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Nene Leakes Is Living Her Dreams During Her Run In Chicago

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Move over, ladies; there’s a new Mama in town! As previously announced, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes began her run as Matron “Mama” Morton in the hit Broadway musical Chicago November 23rd. Following behind the incomparable Natasha Yvette Williams (who is a member of the ensemble for The Wiz Live! and serves as the understudy for Queen Latifah‘s The Wiz), Leakes has some shoes to fill and some high notes to hit.

This isn’t the first time NeNe Leakes has appeared on the Broadway stage. Last year, Leakes made her Broadway debut in Cinderella alongside Keke Palmer, the first Black actress in the title role. The role of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton is usually meant for a supreme belter, although Wendy Williams has also played the character. I have no doubt Leakes has the acting chops to be the authoritative, bossy persona Morton needs to be believable on stage.

I did it👏🏽👏🏽 #chicago #Neneismamamorton #nyc #gettingbacktome #debut

A photo posted by NeNe Leakes (@neneleakes) on

I must admit that when I first heard the news, I let out a sigh. I’m all for a woman making BOSS moves to advance her career. However, as a person who has spent her entire life immersed in theatre, I always feel a sort of bias. People go to school for years, go through years of training in acting, dance, and singing to dream of the moment they can step foot on a Broadway stage. Yet more and more, the theatre is becoming commercialized, focusing more on big names than actual talent.

This is not to take anything away from Leakes, who I’m sure is putting in the work it takes. I just am having trouble with this trend of caring more about star quality than actual talent. After all, isn’t New York the city of dreams? Why not give someone else a chance? Maybe after Leakes’ run we’ll be treated to an unknown in the role. In the meantime, I’m excited to see what NeNe has to bring to the table.

For 4 weeks only, from Nov 23rd – Dec 20th, make your way over to the Ambassador Theatre to catch the woman who is “very rich” in action. Tickets are available HERE.

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Award Nominations

Cynthia Erivo Nominated for BAFTA’s Rising Star Award

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Cynthia Erivo at Opening Night of the Color Purple. Photo by Drew Shade

Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning actress, Cynthia Erivo, known for her transformative performance as Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple is now one of five actors nominated for the British Academy of Film’s 2019 Rising Star Awards.

Most recently seen alongside Viola Davis in Steve McQueen’s Widows, Erivo says:

“I’m ever grateful to BAFTA and the jury panel for nominating me for the 2019 EE Rising Star Award. It means the world to me to be acknowledged by the community that, for most of my life, I’ve known as home. Thank you for this incredible honour.” – Cynthia Erivo

The BAFTA Awards will take place on February 10th.

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Get Your War Clothes On: Billy Porter Energizes in GLAAD Acceptance Speech

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billy porter

So, I have a question.

In the same line of thought as “innocent until proven guilty,” do we grant the assumption of positive intent in our expectations of our brothers and sister in regards to woke-ness, à la woke until proven problematic?

Now don’t get me wrong, there was no doubt in my heart that Tony and Grammy Award-winner, Billy Porter, was woke. Nope, none. What I wasn’t ready for, was the way he fixed his fingers to pen one of the greatest acceptance speeches of my lifetime, and how he turned the Gospel classic “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired” into a battle song.

The 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards honored Billy Porter with the Vito Russo Award, presented to an openly LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance.

He started by affirming the room full of members of marginalized communities, with my personal daily mantra: “You are enough. we are enough.”

Since the beginning of time artists are the folks who engage critically and encourage those who think they are powerless to question the status quo.

Brothers and sisters across the room leaned in.

The days of shut up and sing are over.

Alliteration informed and illustrated as Porter preached on remaining “vigilantly visual” as we tell our stories. Acknowledging the reality of our times, he spoke on Number 45:

Where they slipped up this time is in that declaration of war. It’s not only against Black and Brown people and Queer people anymore, it’s against ALL of us. And as a result, the good news is: white folk, and straight folk, and all those fierce women folk, are mad now. And NOW maybe something might get done!

Get. Your. War. Clothes. On.

From slavery to emancipation, to the 13th Amendment, to Jim Crow, to the Civil Rights Movement. From Stonewall to AIDS, to marriage equality— we gotta remember the shoulders who we stand on—the ones who fought and died for those freedoms that we hold so dear. Let’s use these historical strides we’ve made as a nation to empower us as warriors on this battlefield of equality.

Amen.

Until we can figure out how to love one another unconditionally, no one wins. Freedom. Equality. Justice. Have always come at a cost and evidently the always will.

If that’s not the truth.

Stay strong. Stay vigilante. Stay visible. Stay hopeful. Stay focused. Be brave. Be fierce.

Resist.

RESIST.

RESIST.

RESIST.

For a full list of this year’s winners, honorees, and guests, visit GLAAD.

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Twitter: @BroadwayBlack

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