| Holler If Ya Hear Me | |
|---|---|
 Broadway Playbill cover | |
| Music | Tupac Shakur |
| Lyrics | Tupac Shakur |
| Book | Todd Kreidler |
| Productions | 2014 Broadway |
Holler If Ya Hear Me is a jukebox musical written by Todd Kreidler featuring the rap music of Tupac Shakur.
| Holler If Ya Hear Me | |
|---|---|
| Broadway Playbill cover | |
| Music | Tupac Shakur |
| Lyrics | Tupac Shakur |
| Book | Todd Kreidler |
| Productions | 2014 Broadway |
Holler If Ya Hear Me is a jukebox musical written by Todd Kreidler featuring the rap music of Tupac Shakur.
The musical had a five-week workshop in the summer of 2013. [1]
The musical began previews on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on June 2, 2014, and officially opened on June 19, 2014. The musical closed on July 20, 2014, after 17 previews and 38 performances. Directed by Kenny Leon, the musical staging and choreography was by Wayne Cilento. [2] [3]
One of the producers, Eric L. Gold, "blamed the show's closing on 'the financial burdens of Broadway'...'I was unable to sustain this production longer in order to give it time to bloom on Broadway.' Gold also told Variety that he made a 'rookie mistake' by underestimating the amount of capital necessary to keep the $8 million show running." The show had mixed reviews. [4]
A cast album of this musical was recorded but never released.
In 2017, Director Kenny Leon launched the first regional production in Atlanta. The script was revisited with a new cast. The production premiered on September 15, 2017.
Sources: PlaybillVault; [2] TheaterMania [3]
Sources: Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company
According to Playbill, the musical is billed: "'Holler If Ya Hear Me', the world inside Tupac Shakur's music and lyrics, blazes to life in a non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope. Inner city lives struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face in this entertaining and original musical. Through the poetry of one of the 20th century's most influential and culturally prominent voices, we are given a window into realities of the streets still relevant today." [1]
Source: Internet Broadway Database [5]
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Marilyn Stasio, in her review in Variety , wrote: "The true believers won't care about such pedestrian matters as the predictable book and clumsy characterizations...The music...is terrific.... But the performers are so overly miked that the lyrics are almost unintelligible....The other major drawback is that the story told in Todd Kreidler's book isn't the story we want to hear. It's not the life of Tupac Shakur.... it's the generic tale of a thug named John...who comes out of prison determined to go straight, only to be drawn back into the violent gang culture of the neighborhood by friends who demand his undying loyalty to the clan philosophy of life-as-war." [6]
David Rooney, writing in Billboard , noted: "Critical response to the show was lukewarm. While many reviewers appreciated the attempt to stretch the jukebox musical format in new directions, going beyond the safe parameters of Baby Boomer hits, most found the story of racism, poverty, crime, violence, community and redemption mired in plot cliches and stock characters....It was apparent from the outset that not only was the show's marketing not working, but also that producers had made a mistake in bypassing the developmental opportunities of an out-of-town tryout and the fine-tuning window of a longer preview period." [7]
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Afeni Shakur Davis was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and also served as the CEO of Amaru Entertainment, Inc., a record and film production company she founded.
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Saul Stacey Williams is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film Slam and the 2013 jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me.
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"'I Ain't Mad at Cha'" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from Shakur's fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me (1996). It was released on September 15, 1996 two days after Shakur's death as the album's fourth and final single. The song features contemporary soul singer Danny Boy providing vocals for the its hook and was written by Shakur, Danny Boy and Daz Dillinger, who produced the song using a sample from DeBarge's "A Dream". The lyrics focus on Shakur reminiscing about past friends, love interests and associates he has lost touch with. The song is widely considered one of Shakur's best with Cheo Hodari Coker calling it "possibly the best song 2Pac has ever recorded". In 1998, The Source ranked the song's three verses second in its category of "dopest verses" in the history of hip-hop.
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Wayne Louis Cilento is an American director and choreographer. He is best known for originating the role of Mike in the Broadway show A Chorus Line, and later becoming one of Broadway's most prolific choreographers.
Kenny Leon is an American director, producer, actor, and author, notable for his work on Broadway, on television, and in regional theater. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Play for A Raisin in the Sun.
"Holler If Ya' Hear Me" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second solo studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993). It was released on February 4, 1993 as the album's lead single. The track, which samples "Do It Any Way You Wanna" People's Choice and Public Enemy's "Rebel Without a Pause", is an anthem of resistance. Frustrations with black poverty, police injustice, and Tupac's perceived persecution from political figure Dan Quayle fuel the majority of the track. The song is autobiographical in nature, referring to various traumas experienced by Tupac himself, and the editor of Vibe was quoted in TIME magazine as stating that the song struck a chord with a large section of disaffected youth.
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