Grantham Coleman, Lakisha Michelle May & More Join WINE IN THE WILDERNESS At CSC
Previews will begin on March 6, 2025, with an opening night set for March 24, for a limited run through April 13, 2025 at CSC's Lynn F. Angelson Theater.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 29, 2025
Classic Stage Company has revealed the full cast for Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress and directed by Tony Award winner LaChanze in her New York directorial debut. Previews will begin on March 6, 2025, with an opening night set for March 24, for a limited run through April 13, 2025 at CSC's Lynn F. Angelson Theater.
Joining the previously announced Olivia Washington (“I'm A Virgo,” Slave Play) as “Tommy” will be Grantham Coleman (The Great Society, “Rustin”) as “Bill.” Coleman replaces the previously announced Tramell Tillman, who had to depart the production due to scheduling conflicts.
Washington and Coleman will lead a cast that will include Brooks Brantly (Sweat, “Ghosts”) as “Sonny-man,” Lakisha Michelle May (Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Skeleton Crew) as “Cynthia,” and Milton Craig Nealy (Caroline, or Change, Once on This Island) as “Oldtimer.”
Fortune has smiled on artist Bill Jameson – his friends just introduced him to a model for the final piece of his triptych on Black womanhood. But this woman, Tomorrow Marie, is no mere muse, and she's about to give Bill much more than he bargained for. Set against the backdrop of the 1964 Harlem riot on a hot summer night, Wine in the Wilderness is a rarely-seen play from the brilliant mind of Alice Childress, whose Trouble in Mind recently took Broadway by storm. That production's star, Tony-winner LaChanze, brings her deep connection to Childress's work to her New York directing debut.
Wine in the Wilderness will feature Scenic Design by Obie Award winner Arnulfo Maldonado (Trouble in Mind), Costume Design by Tony Award winner Dede Ayite (Jaja's African Hair Braiding), Lighting Design by Obie Award winner Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Kimberly Akimbo), Sound Design by Grammy Award nominee Bill Toles (Kowalski), and Wig/Hair Design by Tony Award winner Nikiya Mathis (Jaja's African Hair Braiding). Jason Weixelman is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by X Casting / Victor Vazquez, CSA.
The performance schedule for Wine in the Wilderness is as follows: Tuesdays – Saturdays at 7pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Exceptions: There will not be a matinee performance on Saturday March 8. Student matinees will be held on Thursday March 27 and Wednesday April 2 at 11am.
Audiences attending Wine in the Wilderness on Sunday March 16 at 2pm and Wednesday April 2 at 7pm will be required to wear a mask. . CSC is also offering an ASL-interpreted performance on Thursday April 3 at 7pm.
