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Carly Hughes Makes Solo 54 Below Debut & Chicago Musical Return

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It will be all that “jazz, pop and everything in between” when Broadway’s Carly Hughes makes her solo debut with Carly Live at 54 Below! on August 7. The event will feature musical direction by Sonny Paladino, who served as associate conductor of Pippin, and arrangements by Paladino and Joe Drymala. According to BroadwayBox.com, the concert can be described as “if Dinah Washington and Nancy Wilson Carly 54met up with Jessie J and Amy Winehouse for cocktails.”

Inspirational albums for Hughes’ record player include: Calypso by Harry Belafonte; Broadway My Way by Nancy Wilson; Salt by Lizz Wright; Lioness: Hidden Treasures by Amy Winehouse; and Funky Divas by En Vogue. Hughes is very much in vogue these days and has, well, been giving her audiences something they can feel. For her time at Broadway’s supper club it will be no different, only more intimate.

Fans will have a chance to see the Columbia, Maryland native in this solo performance before she reprises her debut Broadway role as Velma Kelly in the current revival production of the Tony-winning Chicago. She will be the vaudevillian and murderess for 16 performances from Aug. 22-Sep. 4, replacing Amra-Faye Wright during her hiatus. Amy Spanger (Rock of Ages) also returns to Roxie Hart for a two-week engagement from Aug. 4-16, after Grammy Award winner Brandy Norwood took her bow Aug. 2 from the nearly four-month stint.

In its 19th year on Broadway, Chicago – featuring the tunes of John Kander and Fred Ebb – tells the story of dancer Roxie Hart, who murders her lover after he threatens to leave her, and works over the press by hiring a slick criminal lawyer.

Recipient of the prestigious national Princess Grace Award for Acting and Excellence in the Arts, Hughes was most recently The Leading Player in Pippin, arriving to the stage September 2014 as the final replacement (after Ariana DeBose and Ciara Renee) for original cast member Patina Miller before the show’s close in January. Prior to that, she was Lucille/Shirley of the Shirelles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. In January, Hughes was among the voices of BROADWAY SINGS P!NK to showcase new arrangements of her Broadway songs from these two shows. At the 2014 Tony Awards, she performed an unforgettable rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” from Beautiful.

And, yes, we will still love Carly Hughes tomorrow… and the next day, and the day after that, and… forever.

The 14-year acting veteran – whose additional Broadway credits include Ghost, The Book of Mormon, Ragtime, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – isn’t done for the year, though. Her vocal stylings will soon be seen alongside Jason Alexander, Nikki M. James and the late Dennis Farina in the upcoming movie musical Lucky Stiff, adapted for the screen by Tony Award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime).

Tickets for Carly Live at 54 Below! can be purchased at 54below.com.

 

Carly Hughes- “Beam Me Up” at BROADWAY SINGS P!NK

Broadway Sings P!NK www.broadwaysingsconcert.com @BroadwaySings (le) Poisson Rouge January 25, 2015 PRODUCER: Corey Mach MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Joshua Stephen Kartes BAND: Joshua Stephen Kartes (piano) Hiro Honma (guitar) Jim Robertson (bass) Jacob Boulay (drums) Jacob Yates (synth) Geoff Countryman (sax) Jessica McJunkins (violin) Melissa White (violin) Kristine Kruta (cello) BACKGROUND VOCALS: Gabrielle Reid Gisela Adisa Anita Welch VIDEO BY: CHRIS BURCH photography (www.chrisburch.com)

Carly Hughes – “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now”

Carly Hughes (The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee) sings “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now” Perfomed at “At This Performance,” a concert giving Broadway understudies a chance to shine on October 1, 2007. When watching these videos, please keep in mind that the performers are not mic-ed and have had no rehearsal, so often it is them and the pianist winging it.

 

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A Must See

We Were There: Sojourners & Her Portmanteau

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Playwright, educator, opera singer, and Queen, Mfoniso Udofia has two plays running at New York Theatre Workshop. *pause* TWO PLAYS. In the SAME season!?!? *ends congratulatory gasp* Sojourners and Her Portmanteau are performed in repertory, as two chapters of Udofia’s sweeping, nine-part saga, The Ufot Cycle.  Admittedly, before researching each show, I didn’t know the definition of either word; and in the spirit of keeping it consistent with the honesty, I didn’t like either play. I loved them.

Sojourners

Minimalism seems to be the name of the game these days.  I sat down to a completely black stage, sans a multimedia display lodged on the ceiling at a 45-degree angle.  Clutching my all white program and bobbing my head to the ‘70s pop rock pre-show music, I prepared my heart for the story of Sojourners, well at least that was the plan.  The stage begins to rotate and we meet Abasiama (Chinasa Ogbuagu) and Ukpong (Hubert Point-Du Jour), Nigerian expatriates sojourning in Houston, Texas with the plan to start a family, earn their degrees, and go back to Nigeria until life happens.

Charming and handsome, Ukpong becomes defined by his leather jacket, shoulder work and shimmy which match the fascination and yearning for freedom that illuminates his eyes every time he talks of peace, protest, and Prince–all shaping his view of 1970s America, and consequently, the American Dream.  But does leather compensate for grit? Is a movement or vibe really a panacea for disappointment, aimlessness, and a need to find yourself?  Abasiama enters the play pregnant, purposed, and outfitted in pieces of Nigerian garb, grounded in duty showing a stark contrast to Ukpong who floats in desire.  What’s lost in your household is found elsewhere, and this is when we start to see, and root for, Abasiama’s transformation from timid to tenacious.

Enter Moxie (Lakisha May), a colorful prostitute turned protector and friend.  There is a mutual respect despite great differences between her and Abasiama, with their love for one another creating moments that make you believe in the beauty of humanity.  Enter Disciple (Chinaza Uche), another warm and determined hearted immigrant who has come to the United States to study, rounding out the timely additions of love, support, and security when Abasiama needed them the most.

Through and through this is Abasiama’s story and she glows.  Her kindness, her sisterhood, her strength, her worthiness, and the realization of her American Dream, guide her decisions—which is the catalyst behind the entire Ufot Cycle.

Her Portmanteau

Her “portmanteau”, or red suitcase, makes a return as 30 years have passed.  Abasiama now has two daughters, one raised in America and the other who has come from Nigeria to reconnect with her family.

This is a good moment to mention that each story is informed by the other, but can certainly stand alone on substance, content, and the amazing direction of Ed Sylvanus Iskandar.  The staging is exciting and deliberate, while minimal, putting the full focus on the tension and growth to be expected of a family reunited after a substantial amount of time and distance.

Chinasa Ogbuagu returns to the stage, this time as the American-born daughter, Adiagha Ufot, Adepero Oduye as Iniabasi Ekpeyoung (Ukpong and Abasiama’s daughter), and Jenny Jules as the mother, Abasiama Ufot.

Seated on a couch in Adiagha’s small New York Apartment, no amount of preparation readies your mind and spirit to form the words to make up for 30 years of life, connection, and memories missed.  We’re taken on a ride of resentment, hurt, love, and forgiveness, as the portmanteau is literally unpacked.  We watch the teeter-tottering between offense and defense as one sister tries to assimilate into American culture, and the other attempts, albeit stubbornly, to fall in formation in honoring a family she shares blood with, but little time or tangible history.

It’s powerful to see a story of history and continuing a legacy despite lost time, faulty promises, and difficult choices explored with an all-woman cast as far too often the idea of legacy is framed in patriarchy.  Jules admirably takes Abasiama through the fire to heal, to feel, and to fix her family.  The narrative allows us to empathize and understand the struggle that comes with upholding family values versus cultivating a space to achieve personal dreams and happiness.

Her Portmanteau (and Sojourners) is written in a way that finds your soul, gently massaging it with humor, while leaving it with very real questions.  I’ve never felt a greater need to binge read nine stories and simultaneously study the story of my own family tree. I left changed. I left wrapped in the strength of my mom and my mom’s- mom’s sacrifice.  I left pensive and with seeds of future forgiveness planted.  I left changed.

For capturing our hearts with wit and with truth.  For putting Black women at the center of a poignant narrative.  For unapologetically telling a story you haven’t seen told and telling it in the way you want it to be told.

We thank you Mfoniso.  We thank you.

Have you seen the #duetplays? Sound off in the comments below![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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A Must See

Our Story in 2 Plays for 1 Price: Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners & Her Portmanteau

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Last winter, we reported on Sojourners by playwright Mfoniso Udofia, a new play about a Nigerian family who has come to America with the goal of earning a college education, starting a family, and returning to Nigeria. But not without the twists and turns that come along with every plan that seems straightforward.

Image result for Sojourners and Her Portmanteau

Thanks to New York Theatre Workshop, we get to relive this moment and continue the dialogue, decades later, with Her Portmanteau. Performed in repertory, these two chapters of Udofia’s sweeping, nine-part saga, The Ufot Cycle, chronicle the triumphs and losses of the tenacious matriarch of a Nigerian family.

Ed Sylvanus Iskandar directs the two-part story in association with The Playwrights Realm, who premiered Sojourners last winter in a limited engagement world premiere production. Her Portmanteau also received the 2016 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award grant.

The cast includes Jenny JulesLakisha Michelle MayAdepero OduyeChinasa OgbuaguHubert Point-Du Jour, and Chinaza Uche.

As if that wasn’t enough to get excited about, we have an exclusive deal for our Broadway Black readers!

Our Story in 2 Plays for 1 Price!

Yes. That’s two shows for one price! The discount code BWYBLACK will take 50% off tickets to ANY performance(s) if purchased by May 15th! 

Go ahead and grab your tickets. We have ours!

Sojourners and Her Portmanteau plays at NYTW until June 4th.

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Twitter: @BroadwayBlack

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