloists soar in tribute to the Apollo
deltaskymag.delta.com: Marva Hicks with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra
artsinohio.com:
arenastage.org:The Gospel Truth with Marva Hicks

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Marva Hicks to Star in Concert of Pat Holley’s R&B/Pop Musical, Me & Caesar Lee at Triad Theatre, 3/27, 4/3 & 4/10
House of Payne-“Payneful Visit” Episode features Denise Burse as Claretha Jenkins on TBS
André De Shields stars in Chicago Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens 5/14-6/12
Peter Jay Fernandez in Theatre for a New Audience’s Macbeth at The Duke through April 22
Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys and Sidney Poitier Among Honorees at Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Edison Ballroom on May 22
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet,Tracee Chimo opening night of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon
Photos and Video of Kenny Endo Taiko Artist at Skirball in NYC
Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Living Colour NYC Concert Photos
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Denise Burse as Claretha Jenkins in House of Payne’s “Payneful Visit”

Photo by Lia Chang

Denise Burse is most familiar to television audiences as Claretha Jenkins on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, the 2011 NAACP Award recipient for Outstanding Comedy Series. In the current season of House of Payne, Claretha reveals she has leukemia.

Ms. Burse can be seen in Bruce Beresford’s Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding, a new film starring Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Catherine Keener, Chase Crawford and Kyle MacLachlan, scheduled for release this year.

Production still of Charles Randolph Wright's Preaching to the Choir (l-r) Kia (Janine Green), Miss Nettie (Eartha Kitt), Butter (Roger Robinson), Willie (Jonathan Lopez), Sister Marcie (Denise Burse), Sister Emma (Adriane Lenox) Photo by Robert Barocci/Preaching to the Choir

Her favorite film roles include her co-starring turns as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s mother opposite Howard Rollins in The Boy King (WSB); as Buster Marshall, Thurgood Marshall’s wife in Simple Justice (PBS American Experience); as Sister Marcie in Preaching to the Choir, directed by Charles Randolph Wright, as Sergeant Martin in A Time to Triumph (CBS) starring Patty Duke; and as Eleanor Clark in Resting Place (CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame), starring John Lithgow and Morgan Freeman. Other film and TV credits include the BET/STARZ movie Funny Valentines, with Alfre Woodard and Loretta Devine, Angel, Basquiat, The Juror, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, 100 Centre Street, The Sopranos, The Cosby Show, New York Undercover and One Life to Live.

Denise Burse as Harriet Tubman in Harriet's Return. Photo by Lia Chang

Ms. Burse appeared on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Her Off-Broadway credits include Eisa Davis’ Angela’s Mixtape (Ohio Theatre), Don Juan of Seville (Classical Stage Company), Ground People (American Place Theatre), Harriet’s Return (Cherry Lane Theatre), Hannah Davis (Negro Ensemble Company) and Bill Harris’ Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil (New Federal Theatre). Her regional credits include Pearl Cleage’s Flyin’ West with Ruby Dee at The Kennedy Center; Charles Randolph Wright’s Blue (Cincinnati Playhouse, Geva); Miss Evers’ Boys (Illusion Theater); African Company Presents Richard III (Cleveland Playhouse); Fences (CENTERSTAGE); The Piano Lesson (Seattle Repertory Theatre, director Lloyd Richards) and James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner (True Colors Theatre Company/Alliance Theatre). Helmer Kenny Leon has directed her in August Wilson’s Fences (Alliance Theatre), Radio Golf (CENTERSTAGE, Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Repertory Theatre), The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars (Alliance Theatre). Ms. Burse garnered a Theatre World Award for her Off-Broadway debut in Ground People and an AUDELCO Award for Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil.

(l-r) Denise Burse, Navaina Rhodes, Margo Moorer and Chandra Currelley in True Colors Theatre's production of The Amen Corner by James Baldwin at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Photo by Tom Meyer

A native of Atlanta, Ms. Burse honed her craft performing at the Just Us Theatre, The Alliance Theatre and The Atlanta Children’s Theater.

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On October 16, 2005, fourteen days after American playwright August Wilson's death, the theatre was renamed in his honor. (l-r) August Wilson's niece Kimberly Ellis with Radio Golf castmembers Denise Burse, John Earl Jelks and Anthony Chisholm in front of the August Wilson Theatre on October 16, 2005. Photos by Lia Chang

Related articles:
Wikipedia List of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne Episodes
Other Articles by this Author:
Denise Burse, Harriett D. Foy, Lynda Gravatt, Nikiya Mathis, Dennis Parlato, Saycon Sengbloh and Tracie Thoms in Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand in 2012 Powerhouse Theater Season, July 20-22, 2012
Slideshow – On October 16, 2005, The Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre
Peter Jay Fernandez in Theatre for a New Audience’s Macbeth at The Duke through April 22
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: The 52nd Street Project Benefit Photos: Michael Cerveris, James Monroe Inglehart, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matthew Morrison, Greg Naughton and Kelli O’Hara
Michael Cerveris, Matthew Morrison & Kelli O’Hara sing for 52nd Street Project’s Benefit
Multimedia: Zooman and The Sign Opening Night Party
Denise Burse, Rocky Carroll, Anthony Chisholm, John Earl Jelks and James A. Williams in Radio Golf by August Wilson at The Pearlstone Theater in Baltimore
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang, Peter Jay Fernandez, Denise Burse and Marva Hicks after the concert presentation of Pat Holley's Me and Caesar Lee at The Triad Theatre in New York on April 3, 2011.

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Lia Chang: Marva Hicks to Star in Concert of Pat Holley’s R&B/Pop Musical, Me & Caesar Lee at Triad Theatre, March 27, April 3 and 10

Marva Hicks at The Triad Theatre in New York on December 17, 2010. Photo by Lia Chang

Marva Hicks returns to the Triad Theatre in New York, after her spectacular Christmas concert in December, to star as Camille in a concert version of Pat Holley’s all original R&B/Pop Musical, Me & Caesar Lee, on Sunday, March 27th, April 3rd and April 10th at 8pm.

Set in the year 1985, Me & Caesar Lee is the fictitious story of Camille Lambert, a 43-year-old former pop recording star/songwriter who tries to make a comeback by writing songs for a teenage singing group – leaving her life forever changed.

Lee Summers (Original Dreamgirls & 2010 Bistro Award Winner) directs this 80 minute concert which features four principals of the ten member cast. Devale Ellis (former wide receiver for the Detroit Lions) makes his concert debut in the title-role as “Caesar Lee,” Amanda T. Holley (Recently signed with Smack Water Production/Universal Records) sings the role of “Nakima D,” and both Broadway’s Raun Ruffin (Civil War) and Dennis Williams, the 4th Voice (Musical Director) of the R&B Hall of Fame O’Jay’s will appear as “Paul Hudson.” This concert presentation of Me & Caesar Lee is presented by Dan Culleton’s G. Gebony Productions in association with the Triad Theatre.

Marva Hicks Photo by Lia Chang

Award-winning performing artist Marva Hicks has appeared on Broadway as Rafiki in The Lion King, as The Radio in Caroline or Change, and in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. Off-Broadway, she appeared in Caroline, or Change (The Public Theater); Thunder Knocking on the Door (Minetta Lane); and Leslie Lee’s The First Breeze of Summer, directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson (Signature Theatre).

A favorite at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, Ms. Hicks has worked on five productions including Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, starring Broadway legend Maurice Hines, for which she is nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Thunder Knocking on the Door (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress), Crowns and Charles Randolph Wright’s Cuttin’ Up. Other regional credits include her role as Etta Mae in the world premiere of The Women of Brewster Place at The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta’s Suzi Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical); as Bess in a Jazz and Blues adaptation of Porgy and Bess (B. Iden Payne Award) at the Zachary Scott Theater Center in Austin, Texas; It’s Better With a Band (Prince Music Theater); Elliot Ness in Cleveland(Cleveland Playhouse), Twist (Walnut Street Theatre) and the US Tour of A…My Name Is Alice. Her film and TV credits include Assunder, starring Blair Underwood, Virtuosity, starring Denzel Washington, as Jacarra Principle on the ABC Daytime Soap Opera One Life to Live, L.A. LAW, Star Trek: Voyager and Mad About You.

As a gospel singer, Ms. Hicks is a featured vocalist on the Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir’s Christmas CD, GREAT JOY. She scored her first record deal while still a student at Howard University, where she earned her BFA, cum laude. Her second record deal with Polygram Records, yielded the Top 10 R&B single, NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE. She has worked extensively with Lena Horne, Whitney Houston, James Ingram, and traveled the world with Stevie Wonder as a backing vocalist and Michael Jackson for HisTORY tour. She has been commissioned by Arena Stage to create and star in a solo musical piece about her journey in show business as a woman of faith.

Tickets are $25 + 2 drink minimum
Click here to purchase in advance. The Triad is cash only.
Triad Theatre
158 West 72nd Street (Between Broadway & Columbus)
www.triadnyc.com
212 580-1201
MAC members are $20 at door.
http://meandcaesarlee.com/
www.marvahicks.com



All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachang@hotmail.com.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
A night out with Gordana Rashovich, Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
André De Shields Set for World Premiere of Charles Smith’s The Gospel According to James at Indiana Rep, 3/22-4/10
Photos:The Working Theater’s Off-Broadway production of HONEY BROWN EYES by Stefanie Zadravec at The Clurman
Lia Chang Photo Slideshows of Productions in the Working Theater’s 25th Anniversary Season
Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden, Alexander Calder, Lia Chang in Art & Healing Exhibit at Snug Harbor on SI
Juicy Buns at Ollie’s
The Dish on Susur Lee and Shang
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.