The award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, Harlem's Hue Man Bookstore and the Arts and Entertainment Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) have joined forces to bring a unique promotion to Broadway audiences.
Following the 2pm matinee performance of Fela! this Saturday, December 4, best-selling author Terry McMillan (Disappearing Acts, Mama, Waiting to Exhale) will join the cast for a discussion about the importance of telling stories from the Africa Diaspora. Special emphasis will be placed on how stories of black communities are told and who tells them. Additionally, they will talk about how and why the arts are used as vital agents of social, cultural and political change. Independent producer, personality and writer Patrick L. Riley who also serves as NABJ A & E Task Force Co-Chair, will moderate the talk back. Immediately following the discussion, Ms. McMillan will sign copies of her latest book, Getting to Happy, the sequel to her blockbuster novel Waiting to Exhale. The book signing will take place at Serafina Restaurant in The Time Hotel, 224 W. 49th Street.
The cost for this very special books and Broadway event is $85 with promotional code FEHAP1111. The price includes orchestra seating for the matinee of Fela! on December 4! and a signed copy of McMillan's Getting to Happy. Tickets can be purchased online at www.broadwayoffers.com, by calling Telecharge at 212.947.8844, or at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Box Office, 230 W. 49th Street.
Fela!, the true story of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti whose soulful Afrobeat rhythms ignited a generation, is a triumphant tale of courage, passion and love, featuring Kuti's captivating music and the visionary direction and choreography of Tony Award-winner Bill T. Jones. Inspired by his mother, a civil rights champion, Kuti defied a corrupt and oppressive military government and devoted his life and music to the struggle for freedom and human dignity.
From Mama to Disappearing Acts to Waiting to Exhale and its sequel Getting to Happy, Terry McMillian has forever altered the way the world sees the lives of African-American women and how they see themselves. She enables readers to enter black communities that are vital, vibrant and filled with multifaceted complex people with a wide range of experiences. She is a supreme storyteller who takes what is culturally specific and makes it universal. To find the universal in the specific is no easy task. And because Ms. McMillian can do that, she has set the literary and film worlds on fire, proving beyond a doubt that there is an authentic thirst and huge market for well-told stories about women of color.
NABJ A & E Co-Chair Patrick L. Riley has been an more than a decade, Patrick's clients include HARPO PRODUCTIONS, NBC, BET, AT&T, ESPN, HURRICANE PRODUCTIONS, I-STYLE TV.COM, CROSSWALKS TV, LEVI'S, REMY MARTIN, ‘ESSENCE', COMCAST, and HBO. In front of the camera and behind-the-scenes, the multi-media journalist --- with a concentration on entertainment and pop culture --- has had the opportunity to interview and produce stories on a number of high-profile celebrities and newsmakers --- including Diana Ross; PRESIDENTS Bill Clinton AND Barack Obama; BEYONCE; Mary Tyler Moore; Quincy Jones; Tyler Perry; Jennifer Hudson; etc. His BLOG 'A DAY IN THE LIFE OF RILEY: POP CULTURE & POSSIBILITIES' (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/) gives a front-row seat into Patrick's life and his musings and observations within his world. He is currently writing his first book, a collection of narratives called 'BIG WILLIES & AMAZING GRACES: Gay men and their best girlfriends.
Founded in August 2002, Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe (2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd) is a privately held company, specializing in niche market book sales and café delights. Since opening its doors, the bookstore quickly established itself as a cornerstone in the revival of Harlem. Hue-Man is one of the largest and best known African-American bookstores in the country, and enjoys the reputation of a top-flight organization nationwide.
