Creators of MIGHTY REAL Return with AN EVENING WITH PHYLLIS HYMAN
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 04, 2016
AN EVENING WITH Phyllis Hyman brings to life the untold story of the life, career and music of the singer/songwriter and actress in her own words. With her sultry vocals, Ms. Arnold channels Hyman, taking the audience on an inspirational evening of joy and pain with no regrets.
Phyllis Hyman, born July 6, 1949, is known to the theater community for her acclaimed Broadway performance in the 1981 musical Sophisticated Ladies, which earned her a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, she recorded numerous Soul /R&B albums, and some of her singles include "You Know How to Love Me", "Living All Alone" and "Don't Wanna Change the World," and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow," among many others. Her film credits include Spike Lee's School Daze. Ms. Hyman, who suffered from bipolar depression, committed suicide by overdose on June 30, 1995.
AN EVENING WITH Phyllis Hyman is presented by Anthony Wayne & Kendrell Bowman / AnthonyKen LLC in association with Sheryl Lee Ralph & The DIVA Foundation and Reginald Van Lee.
AN EVENING WITH Phyllis Hyman has musical direction by Alonzo Harris (Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical). The musical features Enga Davis and Tyrone Corbett (vocals), as well as Alex "Busby" Smith (bass), David Watson (saxophone, flute), and Mr. Harris (keyboards).
AN EVENING WITH Phyllis Hyman has costume design by Danielle "Dani Nichole" Eddins, lighting design by Stephanie P Freed, and sound design by J. Rafael Carlotto.
AN EVENING WITH Phyllis Hyman is the newest musical from the creators of the critically acclaimed hit musical Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical. Formerly known as Fabulous, One More Time, Mighty Real began a series of concerts at New York's le poisson rouge in 2012, which were followed by performances at The Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. and additional concerts in Miami in 2013. Mighty Real had its Off-Broadway premiere in an acclaimed one-month limited engagement at Theatre at St. Clement's in September 2014. In 2015, the musical headed west to The BRAVA! Theater in San Francisco for a limited engagement, and performances/engagements followed in Philadelphia, D.C., and Atlanta. The show returned to The BRAVA! Theater in San Francisco in early 2016 for an acclaimed, sold-out limited engagement. Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical has been hailed as "A mighty good time" by The New York Times, "Mighty fun . . . A spirit-lifting, liberating experience" by the San Francisco Chronicle and "Joyful and tuneful . . . A proud celebration of a groundbreaking figure" by the San Francisco Examiner. Nominated for both the 2015 Off-Broadway Alliance Award and AUDELCO Award for Best New Musical, Mighty Real was also featured in the acclaimed cable music documentary series "Unsung: Revisited" in 2015. The Live Original Cast Recording is available online on iTunes and CD Baby. For more information, visit: Website: www.FabulousSylvester.com; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fabsylvester; Twitter & Instagram: @FABSYLVESTER.
BIOGRAPHIES
Jacqueline B Arnold (Phyllis Hyman) most recently created the role of Martha Wash in Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical. She has also appeared in Broadway's Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and in several National tours: Killer Queen in We Will Rock You, Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, and Joanne Jefferson in Rent. She also had the privilege to tour with Bette Midler as a Harlette. As an artist, Jacqueline is devoted to making positive change through the arts and has been a long time instructor, counselor and mentor to youth, specializing in those with depression and self-esteem issues. She is truly devoted to helping our youth grow into emotionally healthy and happy glowing citizens.
Kendrell Bowman (Book, Director, Producer) co-created Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical, the hit musical celebration of the life and music of Sylvester, the original 1970s "Queen of Disco," serving as the show's director, costume designer and producer. Mr. Bowman is an alumni of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. In 2010, he opened the doors to his own styling company, I AM KENDRELL, and he has worked with many artists in his career such as Kanye West, K. MICHELLE, Dawn Richard & Lauriana Mae. Along with Anthony Wayne, Mr. Bowman founded the Production Company AnthonyKen LLC, which specializes in bringing issues and social awareness to the forefront through performing arts and media in order to inspire others to overcome adversity. Visit Mr Bowman online at www.IAmKendrell.com and on social media: @IAmKendrell.
Anthony Wayne (Book, Producer) received critical acclaim for creating the title role in Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical, and also served as the show's book writer and producer. He has appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revivals of Pippin and Anything Goes, as well as in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. On tour, he has appeared in A Chorus Line, The Color Purple, and Fame - The Musical. Mr. Wayne was featured as one of Out magazine's "Out 100" in 2014. Along with Mr. Bowman, Anthony is a founder of the Production Company AnthonyKen LLC. Visit Mr Wayne online at www.AWayne.com and on social media: @MrAWayne.
Alonzo Harris (Music Director, Keyboards) is a Grammy-nominated singer, musician, lyricist, composer, producer and musical director who has worked with several artists in a variety of genres. His résumé includes collaborations with Atlantic Records, MBK Entertainment, RCA Records, Universal Republic, S-Curve Records, Malaco Records, MNM Productions, Elevation Theory, A1 Music Productions, Night Life Executives, Jamdo Jamdo Music, Boston Red Sox Nation, A7, INC, 617Productions, Save Ourselves Productions, Streat Music Productions, and AnthonyKen Productions. He has served as the producer and music director for various artists/ projects and performances on major television networks such as VH1, BET, MTV, TV ONE, FOX, CBS, TBN, WORD Network, the Angel Network, and the Gospel Music Channel (GMC). In 2011, he shared in a Grammy nomination with Betty Wright for her single, "GO," in the Traditional R&B vocal performance category, as well as a Grammy nomination for Wright's album, "The Movie" in 2012. Alonzo has also worked with other industry professionals such as: Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter Michael E. Mathis, Grammy-winning producer Dawuan Parker (Aftermath Productions), Grammy-winning engineer Onree Gill (Musical Director for the Apollo Theatre and Alicia Keys), 11-time Grammy-winning gospel singer Shirley Ceasar, MacArthur Award-winner Ran Blake, R&B artist and actor Tyrese, Rotimi (from the TV series "Power"), Jermaine Paul (2012 winner of "The Voice"), original Destiny's Child member Letoya Luckett, legendary conductor Julius Williams, Elle Varner, Dorothy Norwood, among many others. Alonzo is a part-time faculty member of the Berklee College of Music.
Sheryl Lee Ralph & The DIVA Foundation (Producer). Ms. Ralph's award-winning body of work in film, television and the Broadway stage includes originating the role of Deena Jones in the landmark musical Dreamgirls (Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations) as well as the role of Muzzy van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She can currently be seen on Broadway in the smash hit musical Wicked, as well as on the small screen in the hit TV series "Instant Mom" on Nickelodeon and "Ray Donovan" on Showtime. A passionate health advocate and honored AIDS activist, Ms. Ralph is the founding director of the DIVA (Divinely Inspired Victoriously Aware) Foundation, a 501(C) 3 she created in memory of the many friends she has lost to HIV/AIDS. In the work of "Driving Infectious Viruses Away," The DIVA Foundation focuses on raising awareness, erasing stigma and discrimination, testing, and lowering the HIV infection rate - especially as it pertains to women and young people. As an artist, Sheryl believes in the transformational power of the arts and works to develop new, effective and creative programs to combat the disease. The Foundation disseminates information and provides advocacy and mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically feminine point of view. Visit www.thedivafoundation.org.
Reginald Van Lee (Producer) is an arts advocate, former Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton's Washington DC and New York offices where he led strategy engagements for corporate, government and Not-for-profit clients, and has been recognized as one of New York's Finest Philanthropists. He was appointed by President Obama to the Board of Trustees of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was formerly appointed by President Obama to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He has appeared on ABC-TV's "World News This Morning" and CNBC, and co-led the Urban Enterprise Initiative with the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, which focused on driving enhanced competitiveness of small businesses in Harlem. He is a founding member of the Clinton Global Initiative. In 2008, Mr Van Lee received the Black Engineer of the Year Award, and Consulting magazine named him as one of the top 25 consultants in the world, and was recognized as one of the 2009 Washington Minority Business Leaders by the Washington Business Journal. Mr. Van Lee serves as Chairman of the board of the Washington Performing Arts and of the National CARES Mentoring Movement. He is a Trustee of the Studio Museum in Harlem and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council. He is Vice Chair of the board of The Washington Ballet and Chairman Emeritus of the Evidence Dance Company. Former board roles include Chair of the Board of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Treasurer of the MAC AIDS Fund board, and Chair of the board of the NY International Ballet Competition, among others. Mr. Van Lee is the co-author of the book, "Megacommunities - How Leaders of Government, Business and Non-Profits Can Tackle Today's Global Challenges Together."
Photo credit: Iconic Vision Photography
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