N'Kenge and Dan Grimaldi to Star in Industry Presentation of New Dorothy Dandridge Musical

Non-profit organization Blacks on Wall Street, Inc with Albridge Investors will host an invitation-only presentation of a new musical Dorothy Dandridge - HOLLYWOOD'S SEPIA GODDESS, which has book, music & lyrics by award-winning playwright/composer Robert Mitchell (Vincent, Frankenstein), and will be directed by Jerry Foley (Late Show with David Letterman) and choreographed by Alessaandro Pellicani (Studio 54: The Musical) with music supervision by Rob Berman (Bright Star, New York City Encores!) and musical direction by Josh Kight.

The 45-minute presentation will be held on November 13, 2017 at the Off-Broadway Theater on St. Marks Place, Theatre 80.

This West End- and Broadway-bound musical is led by Tony and Olivier winning executive producer Julian Stoneman (Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Rock of Ages) and Tony-nominated producer Richard Bell (Bubbling Brown Sugar).

Internationally acclaimed and Helen Hayes nominee N'Kenge (Motown: The Musical, Sondheim and Sondheim) will play the title role of Dorothy Dandridge, Dan Grimaldi (The Sopranos) will play Otto Preminger. The cast is completed by Erin Sullivan (Shrek) as Marilyn Monroe, Becca Fox (Peter Pan) as Vivian Dandridge, Brian Davis (After Midnight) as Harold Nicholas, Christopher Figaro Jackson (Alvin Ailey) as Fayard Nicholas and Christian Rozakis (Metropolitan Opera) as James Mason.

Dorothy Dandridge - HOLLYWOOD'S SEPIA GODDESS is a new musical inspired by the life and music of legendary actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American nominated for an Academy Award™ in the category of Best Leading Actress in a Major Motion Picture for Carmen Jones. Spanning her career from 1955 until her death, with a series of flashbacks to her childhood, the musical follows Dorothy Dandridge's triumphs and tragedies, both in her work and her personal life.

N'Kenge originated the role of Mary Wells in Broadway's smash hit Motown: The Musical. She made her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim, alongside Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis and Tom Wopat, directed by Pulitzer Prize winner James Lapine. She sang at the White House for President Bill Clinton and for President Barack Obama at the Commander-in-Chief Ball. In London, N'Kenge made her West End debut starring in The Genius of Ray Charles. She starred in the Michael Jackson Tribute Show World Tour and has also been seen as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra, to name a few. She was hailed by the New York Times as "a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway, Pop Soul to Opera". To learn more about N'Kenge, visit www.nkengemusic.com.

Anyone interested in attending this invitation-only Industry presentation at Theatre 80, 80 St Marks Place, New York, NY 10003, should contact dorothythemusical@gmail.com.

Blacks on Wall Street, Inc. was founded in 2014 to assist in the support - financially and otherwise - of organizations that promote the social welfare and health of the African American community of New York City and to advocate for the equitable distribution of the philanthropic dollars generated annually in New York City. For further information, visit www.blacksonwallstreet.org.