Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation, the acclaimed revival of Mama I Want To Sing! - the 1983 musical based on the life and times of singer Doris Troy - continues at The Dempsey Theater (127 W. 127th Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Malcolm X Boulevards). Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation has book and lyrics by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro and original music by Wesley Naylor. Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation is directed by Mr. Wydro and has musical direction by Gregory M. Kelly. The musical performs on Saturday afternoons through December 17th. The performance schedule is Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 at 4:30 p.m.; Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26 at 1:00 & 4:30 p.m.; and Dec. 3, 10, 17 at 1:00 and 4:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $35 and are available at 212-868-4444, and at the Dempsey Theater Box Office (Monday- Friday from 12pm- 7pm; Saturday from 11:30am- 6:30pm).
Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation tells the story of a talented young gospel singer who embraces secular music, despite the strong objections of her mother. As a tribute to many of the African-American singers who rose from church choirs to stardom during the 1960s and 70s,
Vy Higginsen based the musical on the life of her sister,
Doris Troy, whose 1963 hit "Just One Look," launched her to international fame.
Chosen by Time magazine as one of the "Ten Best" theater performances in 1984, the original production of Mama, I Want To Sing! opened on March 23, 1983. It played for eight years in New York (1983-1991) becoming the longest-running African-American Off-Broadway musical in American history. This beloved musical has played over 2,500 performances in New York and another 1,000 performances through a three-year tour across the USA, as well as runs in London's West End, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy; multiple appearances in the Caribbean and seven tours throughout Japan.
Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation features Bettina Pennon as Mama, Sandra Huff as Sister Carrie, Knoelle Higginson as Doris Winter,
Tyrone Flowers as Reverend Winters, and Elijiah A. Lewis as Minister of Music.
Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation also features performers from Ms. Higginsen's Gospel for Teens program. In 2006, Higginsen joined forces with gospel legend Dr. Emily "Cissy" Houston to teach aspiring teenagers about the importance of gospel music as an art form. Gospel for Teens is a program of The Mama Foundation for the Arts and Vy's Higginsen's School of Gospel, Jazz and R&B Arts, which has grown to be a highly respected and influential program for youth between the ages of 13 and 19. The Gospel for Teens program was recently featured on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes":
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7361574nhttp://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7361570n
Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation began performances on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at The Dempsey Theater (127 W 127th Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Malcolm X Boulevards). Performances continue on Saturdays only through December 17th:
Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 @ 4:30 p.m.;
Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26 @ 1:00 and 4:30 p.m.;
Dec. 3, 10, 17 @ 1:00 and 4:30 p.m.
General admission tickets to Mama, I Want To Sing: The Next Generation are $35 and available at 212-868-4444. Box Office hours are Monday- Friday 12pm- 7pm and Saturday from 11:30am- 6:30pm. For theater parties and group sales information (10 or more tickets), please call The Mama Foundation for the Arts at 212-280-1045.
*Subway: Take the 2/3 trains to 125th Street and Lenox Avenue and walk to 127th Street.
For more information on Mama I Want To Sing: The Next Generation please visit
www.mamafoundation.org.
