Krystal Joy Brown and More Complete LIGHTS OUT: NAT 'KING' COLE Cast

New York Theatre Workshop has revealed the full cast for Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole. Written by Tony and Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo and NYTW Artistic Director and Usual Suspect Patricia McGregor, and directed by McGregor, Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole will begin performances at New York Theatre Worskhop on April 30, 2025, with opening night set for May 19, for a limited run through June 15, 2025.
 
Joining the previously announced Emmy Award nominee Dulé Hill and Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts will be Krystal Joy Brown (Merrily We Roll Along), Kathy Fitzgerald (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Christopher Ryan Grant (The Ballad of Johnny and June), Ruby Lewis (Paramour), Elliott Mattox (Tammy Faye), Kenita Miller (for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf), Mekhi Richardson (Elf Jr.) and Walter Russell III (MJ The Musical).
 
Lights Out will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos (Slave Play), costume design by Katie O'Neill (The Parchman Hour), lighting design by Stacey Derosier (The Half-God of Rainfall), sound design by Alex Hawthorn (Remnant) & Drew Levy (Drag: The Musical), video design by David Bengali (We Live in Cairo), and wig design by Special Tony Award recipient Nikiya Mathis (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding). Samantha Shoffner (Trouble in Mind) is the Props Supervisor, and Norman Anthony Small (Good Bones) will serve as Stage Manager. Lafayette Harris (City Center’s Jelly’s Last Jam) will serve as Music Director. Casting is by Claire Yensen.
 
“Featuring a divine cast of characters including Sammy Davis Jr., Eartha Kitt and Betty Hutton, Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole gives us front row seats to the wrestling match between the grace and rage, love and pain of an American icon,” said co-writer and director Patricia McGregor. “The show dazzles with spectacular performances and then pulls back the mask to expose the cost of a smile. Full of ‘Sugar and Dynamite,’ the piece is a vibrant ending to a season of work at NYTW that has highlighted the mighty attempt to center human connection as an antidote to a disjointed world.”
 
On December 17th, 1957, it was LIGHTS OUT on "The Nat ‘King’ Cole Show.” Despite being the voice that built Capitol Records, Nat “King” Cole's groundbreaking television show was rejected by Madison Avenue, unwilling to sponsor America’s first black television host. Now, on the night of his final broadcast, Nat must grapple with the complexities of his psyche, personified by his Best Friend and alter-ego, Sammy Davis Jr., and decide whether to quietly step out of the spotlight or go out with a bang.
 
Tony and Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo and NYTW Usual Suspect and Artistic Director Patricia McGregor bring us this electrifying exploration of the soul of an American icon who fought to break through America’s color barrier in the early days of television. Starring Emmy Award nominee Dulé Hill as Nat “King” Cole and Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts as Sammy Davis Jr., Lights Out features Nat’s hit songs, like “Nature Boy,” “It’s a Good Day,” “Smile” and “Unforgettable" with music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by John McDaniel, and choreography by Edgar Godineaux (City Center’s Jelly’s Last Jam), with Tap Choreography by Jared Grimes (Funny Girl).