Previews: JOSEPHINE at Straz Center

Coming to Straz Center on April 28 & 29 is Josephine, a biographical musical featuring cabaret, theater, and dance to tell the story and legacy of Josephine Baker, the first African-American global superstar. Josephine demonstrates how she shattered stereotypes of race, gender roles, and sexuality to become one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century.

Co-Written by Tod Kimbro and Michael Marinaccio, Tymisha Harris stars in the title role. The musical tells the story of Josephine's journey from her humble beginnings in St. Louis to her rise to stardom in Paris, her assistance in the second world war, and beyond. It is a story of courage, determination, and the power of the human spirit.

Tymisha said that she enjoys breaking the fourth wall and inviting the audience into the story they were about to go on.

"I take the essence that makes Josephine special. She wasn't afraid to go into the audience and break those barriers. She made people feel at ease as a great storyteller. I try to bring that into my portrayal of her. Josephine had that bigger than the room, bigger than life energy. It's amazing for people to see and feel that. If I'm able to give people a glimpse of that, I hope it transforms us all. I believe telling her story is important because she changed history for women who looked like me for the whole world, honestly.

"I believe her story has so much weight to our history, and she was trying to cross barriers. I feel like her story has so much relevance to our times."

The French government recently released documents showing how integral Josephine was to WWII. She performed for the Nazis while the Allies snuck information past them.

"I hope Americans understand that this lady left America so that she could feel free. Josephine still kept coming back to try to bridge those gaps and have an understanding. First, they didn't want her because she sounded like a bird in a cage, then they didn't want her back because she was trying to speak up for civil rights. She was the only woman to speak at the (Civil Rights) March. Her story is impactful and has become muted throughout history in our textbooks and lessons. Americans didn't get to see her as much in her glory as Europe did. They have this wonderful recollection of her. Some folks have never heard of her in North America. It's very important to me to get her history out there and tell it in a beautiful way that, hopefully, moves and inspires people."

Tymisha explained that they used several excerpts taken directly from the words of Josephine.

Her favorite line in the play is right before Josephine walks out of the Manhattan Stork Club after watching white patrons being served, while an hour after placing their orders, she and her guest are ignored.

"Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free."

Tymisha's ultimate goal is to bring Josephine to Broadway. She said she hopes the show will have people reevaluating how they treat one another with its theme about living life beautifully and to the fullest. She loves hearing the audience's reaction to the true story.

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I didn't think I would learn all of these things. The unexpected part is what I love for people to experience because, hopefully, it goes back and sparks something in them to go and be inspired to go home and do history checks. In this fast-paced world, who are we leaving behind?"

Josephine runs April 28 & 29 at the Straz Center. The show contains adult content and nudity. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.strazcenter.org/events/2223-season/theater/josephine.

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