UNSPEAKABLE World Premiere Enters Final Week at Broadway Playhouse

The World Premiere of UNSPEAKABLE, a dramatic fantasia inspired by the life of comedic legend Richard Pryor, will play its final performance on November 8, 2015 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.).

"It has been an absolute joy to mount the first full physical production of UNSPEAKABLE with an all Chicago cast and crew," Director and Co-Author Rod Gailes OBC said.

The cast of ten -- many playing multiple roles -- features James Murray Jackson, Jr. as "Richard Pryor," a role he originated in the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival earning him a New York Times rave for his "magnetic lead performance."

The cast also includes Chicago natives E. Faye Butler (Working, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), Lamar N. Barnes, Ebony Joy and Akilah Perry. Also featured are Northwestern University alum Taryn Reneau (Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew), Roosevelt University alum Chris Amos (Both Your Houses, Tom Jones), Kierra Bunch (The Sun Always Shines for The Cool), Jeff Award winner Ginneh Thomas (The Submission) and Chicagoan Ronald L. Conner (King Hedley II).

Sex, Drugs and Comedy. UNSPEAKABLE is an unflinching ride through the emotional landscape of Richard Pryor spanning sixty-one years and focused on the period between 1967 and 1982. Born and raised in a Peoria brothel owned and operated by his grandmother, Pryor faced situations that forever shaped and scarred his sensitive soul. With a pimp for a father and his mother a whore, young Pryor's imagination helps him escape and ultimately leads him to comedy. UNSPEAKABLE captures the energy of a man battling success and the demons it invites.

Director and Co-Author Rod Gailes OBC brings a cinematic vision to the provocative odyssey of Pryor with an ensemble approach highlighting the comedian's journey from damaged child to comic legend, based on a script by OBC and Jackson, Jr.

UNSPEAKABLE is presented by Tenacity Park, Creative Mind Entertainment, OBC DreamTheatre, Stefani Nicole Von Huben, Kenneth Schapiro, John M. Cappetta, Sr. and Ronnell Shaw.

For his portrayal of Richard Pryor in the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival production of UNSPEAKABLE, Jackson received the Festival's Outstanding Lead Actor Award.

Given the strong language and adult situations inherent in this story, this production is recommended for audiences 16 years of age and older. This play is in no way supported, endorsed or created by, nor does it in any manner emanate from, Richard Pryor, his estate or other successor(s).

Individual tickets for UNSPEAKABLE are now on sale through November 8. A select number of premium tickets are also available for many performances. Group tickets for 10 or more are now on sale by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.