Casting Set For Taper's "Blues For An Alabama Sky"

 

Director Phylicia Rashad and the cast of
"Blues For An Alabama Sky"
courtesy photo

Casting has been announced for “Blues for an Alabama Sky” directed by Center Theatre Group’s Associate Artist Phylicia Rashad at the Mark Taper Forum April 6 through May 8, 2022. Set in 1930’s Harlem, this revival of Pearl Cleage’s rich and beautiful work opens April 13, 2022.

Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad, who originated the role of Angel in the world premiere of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” more than 25 years ago, returns to direct this timeless piece that was first presented in 1995 by Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. She leads a cast that features Joe Holt, Nija Okoro, Dennis Pearson, Greg Alverez Reid, and Kim Steele.

The creative team includes John Iacovelli (scenic design), Wendell C. Carmichael (costume, wig, and hair design), Elizabeth Harper (lighting design), and Jeff Gardner (sound design), with an original composition by Dontae Winslow. Casting is by Kim Coleman, CSA, and Michelle Blair is the production stage manager.

Angel is a free-spirited Cotton Club singer who's out of luck but never out of dreams. Guy is a costume designer waiting for Josephine Baker to invite him to join her in Paris. Delia, a young activist, is trying to give the women of Harlem a choice about their future. Sam, a prominent physician, is either delivering babies or out at the club letting the good times roll. And Leland, who recently arrived in Harlem from Alabama, is haunted by the wide-open skies and lost love he left behind. The lives and dreams of these men and women converge with passion and politics as the art and celebration of the Harlem Renaissance give way to the harsh realities of the Great Depression.

Tickets for “Blues for an Alabama Sky” are currently on sale at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum and start at $30. They are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012). Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Call for exceptions.