A Week of Amazing Performances

In case you missed it on Sunday, Ms. Fantasia Barrino tore up "I'm Here" from the Color Purple. It amazes me when I watch award shows that are so boring with no people of color on it and the most outstanding performance comes from a person of color. What did Fantasia get for singing her heart out? No standing ovation. Not even from the Black people or should I say they didn't show any. Wow. Well I will tell you what...she sold some tickets I bet you. Congratulations Fantasia on a stellar moment.


Congratulations to actor Robert Jason Jackson who opened last night in the Shakespeare Theatre in downtown DC last night.
He played Polonius in Hamlet directed by the legendary Michael Kahn. This multi-cultural cast exploded with energy that didn't stop until the final curtain three hours after the show began. The reviews are starting to come in and so far they are great.

Washington DC's Shakespeare Theatre like the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta continue to put out amazing productions with multi-racial casts and they seem to work. I wonder when Broadway will wake up to the fact that Broadway need not be the Great White Way any longer.

The Color Purple Blooms with Fantasia

Last night Ms. Fantasia hit Broadway with a bang. It is wonderful that so many young people are now going to Broadway to experience the magic of live musical theater. Thanks to the success of Usher in Chicago now many popular young African American pop stars are playing to packed audiences of their peers. That is an amazing accomplishment since the average price of a decent seat at a Broadway production is upwards of $100.00 per seat. This afternoon's performance of The Color Purple was full and 80% were African American. My sources report that Fantasia gave and excellent performance for a virgin of theater. She continues to build her carreer in the entertainment industry through her books, movies and records.

I was introduced to Broadway when I was just 6 years old. My family brought me to NYC from Philly and I remember staying at the legendary Hotel Astor. We went to see "Golden Boy" starring Sammy Davis Jr. I remember it like yesterday. That same year I saw the Supremes and the Temptations at the Latin Casino. Those were the days. We returned again and again to Broadway for Hello Dolly with Pearl Bailey, Melba Moore in Purlie, Dreamgirls, Stephanie Mills in the Wiz and many more shows. It was the love of the magic and production in theater that opened the creative side of my life. It is so good to see stars that can bring the light for theater to a much younger generation. Let 's see if we can get more Black Musicals on Broadway and even on Radio AOL.

Fantasia in the great tradition of Broadway. Break a Leg! Get your tickets fast. Click here.