R.E.S.P.E.C.T. A Celebration of The Legendary Queen Of Soul Will Launch National Tour in Brooklyn

Kings Theatre is hosting the opening night and kick off to the national tour of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - the ultimate tribute to the legendary Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The elevated concert experience brings a community together with timeless music that speaks to the complicated human condition, honoring the impassioned and transcendent music of one of America's most beloved singer-songwriter.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. follows the musical maven's story through a soundtrack of the hits that made her the Queen of Soul. The American tour of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. will be directed by Broadway's Christina Sajous (Spongebob Squarepants, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, American Idiot, Baby It's You), with Musical Direction by Darnell White (Revelation The Musical, Gospel at Colonus) and Casting by Tracey Moore (creator of "The Black Box" on Crackle, founder of The Spirited Actor Workshop; casting credits with Miramax, Fox, MTV, Spike Lee and national commercials). Casting will be announced at a later date.

More than just a concert, this is the Aretha experience like no other featuring all your favorite hits in one evening including "Natural Woman," "Think," "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me," "Chain of Fools," "Respect," and many more. The brand new North American production is adapted from McGee Entertainment's Australian touring smash-hit, RESPECT-The Aretha Franklin Story starring Angie Narayan (Australian Idol), which continues to play to sold out audiences across the country.

"Aretha Franklin is a legend, and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate the Queen of Soul in a uniquely Brooklyn way," says general manager, Crystal Longo. "Our hope is to bring more high-quality theatrical content to Kings and we felt that Aretha's story would connect with our audience of music fans in addition to the surrounding community. While she never graced our stage, we certainly consider her an honorary "Queen of Kings" and we look forward to sharing her music and story."

The national tour of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. will begin at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on Thursday, October 6. The tour's official opening night will take place on Friday, October 7 with the final Brooklyn performance on Saturday, October 8.

Tickets start at $30 and are available for presale on Thursday, June 23 from 10am - 10pm. The public on-sale is Friday, June 24 at 10am.

Christina Sajous (Director) Broadway: Spongebob Squarepants (Sandy Cheeks), Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark (Arachne), American Idiot (Extraordinary Girl), Baby It's You! (Shirley), Tupac Shakur's Holler If Ya Hear Me. Regional: A Wonderful World (Miami New Drama) Paradise Square (Berkeley Rep), The Prince of Egypt (TheatreWorks), Carmen: an Afro Cuban Musical (Tectonic Theatre Project), Romeo & Juliet (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), Disgraced (Denver Center of Performing Arts). TV/Film performing credits include "Spongebob Squarepants The Musical Live on Stage" as Sandy Cheeks (Nickelodeon), "Run the World" (Starz) "Kevin Can F*** Himself" (AMC) "Chicago Med" (NBC), "Blue Bloods" (CBS),"Jesus Christ Superstar Live" (NBC), "Alpha House"(Amazon), "One Life to Live" (ABC), "Broadway Idiot" (Netflix). Christina attended NYU: Tisch School of the Arts, and the International Theatre Wing in Amsterdam.

Darnell White (Music Director) A noted staple in New York City's music scene, Darnell has developed a pristine reputation as a performer, composer, and musical director. As a music director he has collaborated with artists including Melba Moore, Brian McKnight, Blaine Krauss, Amma Ossei, Willis White, Angela Birchett, David LaMarr, Carlton Jumel Smith and more. He recently served as musical director for the off-Broadway show Revelation The Musical as well as the film adaptation of Gospel at Colonus, Lady Day at Emerson's Grill (Depot Theater) and served as the Artist in Residence at the American Songbook Association. He is currently the musical director for several churches in the New York area and the chorusmaster for Trilogy: An Opera Company in Newark, NJ. Darnell is highly recognized as one of New York City's top vocal coaches and is always accepting new talent into his studio.

About Kings Theatre:
The historic Kings Theatre reopened in 2015 as one of New York's premier performing arts venues. Providing a destination for large-scale popular entertainment and serving as a resource for local arts groups and community organizations, Kings is a cultural and economic cornerstone of the Flatbush community and a major fixture to Brooklyn's vibrant cultural landscape. The classic 20th-century movie palace was inspired by the French Renaissance Revival style of the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House. With over 3,000 seats-the largest of its kind in Brooklyn, the restoration revived the historic structure's original splendor and transformed the theatre into a state-of-the-art facility. Kings Theatre is operated by Ambassador Theatre Group.

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