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Fulfillment to Close on October 19

Published

10 years ago

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It’s always a sad occasion when a play ends its theatre run. But it’s especially bittersweet when it’s a production whose provocative and stimulating scenes warrant employing the talents of a sex choreographer. Such is the case with Thomas Bradshaw’s Fulfillment, which will be closing at the Flea Theatre on October 19.

The highly controversial play about an up-and-coming Black lawyer confronting the obstacles of alcoholism and potential racism, while learning to handle his sexually adventurous girlfriend, stars Gbenga Akinnagbe in the title role of “Michael.” Michael has a new girlfriend a new, expensive apartment and a seemingly perfect life. However, there are demons in his life that he must overcome in order to truly be “fulfilled.”

Akinnagbe, known for his role as the hitman “Chris Partlow” from HBO’s acclaimed series “The Wire”  has also appeared on stage in the 2013 revival of N. Richard Nash’s classic romantic comedy, The Rainmaker. For his role in Fulfillment, Akinnagbe received raves for his “sensitive, multilayered performance.”

The production also features Otoja Abit, Jeff Biehl, Christian Conn, Denny Dillon, Susannah Flood, and Peter McCabe.

Bradshaw’s plays, including Intimacy and Burning, are notorious for their frequent and graphic occurrences of actors performing simulated sex acts and plots involving rape, incest and sexual slavery, as well as racially-based humor. The same can be found in Fulfillment as the play includes graphic intercourse, erotic spanking, and choking; so much so that it required the aforementioned sex choreographer, Yehuda Duenyas.

Fulfillment opened on September 11 to mixed reviews. The New York Times’ Ben Brantley called it “engaging and unsettling.“ Samuel Leiter of The Broadway Blog praised Ethan McSweeny’s direction but said it “isn’t enough to overcome the characters’ inconsistencies, the episodic plot’s implausibilities, and the sense that its scenes of sex and violence are there merely because that’s what one expects in a Bradshaw play.”

Although Fulfillment is leaving New York, it’s scheduled to open in Chicago at the American Theatre Company to kick off Season 31: The Legacy Season. The play will run November 6-December 13, 2015 under McSweeny’s direction. For tickets and more information, visit here.

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Cast List

Jessica Frances Dukes to Lead the Cast of By The Way, Meet Vera Stark

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6 years ago

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January 18, 2019

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Jessica Frances Dukes Photo via Signature Theatre

Acting powerhouse Jessica Frances Dukes, who recently slayed Alisha Harris’ Is God Is Off-Broadway, has been tapped as the title role of Lynn Nottage‘s By The Way, Meet Vera Stark at The Signature Theatre. Directed by Kamilah Forbes the revival production runs January 29, 2019, through March 3 with a February 19 opening night.

You may remember the Off-Broadway premiere of this show at Second Stage Theater in 2011 as it starred Sanaa Lathan.

It’s the Golden Age of Hollywood, and aspiring starlet Vera Stark works as a maid to Gloria Mitchell, an aging star grasping at her fading career. Worlds collide when Vera lands a trailblazing role in an antebellum epic starring…her boss. While Vera’s portrayal of a slave turns out to be groundbreaking, decades later scholars and film buffs still grapple with the actress’ legacy in Hollywood and the impact that race had on her controversial career. Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s fast-paced, sly satire, directed by Kamilah Forbes, will take you on a seventy-year journey through Vera’s life and the cultural climate that originally shaped her and continues today.

The cast also features Jenni Barber as Gloria, Manoel Felciano as Max/Peter, Warner Miller as Leroy/Herb, Carra Patterson as Anna Mae/Afua, Heather Alicia Simms as Lottie/Carmen, and David Turner as Brad/Slavick.

The creative team includes of Clint Ramos (scenic design), Dede M. Ayite (costume design), Matt Frey (lighting design), Mikaal Sulaiman (sound design), Katherine Freer (projection design) and Daniel Kluger (composition).

 

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Events and Happenings

Billy Porter Will Star In His New Play Remember To Live At Primary Stages

Published

6 years ago

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January 16, 2019

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Billy Porter Pose(FX) promo photo

The Off-Broadway theatre company, Primary Stages, announced their 35th Anniversary season. Launching the lineup includes a new play by Tony Award-winning & Golden Globe-nominated actor Billy Porter entitled Remember To Live. That’s correct; The Pose(FX) star is a playwright. Beginning performances October 29th, Porter will also be starring in the piece.

Billy Porter draped at the Golden Globes Photo via @theebillyporter IG

Back in 2014 Porter’s While I Yet Live debuted at Primary Stages under the direction of Sheryl Kaller, who will also direct this future production set to premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre.

Remember to Live is told from the perspective of an African-American gay filmmaker. The play centers on the stories of five gay men who all lived through the AIDS crisis and are now grappling with sex, intimacy, redemption, and love all with the indifference the current political climate.

Performances run October 29 through December 22. Additional casting to be announced at a later date.

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