LaChanze to Lead 'BUBBLY BLACK GIRL' Reunion Concert at 54 Below Next Month

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) will present a reunion concert of Kirsten Childs' THE BUBBLY BLACK GIRL SHEDS HER CHAMELEON SKIN on March 30, 2015 at 7pm at 54 Below. The concert will be directed by original cast member Jerry Dixon (If/Then) with original music director Fred Carl (Miracle Brothers) leading members of the original band.

15 years after its premiere at Playwrights Horizons, the entire original Off Broadway company will perform songs from the show and share special stories from behind the scenes of this award-winning production. The cast will be lead by LaChanze (The Color Purple) and will feature Cheryl Alexander (Caroline, or Change), Duane Boutte (Parade), Angel Desai (Company), Darius deHaas (Dreamgirls), Jerry Dixon (If/Then), Jonathan Dokuchitz (The Who's Tommy), Felicia Finley (Mamma Mia!), Robert Jason Jackson (Aida) and Debra Walton (The Pajama Game).

Kirsten Childs' The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin was presented in NAMT's 1998 Festival of New Musicals and had its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in May 2000. The production garnered much critical praise, several Drama Desk nominations, Lucille Lortel nominations and an Obie Award for Best Music & Lyrics; and won Childs the Kleban, the Richard Rodgers, the Gilman/Gonzalez-Falla award and The Jonathan Larson grant.

The cast album is available through Ghostlight records (ghostlightrecords.com) and the show is available for licensing through Dramatists Play Services (dramatists.com).

The Reunion Concert of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin plays 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on March 30, 2015 at 7pm. There is a $30-$40 cover charge and $25 food and beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.54Below.com. Tickets on the day of performance after 4:00 are only available by calling (646) 476-3551.

A portion of the proceeds will support NAMT, a not-for-profit organization, whose programs include the 27th Annual Festival of New Musicals, which this year will take place on October 15-16 at New World Stages.

NAMT's Festival of New Musicals has showcased 228 shows by 432 writers over the last 26 years. Musicals NAMT has helped develop include Children of Eden, The Drowsy Chaperone, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Songs for A New World, Honk!, See Rock City and Other Destinations, Ordinary Days, The Memory Show, Nobody Loves You and Ruthless!.

This concert is produced by Branden Huldeen with Audra LaBrosse for NAMT.

Come support NAMT through an evening of song and a celebration of this amazing, ground-breaking musical! www.namt.org

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is a national service organization dedicated to the musical theatre community. Our mission is to advance musical theatre by nurturing the creation, development, production and presentation of new musicals, and to provide a forum for musical theatre professionals to share resources and exchange information. Our 200 members, located throughout 34 states and abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world and include theatres, presenting organizations, higher education programs and individual producers.

Among the over 200 musicals launched by NAMT's annual Festival of New Musicals are Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Drowsy Chaperone, Children of Eden, Honk!, Songs for a New World, I Love You Because, Striking 12, Vanities, Ordinary Days and many others, representing over 400 writers. www.namt.org

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, is the new performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. A few blocks from the heart of Times Square and just below the legendary Studio 54, 54 BELOW is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style. The venue provides a food and beverage menu from early evening through the wee hours of the morning that is worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. Located at 254 West 54th Street, 54 BELOW features up to three shows nightly with cover charges ranging from $15-$95.