Lackawanna Blues

Last updated

Lackawanna Blues is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson that premiered in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s.

Contents

Play

The play debuted off Broadway April 14, 2001, at the Joseph Papp Theater in New York City. [1] [2] It was directed by Loretta Greco, produced by George C. Wolfe, and the executive producer was Fran Reiter. Rosemarie Tichler was the artistic producer. [1] [2]

The play is a montage of reminiscences, memories, testimonials and roman a clefs of "Miss Rachel," or Nanny, as the young Ruben Santiago, Jr. calls her. Largely abandoned by his parents, Ruben finds that Nanny becomes his surrogate family. Various incidents in Ruben's and Nanny's life are portrayed, with a large cast of quirky minor characters—friends, boarders, family members, visitors, relatives, and so on—providing commentary on Nanny's strength of character, intelligence, and morality. [1]

The play included several songs, either sung by the characters in the play or as ambient music heard via a radio or through a window. The late Bill Sims Jr. provided the original music, as well as performing on-stage acoustic guitar for the play. [1] [2]

Lackawanna Blues is intended to be a one-man show. The actor narrating the play (an adult Ruben) was intended to portray more than 20 other characters, as well as the starring role of the young Ruben. [1]

The play was very well received. The New York Times called it a "tour de force." [3] Playwright Ruben Santiago-Hudson won an OBIE special citation for Lackawanna Blues, while Bill Sims, Jr. won an OBIE for his music. [4]

Lackawanna Blues began previews on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on September 14, 2021 and originally was set to open on September 28. [5] However, on September 24, two previews were cancelled because Santiago-Hudson suffered from a back injury. The play's opening was delayed two days later to September 30. [6] To give Santiago-Hudson time to recuperate, the show was then set to open on October 7; [7] after further performance cancellations, performances resumed on October 12. [8]

Film version

A television film adaptation aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who had commissioned the stage version. [9] For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson won a Best Actress Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Emmy Award in 2006.

Related Research Articles

S. Epatha Merkerson American actress (born 1952)

S. Epatha Merkerson ,, is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, four NAACP Image Awards, two Obie Awards and two Tony Award nominations. She is best known for her award-winning portrayal of Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order, a role she played from 1993 to 2010, appearing in 388 episodes of the series. She is also known for playing Reba the Mail Lady on Pee-wee's Playhouse and Sharon Goodwin in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med since the series premiered in November 2015

<i>Plaza Suite</i> Play written by Neil Simon

Plaza Suite is a comedy play by Neil Simon.

Adina Elizabeth Porter is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Lettie Mae Thornton on the HBO fantasy horror series True Blood (2008–2014), Kendra James on the HBO drama series The Newsroom (2012–2014), and Indra on the CW science fiction drama series The 100 (2014–2020). She received further recognition for her roles as Sally Freeman, Lee Harris, Beverly Hope, Dinah Stevens, and Chief Burleson on the first, sixth, seventh, eighth, and tenth seasons of the FX anthology series American Horror Story (2011-present).

Ruben Santiago-Hudson American actor and screenwriter

Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor, playwright, and director who has won national awards for his work in all three categories. He is best known for his role of Captain Roy Montgomery from 2009 to 2011 on ABC's Castle. In November 2011 he appeared on Broadway in Lydia R. Diamond's play Stick Fly. In 2013 he starred in the TV series Low Winter Sun, a police drama set in Detroit.

<i>Burn This</i> Play written by Lanford Wilson

Burn This is a play by Lanford Wilson. Like much of Wilson's work, the play includes themes of gay identity and relationships.

Lin-Manuel Miranda American actor, musician and playwright

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals In the Heights (2005) and Hamilton (2015), and the soundtrack of Disney's Encanto (2021). His accolades include three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a MacArthur Fellowship Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a Pulitzer Prize.

Linda Emond American actress

Linda Marie Emond is an American stage, film and television actress. Emond has received three Tony Award nominations for her performances in Life (x) 3 (2003), Death of a Salesman (2012), and Cabaret (2014).

The Waverly Gallery is a play by Kenneth Lonergan. It is considered a "memory play". The show, first produced Off-Broadway in 2000, follows a grandson watching his grandmother slowly die from Alzheimer's disease. The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001.

Stephen Karam is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays Sons of the Prophet, a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and The Humans were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, respectively. The Humans won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, and Karam wrote and directed a film adaptation of the play, released in 2021.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins American playwright (born 1984)

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is an American playwright. He won the 2014 Obie Award for Best New American Play for his plays Appropriate and An Octoroon. His plays Gloria and Everybody were finalists for the 2016 and 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama respectively. He was named a MacArthur Fellow for 2016.

Phillipa Soo American actress

Phillipa Anne Soo is an American actress. Soo is best known for originating the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton, a performance which earned her a nomination for a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. She also originated the role of Natasha Rostova in the off-Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 in 2012 and the title role in the Broadway production of Amélie in 2017.

<i>Dear Evan Hansen</i> 2015 American musical

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows "Evan Hansen, who invents an important role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn."

Dominique Morisseau is an American playwright and actress from Detroit, Michigan. She has authored over nine plays, three of which are part of a cycle titled The Detroit Projects. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship for 2018.

<i>Moulin Rouge!</i> (musical) 2018 musical based on the 2001 film

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a jukebox musical with a book by John Logan. The musical is based on the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.

Katrina Lenk American actress

Katrina Lenk is an American actress, singer, musician, and songwriter. She is known for originating the role of Dina in the Broadway musical The Band's Visit, for which she won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her additional stage credits include roles in the Broadway productions of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Once, and Indecent, as well as roles in regional theater productions.

<i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> (2018 play)

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 2018 play based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, adapted for the stage by Aaron Sorkin. It opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on December 13, 2018. The play is set to transfer to London's West End at the Gielgud Theatre in March 2022. The show follows the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in 1930s Alabama, as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape. Varying from the book, the play has Atticus as the protagonist, not his daughter Scout, allowing his character to change throughout the show. During development the show was involved in two legal disputes, the first with the Lee estate over the faithfulness of the play to the original book, and the second was due to exclusivity to the rights with productions using the script by Christopher Sergel. During opening week, the production garnered more than $1.5 million in box office sales and reviews by publications such as the New York Times, LA Times and AMNY were positive but not without criticism.

<i>MJ the Musical</i> Jukebox musical

MJ the Musical, also referred to as simply MJ, is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Michael Jackson with a book by Lynn Nottage.

<i>Mrs. Doubtfire</i> (musical) American stage musical

Mrs. Doubtfire is a musical with music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name.

74th Tony Awards Planned awards ceremony

The 74th Annual Tony Awards were held on September 26, 2021, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2019–20 season. After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the ceremony was held at the Winter Garden Theatre and was broadcast in two separate parts on CBS and Paramount+. Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr. served as hosts.

<i>Lackawanna Blues</i> (film)

Lackawanna Blues is a drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. It aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. It is based on the play of the same name by Santiago-Hudson. Wolfe had commissioned the stage version.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Weber, Bruce. "Thanks, Miss Rachel, Thanks for Raising Me", New York Times. April 17, 2001.
  2. 1 2 3 "Santiago-Hudson's Got the Lackawanna Blues at the Public, April 14." Playbill. April 14, 2001.
  3. ↑ McKinley, Jesse. "Little Things That Count." New York Times. December 28, 2001.
  4. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Lackawanna Blues Sings Its Last at Public Theater, May 27." Playbill. May 27, 2001.
  5. ↑ Evans, Greg (2021-05-17). "Ruben Santiago-Hudson's 'Lackawanna Blues' Sets September Broadway Opening". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Evans, Greg (September 24, 2021). "Broadway's 'Lackawanna Blues' Cancels Weekend Previews, Delays Opening Due To Star Ruben Santiago-Hudson Back Injury". Deadline. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  7. ↑ Cristi, A.A. (September 27, 2021). "LACKAWANNA BLUES Delays Opening Night as Ruben Santiago-Hudson Recovers from Back Injury". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ Evans, Greg (2021-10-08). "'Lackawanna Blues' Cancels Weekend's Performances Due To Ruben Santiago-Hudson Back Injury – Update". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-10-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Lee, Felicia R. (2005-02-06), "Lost and Found In Lackawanna", New York Times
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.