Hartford Stage Announces Artistic Team for ANGRY, RAUCOUS & SHAMELESSLY GORGEOUS

Hartford Stage announced today the artistic team for the next production of their 2021-2022 season, acclaimed playwright Pearl Cleage's Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous. The smart new comedy, directed by Susan V. Booth, runs at the Tony Award-winning theatre in downtown Hartford starting January 13 through February 6, 2022.

The cast features Cynthia D. Barker (Tyler Perry's House of Payne) as Kate, Terry Burrell (Broadway's Into the Woods and Dreamgirls) as Anna, Shakirah DeMesier (Alliance Theatre's Angry, Raucous...) as Pete, and Marva Hicks (Broadway's Motown the Musical and The Lion King) as Betty. The production design team includes Collette Pollard (Scenic Design), Kara Harmon (Costume Design), Michelle Habeck (Lighting Design), Clay Benning (Sound Design), and Lindsey Ewing (Wig Design). The stage management team for the production is Anna Baranski (Stage Manager) and Samantha Honeycutt (Assistant Stage Manager).

In Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous, pioneering and imperious actor Anna Campbell returns to the U.S. after being in a self-imposed exile for 25 years. Her groundbreaking Black feminist theatre piece -- a controversial collection of monologues performed in the nude -- is set to be revived as the centerpiece of performance art festival in Atlanta. What promises to be both a triumphant homecoming and a much-needed career resuscitation turns sour when the diva discovers that Pete, an inexperienced younger woman and an adult entertainer, is set to recreate Anna's legendary performance. Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous is a bold and funny story by one of America's preeminent Black female playwrights that explores ambition, post-feminism, the generational divide, activism, and who has a right to tell our stories.

Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous runs in previews from January 13 through 19. Opening Night is January 21 at 8pm. The production is set to run through February 6 with performances Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; and Sunday matinees at 2pm. There is a Saturday 2pm matinee on January 22 and February 5. The Open Captioned performance is Sunday, January 30 at 2 pm. The Audio Described performance is Saturday, February 5 at 2 pm.

Tickets for Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous are $30-$100 with discounts for youth age 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased by visiting HartfordStage.org, by calling (860) 527-5151, or by visiting the Hartford Stage Box Office at 50 Church Street, Hartford, CT from noon to 5pm.

To keep actors, audiences, and staff safe, Hartford Stage requires masks to be worn throughout the performance, plus proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result upon entry. For more details, please visit hartfordstage.org/covid-19.