The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for August Wilson's Jitney, directed by one of Wilson's foremost interpreters, Ruben Santiago-Hudson (directed Jitney on Broadway, performed in Gem of the Ocean and Seven Guitars). The American master and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson (the American Century Cycle of 10 plays) had a close relationship with The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. This production of Jitney is produced by Erik Falkenstein and Ron Simons in association with Manhattan Theatre Club.
The 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play will run January 18 - February 23, 2020 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.
A jitney is an unlicensed taxicab. Five tireless drivers in Pittsburgh's Hill District fight for love, survival, and respect as the powers-that-be threaten to close down their garage in the name of neighborhood improvement. The Los Angeles Times recently proclaimed it a Critic's Choice, saying, "This is an extraordinary company! A triumphant melding of acting and drama. Don't make the mistake of skipping this one. It's among the finest productions of a Wilson play I've seen." The Washington Post calls Jitney "a consistently funny and absorbing evening," while The Hollywood Reporter asks, "Is there a more accomplished living interpreter of the plays of August Wilson than Ruben Santiago-Hudson? The timing feels ideal to visit Wilson's inimitably pulsating world with a peerless company of actors."
"
August Wilson was one of the giants of the American stage," said
Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director
Barry Edelstein, "and he had a special relationship to
The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. Jitney is a prime example of what makes his gift as a playwright so unique. A simple story of working Americans and their struggles and triumphs, it's set against a huge canvas of national themes. Funny and touching and thought-provoking, Jitney is everything we want theatre to be.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, unquestionably the greatest interpreter of Wilson now at work, gives us a production that's exhilarating and that demonstrates in every moment why it won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. It's a real honor to have this work at the Globe, and I know our audience will embrace its excellence and theatrical power."
The cast includes Broadway and Wilson veteran actors
Francois Battiste as Booster (Bronx Bombers, Magic/Bird),
Harvy Blanks as Shealy (Jitney, Roundabout's Toni Stone, King Hedley II and Familiar regionally),
Amari Cheatom as Youngblood (the Globe's Skeleton Crew, On the Levee and The Book of Grace Off Broadway), Tony Award nominee
Anthony Chisholm as Fielding (Radio Golf, Two Trains Running, and Gem of the Ocean, Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga"), Brian D. Coats as Philmore (Jitney, The Brothers Paranormal Off Broadway, Marvel's "Luke Cage"),
Steven Anthony Jones as Becker (original cast of
Negro Ensemble Company's award-winning A Soldier's Play),
Nija Okoro as Rena (Blueprints to Freedom at
La Jolla Playhouse, The Legend of Georgia McBride at
Geffen Playhouse, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at
Mark Taper Forum),
Keith Randolph Smith as Doub (Water by the Spoonful at the Globe, Jitney, American Psycho, King Hedley II, Fences,
Spike Lee's Malcolm X, Girl 6), and
Ray Anthony Thomas as Turnbo (Jitney, The Crucible, and Race, Pulitzer Prize winners Water by the Spoonful and Between Riverside and Crazy).
The multiple-award-winning creative team includes
David Gallo (Scenic Design),
Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design),
Jane Cox (Lighting Design),
Darron L West and
Charles Coes (Sound Design),
Bill Sims Jr. (Original Music), Matthew Armentrout (Hair and Makeup Design), and
Thomas Schall (Fight Direction),
Caparelliotis Casting and
Nancy Piccione (Broadway Casting),
Laura Stanczyk (Additional Casting), Manhattan Theatre Club (Original Broadway Production),
Maximum Entertainment Productions (General Manager), and SenovvA Inc. (Production Supervisor).
Single tickets for
August Wilson's Jitney start at $30.00 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at
www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or at the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.
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