Photo Flash: First Look at Daniel J. Watts and More in 'THE DEATH OF THE LAST BLACK MAN' at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre presents The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead, written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz. The production runs now through Sunday, December 11, with an official opening slated for Sunday, November 13, 2016 at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The cast includes William DeMeritt (HBO's The Normal Heart) as Voice on Thuh Tee V, Nike Kadri (Classic Stage's Iphigenia in Aulis) as Yes and Greens Black-Eyed Peas Cornbread, Patrena Murray(CTG's Father Comes Home from the Wars) as Ham, Reynaldo Piniella (The Erlkings at Theatre Row) as And Bigger and Bigger and Bigger, Julian Rozzell (Public's Father Comes Home from the Wars) as Old Man River Jordan, Roslyn Ruff (Signature's The Piano Lesson) as Black Woman with Fried Drumstick, Mirirai Sithole (Classic Stage's Mother Courage and Her Children) as Prunes and Prisms, DavidRyan Smith (Public's The Comedy of Errors) as Before Columbus, Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton) as Black Man with Watermelon, Jamar Williams (Second Stage's Invisible Thread) as Lots of Grease and Lots of Pork, Amelia Workman (Second Stage's The Layover) as Queen-Then-Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

The creative team includes Riccardo Hernandez (Scenic Design), Montana Blanco (Costume Design), Yi Zhao (Lighting Design), Palmer Hefferan (Sound Design), Hannah Wasileski (Projection Design), Raja Feather Kelly (Choreographer), Cookie Jordan (Wig Design), Paul Rubin (Aerial Effects). Terri K. Kohler is the Production Stage Manager. Casting by Telsey + Company.

A woman tries to feed her husband a fried drumstick. Dragons roam a flat earth. The last Black man in the whole entire world dies again. And again. Careening through memory and language, Parks explores and explodes archetypes of Black America with piercing insight and raucous comedy. A riotous theatrical event, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA the Negro Book of the Dead hums with the heartbeat of improvisational jazz.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

Patrena Murray, Jamar Williams, Daniel J. Watts, Reynaldo Piniella and David Ryan Smith

Daniel J. Watts

Jamar Williams, William DeMeritt, Mirirai Sithole, Amelia Workman, David Ryan Smith, Nike Kadri, Reynaldo Piniella and Daniel J. Watts

William DeMeritt, Amelia Workman, Patrena Murray, Jamar Williams, Mirirai Sithole, Julian Rozzell, Nike Kadri and Daniel J. Watts

Mirirai Sithole, Amelia Workman, David Ryan Smith, Nike Kadri, Jamar Williams with Roslyn Ruff and Daniel J. Watts (center)

(top) Amelia Workman, David Ryan Smith and Nike Kadri; (middle) Roslyn Ruff, Mirirai Sithole and Jamar Williams; (bottom) Daniel J. Watts