Performances Begin Tonight For Ruben Santiago-Hudson's LACKAWANNA BLUES

Performances begin tonight, March 5, for Ruben Santiago-Hudson's powerful and touching solo play "Lackawanna Blues" at the Mark Taper Forum. Produced by Center Theatre Group, "Lackawanna Blues" is written, performed and directed by Santiago-Hudson with live music performed by Grammy-winning blues guitarist, composer and actor Chris Thomas King. The production will run through April 21 with the opening set for March 13 at 8 p.m.

Original music for the production is composed by Bill Sims Jr. with additional music composed by King. The design team includes scenic designer Michael Carnahan, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Jen Schriever and sound designer Philip G. Allen. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

A magical, musical and deeply personal work by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, "Lackawanna Blues" is a reminiscence of his 1950s childhood in a small town on the banks of Lake Erie. Santiago-Hudson takes on more than 20 colorful characters-from would-be philosophers and petty hustlers to lost souls and abandoned lovers-in a brilliant celebration of the eccentric boardinghouse he grew up in. Santiago-Hudson returns to his roots in this tour de force performance accompanied throughout by live blues music.