Broadway Black Cinema
Can We Dream? Poetic Justice: The Musical
I know I’m not the only one who watches a movie and thinks, “This is a great idea for a Broadway production!” If you are a theatre-head like me, those thoughts are constantly going in and out of that creative brain of yours. I just did it last weekend thinking about why Disney’s Hercules has yet to make it to the Great White Way (Hello?! The Muses!!!). So in honor of what could 
be, let me pick your brain and throw an idea to all the readers here at Broadway Black:
Poetic Justice: The Musical based on the 1993 romance/drama film.
Now, you may sit there and think that it’s far-fetched but hear me out. After theatre, I’d consider myself a huge film enthusiast. This past weekend I had the honor to go to the American Black Film Festival and watch a bunch of old and new films created by Black directors, writers, and actors. One of the screenings was a showing of Boyz in The Hood by John Singleton, one of my all time favorite directors. His movies often tell the stories of young Black men and women growing up in impoverished neighborhoods, trying to make it out and create better opportunities for themselves. Poetic Justice, also written by Singleton, is just that. If you really think about it, the groundwork for a theatre production is already there.
Justice –beautician by day, poet by night–is a young Black girl from South Central LA. She was named Justice by her late mother, who gave birth to her while attending law school. After the death of her boyfriend Markell, Justice falls into a deep depression. That’s where her poetry comes in; it is used to express her inner thoughts. Throughout the movie, Justice’s poems are recited by her to other characters or serve as voice-over narrations. This would be perfect for a musical as those poems can be accompanied by music, reworked, and sung by Justice whenever the script calls for it. Did I mention that the poems were written by the late great Maya Angelou?
The heart of the story is the road trip Justice takes across California with her friends, Iesha, Chicago and future love interest Lucky. The situations they find themselves in can lead to musical interludes, and I can see hilarious and heartfelt duets between Justice/Lucky and Iesha/Chicago.
A pivotal moment from the movie that would be amazing to see come to life on stage is when the friends stop at a beach and each of the four characters contemplates their separate situations in internal monologues. In my mind, I can visualize those four characters singing their own solos before coming together in a harmonious quartet. You can see it too, right?
There so many climactic moments in the film — such as the huge fight that leaves Chicago stranded on the side of the road or Lucky’s cousin being murdered causing him to lash out against Justice– that would be great in a musical setting.
Not quite sold? This should do the trick. In my mind, these actors would be perfect for the four leads;
Justice (originally played by Janet Jackson) – Condola Rashad (Trip To Bountiful)
Lucky (originally played by Tupac Shakur)- Saul Williams (Holler If Ya Hear Me)
Iesha (originally played by Regina King) – Saycon Sengbloh (Fela!)
Chicago (Originally played by Joe Torry) – Joshua Henry (The Scottsboro Boys)
Sounds good right? What are your thoughts? Who would you cast? Sound off below!
**This is not in development, it’s merely an idea.
Earlier this year, amidst the news of a future Lion King live-action film, director Jon Favreau announced via his Instagram that James Earl Jones (Fences, The Great White Hope) will be playing Mufasa and Donald Glover will be playing Simba. This weekend, recent intel was released courtesy of The BeyHive Team that claims Beyonce is in talks to play Nala as well as overseer the entire film soundtrack.
If the rumors are true, that’s already three all-stars on board to make this Lion King movie the best we’ve ever seen; possibly Disney’s best live-action remake to date. In regard to the rest of the principal cast, here is whom we’d love to see in the film:
Scar – Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton): Every great villain is an anti-hero in essence and we know for a fact that Leslie Odom Jr. can play a villain or rather, the misunderstood bad-guy. After winning a Tony last year for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Burr in Hamilton, Odom Jr. has released his debut album, welcomed to the world his baby girl Lucy, and is currently writing his first book, “Failing Up: How to Rise Above, Do Better, and Never Stop Learning.” You can also look forward to seeing Odom Jr. in Murder on the Orient Express, in theaters this winter.
Rafiki – Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple): I think we can all agree, Cynthia Erivo could play any and every role in a live-action Lion King film and it would be amazing! But to play Rafiki in particular- the wise old baboon who has the perfect song for every moment-would be a treat for us. Last year Erivo won a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, for her role as Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple. After The Color Purple closed in January she has filmed Widows opposite Viola Davis and Andre Holland. She will also be starring as Harriet Tubman in the Seth Mann biopic, to be released in 2018.
Timon – Todrick Hall
Todrick Hall (Kinky Boots): It’s hard to think of fan-made Disney content without thinking of Hall’s YouTube page with all of his Disney mashups and music video remakes (“Beauty and the Beat” is a personal favorite). He knows his Disney, and to play the hyperactive fast talking meerkat, Timon would be perfect! Hall recently starred as Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway and in June, wrapped up his national tour Straight Outta Oz.
Pumbaa – Tituss Burgess
Tituss Burgess (Jersey Boy, The Little Mermaid): Burgess would redefine Pumbaa’s comedic relief giving us that intuitive warthog with a big heart and high tenor. Just imagine the “Hakuna Matata” remix sung by Hall and Burgess with Beyonce’s oversight. Burgess currently stars as The Andromedon in the Netflix Original Series, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He also recently bought the rights to the 1996 comedy The Preacher’s Wife that starred Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington, and is writing the score and music.
Zazu – Daveed Diggs
Daveed Diggs (Hamilton): It’s a pity Zazu, personal advisor to Mufasa, didn’t rap in the original animated film. But, who better to undertake this in the remake than Diggs? Last year, Diggs won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his dual role as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, and was dubbed the fastest rapper on Broadway rapping 19 words in 3 seconds in Guns and Ships. Since leaving Hamilton, Diggs has a recurring role on Blackish and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He is also starring in the pilot Snowpiercer on TNT while serving as executive producer on The Mayor coming to ABC in the fall.
Michaela Coel, creator, writer, and star of the BAFTA award-winning Netflix original series, “Chewing Gum”, stars in the London-based musical “Been So Long,” a film adaptation based on the 2009 stage musical by Ché Walker and Arthur Darvill.
Coel plays Simone, a young single mother charmed into a magical night in the city by a handsome stranger with a questionable past- played by Arinzé Kene (One Night in Miami). This modern day love story set in London’s “musical hot-bed” of Camden Town promises a soundtrack with a mix of RnB, Nu Soul and UK dance, as well as music from guest producers.
Coel is joined by an all-singing and all-dancing cast that includes George Mackay (“Captain Fantastic“), Ronke Adekoluejo (“Chewing Gum”), Ashley Thomas (“24”), Joe Dempsie (“Game Of Thrones”), Luke Norris (“The Duchess”), Rakie Ayola (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and Mya Lewis (“Olaf’s Quest”). It is Directed by BAFTA award-winner Tinge Krishnan (“Junkhearts”) and produced by the BAFTA-nominated Nadine Marsh-Edwards (“Bhaji on the Beach”) and Amanda Jenks (“The Girl”) of Greenacre Films.
Courtesy of Film Constellation
Filming began earlier this year, shortly after season 2 of “Chewing Gum” was released on Netflix, and while she is making waves as a comedienne, Coel admits she is a stranger to musicals. However, Coel is no stranger to the stage and is quite theatrically and musically inclined having performed her one-woman show Chewing Gum Dreams in various theatres across London (2012-2014) before turning it into the hit series we know and love. She also wrote and recorded six of the tracks from season 1 of “Chewing Gum,” including the theme song.
Still, of singing and dancing on screen Coel shares, “It is a big stretch for me…I’ve never done anything like this in my life. It’s either going to be really amazing or just like, ‘What the f–k was that?’” (Screen Daily).
Either way, we’re rooting for her and can’t wait to see her on the big screen.
“Been So Long” made its rounds at the Cannes Film Festival in May and is set for international release in 2018. “Chewing Gum” season 3 is yet to be confirmed.