Last night, January 8th, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney made his Broadway debut and his play Choir Boy officially opened on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

You know Broadway Black had to show up and capture the essence of the amazing night. You can check out all the photos of the night, from the theatre to the after party; it was an event to cherish. All photos by Drew Shade.

The cast features Nicholas L. Ashe (Junior Blake), Daniel Bellomy(Ensemble), Jonathan Burke (Ensemble), Gerald Caesar (Ensemble), John Clay III(Anthony Justin “AJ” James), Chuck Cooper (Headmaster Marrow), Caleb Eberhardt(David Heard), Marcus Gladney (Ensemble), J. Quinton Johnson(Bobby Marrow), Austin Pendleton (Mr. Pendleton) and Jeremy Pope (Pharus Jonathan Young).

Choir Boy’s creative team includes David Zinn (scenic & costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Fitz Patton (sound design), Cookie Jordan (make-up design), Jason Michael Webb (music direction & vocal arrangements), Thomas Schall (fight director) and Camille A. Brown (movement)

For half a century, the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?

Kirsten Childs‘ The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin is set to take the stage tonight. New York City Center summer concert series, Encores! Off-Center, unites theatre’s finest with lesser known musicals each summer. The shows are known to make Broadway transfers and often times garner quite a few Tonys when they do.

Child’s premiered The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin off-Broadway in 2000. LaChanze originated the show’s lead Viveca, a bright eyed girl we follow from a childhood in 1960s LA to life as a professional dancer in 1990s NYC. Childs wrote the book, lyrics, and music for the show, filling the musical with simplicity and charm in response to its difficult subject of race.

Tony Award winner Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) will take on the leading role for this Encores! production opening tonight (July 26th) and finishing its quick stint July 27th. Catch it while you can.

Also included in the Bubbly Black Girl cast: Penelope Armstead-Williams, Tanya Birl, Kaitlyn Davidson, Josh Davis as Director Bob, Yurel Echezarreta as Modern Teacher, Lauren E.J. Hamilton, Korey Jackson as Gregory, Kingsley Leggs as Daddy, Jo’Nathan Michael, Kenita R. Miller, Julius Thomas III as Ballet Teacher, Shelley Thomas as Mommy, and Alex Wong as Jazz Teacher. Choreography by Byron Easley and music direction by Annastasia Victory.

You can scope out calendar information and available tickets HERE.

Follow @NYCityCenter on Instagram for all the latest on their summer happenings!

“Hello, everybody! My name is Viveca Stanton, but you can call me Bubbly! Have a nice day!” Happy Opening, #BubblyBlackGirlNYCC 🎉

A post shared by New York City Center (@nycitycenter) on Jul 26, 2017 at 9:17am PDT