Cast Announced for SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND at Metropolitan Playhouse

Obie Award winner Metropolitan Playhouse will revive three plays of influential Harlem Renaissance writer Eulalie Spence in an evening directed by Timothy Johnson: SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND, playing a limited run from February 3 through 27, 2022, in person at the Playhouse: 220 E 4th Street.

Previews Begin: Thursday, February 3, 2022
Opening Night: Saturday, February 5, 2022
Closing: Sunday, February 27, 2022

SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND is an evening of three award-winning one-act plays, framed by à capella musical settings, to celebrate life in Harlem in the 20's through the eyes of pioneering writer, Eulalie Spence. The plays include "The Starter," in which hopeful and hard-working T.J. and Georgia may or may not negotiate their engagement; "Hot Stuff," a night when jaded numbers runner Fanny King makes a series of bad bets and owes nearly more than she has to lose; and "The Hunch," a sweet tale of a starry-eyed fiancée getting some unwelcome but much-needed clarity from a devoted admirer. Each play earned prizes from leading magazines of Black culture in 1927: "The Starter" and "The Hunch" from the National Urban League's journal Opportunity, and Hot Stuff from W.E.B. DuBois's The Crisis.

Metropolitan's production brings these award-winning plays to the stage directed by Timothy Johnson, director of 2017's hit revival of On Strivers Row. The production features an ensemble of eight actors playing the various roles: DÉJA DENISE GREEN, LÉOH HAILU-GHERMAY, SJ HANNAH (Lion King National Tour, On Strivers Row), Bonita Jackson, ELIOTT Charles Johnson, RAHMELL PEEBLES, Marlaina Powell (Lion King on Broadway, On Strivers Row), and Mark Shock (David Cromer's Our Town).
Set is by JACOB BROWN, costumes by SABRINNA FABI, lighting by HEATHER M. CROCKER (Radium Girls), and sound by Bill Toles (Walk Hard, Shadow of Heroes, Radium Girls).

Through the 20's and 30's, she was also a well-respected playwright, actor, director, closely involved with the Krigwa Players, The Dunbar Garden Players, and Columbia University's Laboratory Players. Of her 14 known plays, 6 earned prizes from Black literary magazines The Crisis and Opportunity and from the Krigwa Players. Her greatest mainstream commercial success was nonetheless a series of near-misses: her only full-length play, The Whipping, adapted from a novel by Roy Flannagan, was slated for a commercial premiere in 1933 starring Queenie Smith, but was canceled before opening. Spence optioned the script to Paramount Pictures for a film that ultimately became the barely recognizable Ida Lupino comedy, Ready for Love. The Whipping was her last play, though she remained an active director and drama teacher for her remaining years.

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: to lower the risk of the spread of COVID-19 Metropolitan requires full vaccination of all cast, crew, and audience. Audience members will be required to present proof of vaccination on arrival to be admitted into the theater. All staff and audience will be required to wear masks inside the building.
The theater, house, and backstage are directly ventilated with fresh air, and the theater is amply equipped with air purifiers. A certified Covid Safety Compliance officer will be onsite for all performances.

TICKETS
$30 general admission, $25 seniors, $20 students, and $10 children 18 and under.
www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/tickets, or call 800 838 3006

PERFORMANCES
February 3 - 27, 2022
Thursday - Saturday evenings at 7:30pm; Sunday afternoons at 3:00pm

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