He’s challenged when a newcomer to the gentrifying neighborhood drops in-Happiness, an out gay man not immediately taken to the bosoms of the other five regulars present. Joe sees it as his duty to assure that no one is dissed in the long-surviving business over which he presides. He’s the proprietor of Joe’s Barber Shop, a Brooklyn establishment and hang-out started by the now deceased Joe. (N.B.: The following might register as spoilers for ticket buyers.) The two I got were easy, certainly Wisdom, who dominates the longest sketch. I rightly sussed out Happiness and Wisdom. That’s as the group interacts through a series of sketches and monologs. And more of the fun-although fun only covers part of his purpose-is to prompt patrons into a game of matching each man with his dominating emotion. What’s clear is that he wants each of the men to stand in for the range of emotions his characters feel. The men sharing their thoughts are: Love (Dyllón Burnside), Happiness (Bryan Terrell Clark), Wisdom (Esau Pritchett), Lust (Da’Vinci), Passion (Luke James), Depression (Forrest McLendon), and, last but hardly least, Anger (Tristan Mack Wilds).ĭoes Scott intend the septet to represent his spin on the seven deadly sins? No saying for sure, but maybe that’s part of the fun he’s having. They’re identified in the Playbill by their most prominent emotions, another notable Scott notion eventually acknowledged before the lights fade. These men-six in a line, one on a low runway behind the others-have no common names. (Sven Ortel is the projections designer.) The point is that Scott is using “colored” to resonate with woke patrons at a time of widespread gentrification. Nevertheless, as the audience enters, the provocative word is seen projected on an upstage screen. Note that “colored” is a word not usually considered politically correct nowadays. Something more like Thoughts of Colored Men would be closer to heralding the play’s immense power. Perhaps the second comment-not meant as a criticism-is that Scott’s title is misleading. Perhaps the first praiseworthy statement to make about Keenan Scott II’s Thoughts of a Colored Man is that in the nearly two hours it unfolds not a single word spoken fails to carry the ring of absolute truth. It is produced by Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana DiMenna, Samira Wiley, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.Ĭasting, dates and ticket information for Thoughts of a Colored Man will be announced in the coming weeks.Forrest McClendon (center) in Thoughts of a Colored Man. Simmons, lighting design by Ryan O’Gara, projection design by Sven Ortel, and sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman. The creative team for Thoughts of a Colored Man includes music by Te’La and Brother Kamau, set design by Robert Brill, costume design by Toni-Leslie James and Devario D. Broadnax most recently directed Katori Hall’s The Hot Wing King at Signature Theatre. Scott’s The Migration LP is currently in development at New York Stage & Film. More than ever, it is vital for Broadway and theaters across America to make room for the next generation of theater makers: to celebrate their communities, to feel their heartache, and to hear the stories they are ready to tell." "Steve’s direction brings unbridled tenderness to the experience of the contemporary Black male with a full range of humanity. From our very first reading in 2017, his voice was raw, pure, and honest for our world today," producer Brian Moreland said in a statement. “Keenan’s play has been one of my favorite journeys. Thoughts of a Colored Man had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage in fall of 2019, and went on to play at Baltimore Center Stage later that year. This will mark the Broadway debut of both Scott and Broadnax.Ī powerful theatrical testament by Scott, Thoughts of a Color Man weaves spoken word, slam poetry, and rhythm into a mosaic of the inner lives of Black men and heralds the arrival of an essential new voice to the American theater. Broadnax III, the work will run on Broadway at a Shubert theater to be announced. Keenan Scott II's new play Thoughts of a Colored Man will open on Broadway this upcoming season.
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