LOVE JONES Playwright Returns With A New Stage Drama

"Love Jones the Musical" Playwright Timothy Allen Smith
Is back with "Choice," an original stage drama premiering at The Beverly Hills Playhouse

Timothy Allen Smith is a gifted storyteller. With a catalog of 73 stage plays and two award winning novels, there is no questioning how prolific he has been over the course of his 20 year career. But it wasn't until 2016 that he came into national prominence, as the wordsmith behind the record breaking touring production, "Love Jones The Musical," which featured some of R&B music's hottest artists including Chrisette Michelle, Musiq Soulchild, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, Raheem Devaughn and Dave Hollister. The show was the top grossing theatrical tour in the nation and Smith was the playwright behind the magic! Smith also penned 2018's hit "Neighborhood Barbershop" which starred Alan Payne and Academy Award winner Mo'nique.

Now he's back with "Choice," an original stage play premiering at The Beverly Hills Playhouse, in September of 2019. Having worked with primarily recording artists on Love Jones, Smith relishes the opportunity to work with dedicated actors this time around.

"The cast of Love Jones was amazing and some of them, particularly Tony Grant and Chrisette Michelle, were very natural actors as well as gifted singers," reveals Smith. "But, for the most part, that show and others like it, are built around the musical talents of the performers and so the acting can, at times, take a backseat. Choice is not like that. With Choice, we are showcasing the story-telling talents some truly gifted actors who each bring a charisma and a passion to the stage that is infectious for the audience. Fortunately for me, that type of talent suits my writing very well."

When it comes to writing style, Smith is often credited for his ability to create strong female leads. That trend continues with "Choice" as the show features what Smith describes as one of his most compelling female characters to-date. "Choice is actually the first story in a trilogy," says Smith. "The next installment is my novel Regret and the final chapter will be a film Consequence. All three stories are built around the same character, Julie Sharpe, who, on the surface, is this strong, calculating, controlling diva. But when you look closer, she really is so much more than that. This is a woman who goes from the high profile lifestyle of a powerful attorney to being a broke, divorced, unemployed single mom. And it doesn't break her. She finds herself through her journey and it really has been amazing to go on this ride with her."

The role of Julie is being played by newcomer Keelia Flinn who, Smith says, will not be a newcomer for very long. "Over 4 months, we had more than 1500 actresses submit and audition for the role of Julie and a lot of them were quite good. But Keelia was on another level. The best actors have a presence and a charisma that elevates the material they are working with. Keelia is in that class and, trust me when I tell you, she is an absolute star in the making!"

The rest of the cast includes Thomas Channing Nash (Brian), Rodney Fitts (Gregory), Joey Jupiter-Levin (Anna), Jessie Reeder (Heather), Ani Marderosian (Kim) and Mackenzie Possage as Michelle.

"I am beyond blessed to have found such a gifted team of story tellers and convinced them all to join me in telling what I feel is an important and timely story."

Writer, activist, producer, and playwright Timothy Allen Smith is a native of Philadelphia. Currently based in Los Angeles, his very first novel "CAPTIVE," originally debuted as a touring stage play in 2003, playing to packed houses across the country. "Choice" is set to open at The Beverly Hills Playhouse on September 7 and run through September 29.

Tickets for Choice are available for $25 at http://ChoiceTickets.EventBrite.com.

To keep abreast of the writing adventures of Timothy Allen Smith, check him out athttp://TimothyAllenSmith.com

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