Tyler Perry's 'THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR' Set for NY Premiere at the Beacon 4/7 - 5/3

Tyler Perry, the award-winning playwright, director, actor and creator of such hit plays as Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea Goes to Jail (now a major motion picture) brings his latest stage production, Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor, to New York City's New Beacon Theater (2124 Broadway between West 74th & 75th Streets) for a limited sixteen-performance engagement this April.

The New York City premiere of Perry's newest play -- his tenth stage piece -- will play Tuesday, April 7 through Sunday, April 12, 2009, with a second week of performances Tuesday, April 29 through Sunday, May 3, 2009.

This new production represents a departure from Perry's previous stage pieces, maintaining not only the signature elements that have made those productions mega hits with audiences -- big laughs, great music and important life lessons -- but also tackles more serious issues for adult audiences.

In Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor, Judith Jackson is a confident, Ivy League-educated marriage counselor with a thriving practice. Her husband Roger is a hard working good man, an accountant by profession. Together they take care of his fanatic father, Floyd, and her retired Bible-totin' mom, T.T., who live in the house but do not along.

While Judith has no problem doling out marital advice to others, she encounters serious problems and is not clear about where to turn when her own marriage is threatened. Who is going to counsel the counselor?

Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor features a first-rate cast, whose previous work includes appearances on Broadway and television as well as collaborations with stellar music artists, headlined by Palmer Williams Jr. as Floyd, Tamar Davis as Judith Jackson, Tony Grant as Roger Jackson and Alltrinna Grayson as T.T. 

Fans of Perry's hit television show "House of Payne" will recognize Palmer Williams Jr. and his character as they make the leap from sitcom to the stage.

Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor co-stars Myra Beasley, Timon Kyle Durrett, Stephanie Ferrett, Johnny Gilmore, Nicole Jackson, Brandi Milton and Donnie Sykes.

Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor plays Tuesday through Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tickets are scaled from $34-$64 and are now on sale though Ticketmaster.com at 212-307-4111 or by visiting www.beacontheatre.com.

Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the New Beacon Theatre, Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall Box Offices.

Tyler Perry (Playwright/Director/Producer). Tyler Perry's inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood's A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Perry fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books, and television shows. Perry's body of work includes: Stage plays: What's Done in the Dark, Madea Goes to Jail, Meet the Browns, Why Did I Get Married?, Madea's Class Reunion, Madea's Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, I Know I've Been Changed. Films: Madea Goes to Jail, The Family That Preys, Meet the Browns, Why Did I Get Married?, Daddy's Little Girls, Madea's Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Television: "House of Payne," "Meet the Browns." Publications: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings." Most recently Perry was honored by the National Association of Television Program Executives with the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award. Additionally, his television series "House of Payne" has garnered four NAACP Image Awards.

PALMER WILLIAMS JR. (Floyd) has been touring with Tyler Perry's The Marriage Counselor since January 2008. He is an audience favorite who can also be seen as Floyd, the owner of the barber shop on Perry's popular sitcom "House of Payne." Other stage credits include: A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Where Have All The Good Men Gone?, Can a Woman Make a Man Lose His Mind? and What a Man Wants, What a Woman Needs! He was also featured on Robert Townsend's "Play House 22" on the Black Family Channel. An accomplished singer, Williams won several competitions at the world-famous Apollo Theater and handled background vocals for such R&B sensations as Keith Sweat, LSG and Grammy Award-winner Monica.

TAMAR DAVIS (Judith Jackson) is a Grammy-nominated singer/actress from Houston who has worked with many luminaries from the music world including Prince, Tamia, and jazz legend Lee Ritenour. She co-wrote "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" with Prince, a song that was recently nominated for a Grammy and became number one on the Japan, UK, and Australian charts. The USC graduate's television credits include appearances on "The Steve Harvey Show," "Boston Public," "Saturday Night Live" and "Good Morning America," as well as the NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards and Brit Awards. She also competed on "Star Search Battle of Champions."

TONY GRANT (Roger Jackson). A singer, writer, producer and actor, Tony Grant is the former lead vocalist of the internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated group Az Yet (LaFace Records) His soaring tenor voice dazzled the music world on such hit songs as "Last Night" and "Hard To Say I'm Sorry." Over the last decade, Grant has performed or recorded with many artists including Brian McKnight, Dr. Dre, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Shirley Murdock, Dave Hollister, Stevie Wonder and Harry Conick, Jr. He is now a member of the newly formed mega group Blayse along with fellow music veterans Terrell Phillips (Blackstreet), Marc Nelson and Gary "Lil G" Jenkins (Silk). Grant has lent his talents to numerous urban theater productions including Tell Hell I Ain't Comin, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married, Real Love Ain't Supposed to Hurt, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Mama, I'm Sorry, Behind Closed Doors, Fabric of a Man and Why Do Good Girls Like Bad Boys? Other theater credits include Barefoot in the Park, If This Hat Could Talk (directed by famed choreographer George Faison) and A Raisin in the Sun.

ALLTRINNA GRAYSON (T.T.) is a singer/actress whose experience includes appearances on Broadway, with national tours, and singing with top R&B and gospel talents. Stage: Smokey Joe's Cafe (Broadway, first national tour); Your Arm's Too Short to Box with God (directed by Vinette Carroll); If This Hat Could Talk (directed by George Faison); Mama, I Want to Sing (directed by Vy Higginsen). Music: the late Rev. James Cleveland, Tremaine Hawkins, Andre Crouch, Daryl Coley, Stephanie Mills, Teddy Pendergrass, Hannon Bohannon and Bobby Womack.

Photos by Keith Berry

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