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Courtney B. Vance Stirs Up Emotions & Conversation With Scandal

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If you weren’t by your television last night for >>>this week’s episode of Scandal<<< then you still have some tears that you don’t know need to be shed. Tony Award winning actor Courtney B. Vance took us on a ride last night with his portrayal of a father whose son was shot and killed by a police officer. Sound familiar?

Creator of Scadal, Shonda Rhimes, took a very interesting stance with this episode and it was felt deeply and immensely by all that were watching. Many could not believe that what we were watching simply because it hit the nail on the head. Every word, every move, every action took us through our own turmoil. The trumoil and disgust and anger and sadness that we’ve had to feel time and time again with the cold blooded killings of black bodies and the lack of care for their lives before and after their deaths.

One of the most chilling moments was when Vance took a lawn chair and sat down over his dead son’s body. It was Joe Morton, Papa Pope from Scandal, who described that moment perfectly.

Vance gave a powerful performance that sat in the spirits of us all long after the episode aired. We know we have to watch it again but we just need a moment to recoup. It truly cuts that deep.

But Vance knew what was to come and so he prepared. Below you’ll find a video where he talks about his involvement in the episode, how it reflects today’s society, and how it helps continue a discussion that we hope will continue to change lives. You can also watch the entire episode below.

BRAVO, MR. VANCE!!!!

 

Founder/Editor-In-Chief of BroadwayBlack.com | Actor | Artist | 1/3 of @OffBookPodcast | Theatre connoisseur | All Audra Everything | Caroline over Change | I'm Not Charl Brown | Norm Lewis is my play cousin | Producing an all-black production of Mame starring Jenifer Lewis in my head

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Just Wow!

Broadway said “What Blackout?!” and Took Their Talents Outside

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The power went clean out in most of Manhattan on Saturday night. The Broadway League released a statement saying most of the shows were canceled and that the power should be restored before the following Sunday matinee. That did end up happening but right after the blackout happened casts of Broadway shows took to the streets to offer up their voices in song to the delight of the many people in the streets who were evacuated from the Broadway houses and neighboring establishments.

Take a look at what shows popped off in the streets of midtown Manhattan!

    1. Of course, Tony Award Winner André De Shields snaps off with the cast of Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theatre

2. The cast of Aint Too Proud singing Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” to someone in the crowd from their dressing room windows at the Imperial Theatre. The tweet with the video it’s the cast of Hamilton but twitter did its thing and they quickly corrected them. It was an honest mistake, Hamilton is right next door.)

3. The cast of Come From Away:

4. The cast of Waitress:

5. The cast of Frozen:

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Just Wow!

West Side Story’s Cool Reimagined by Los York Studios And It’s Pretty… Cool!

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Photo: Youtube

As described in their mission statement, Los York is “an integrated production company that executes live action, design, and experimental projects.” An older project of the company resurfaced recently, a reimagined rendition of West Side Story‘s “Cool” scene, is now circulating throughout the internet. The Emmy Award winner and director of the video, Seth Epstein has brilliantly captured the story of rivalry within two different ethnic groups, but this time with more melanin!

The video also features music by Jimek (Run the World Dave Aude Club Remix), and choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid (SYTYCD).

The electrifying footwork, where pirouettes are replaced with pop locking and break dancing in the place of battements, provides hope for bridging racial gaps and relieving tensions. This style is more interpretive, with urban based movements that add an extra layer to some of the barriers printed in the original 1957 production.One thing that I appreciate about the classic musical West Side Story is its transcendent nature and ability to comfortably conform to whatever generation of interest.

Above all else, West Side Story is a love story, a modernized interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The timelessness in the modernized story–tension between two lovers of opposite gangs–reveals past and present issues found in American society however old and reoccurring they may be. The Los York video demonstrates that flexibility and once again creates an even bigger space for a fabulous classic.

Watch for yourself!

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Twitter: @BroadwayBlack

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