Josephine Baker Musical Comes To Toronto Fringe

Dynamite Lunchbox Entertainment of Orlando will be presenting Josephine, a burlesque cabaret dream play across Canada and The United States on a tour of 7 cities in over 3 months. The tour begins in Ottawa and then heads to Toronto for the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival. Josephine is a one-woman biographical musical that combines cabaret, theatre and dance to tell the story of the iconic Josephine Baker, the first African-American international superstar and one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th Century.

After debuting at the 2016 San Diego Fringe Festival and winning the distinctions of "Outstanding Solo Performance" and "Best Show", Josephine played three sold out runs to rave reviews in hometown Orlando Florida before starting a 2017 North American tour. The first stop was the second largest Fringe Festival in North America, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, where it was touted as the "breakout hit" of the Festival, selling out the entire run and receiving 5-star reviews from both major publications. The show then went to Indianapolis Fringe where it won "Best National Production", "Outstanding Female Performance", "Audience Choice" and "Festival Top Seller". From there, the show was selected by The Soho Playhouse in New York City to be part of the 2017 Fringe Encore series in October, 2017. Josephine was then awarded the honor of the encore series "Outstanding Production" award, and in early 2018 was offered a limited 5-week off-Broadway run at Soho Playhouse, where it sold out shows and received high critical acclaim.

All Toronto Fringe performances will take place at the Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst St, Toronto

Tickets available at https://fringetoronto.com/festivals/fringe/event/josephine-burlesque-cabaret-dream-play

Wed 4th July, 10:30 pm

Sat 7th July, 5:45 pm

Sun 8th July, 3:00 pm

Tue 10th July, 8:45 pm

Wed 11th July, 7:00 pm

Fri 13th July, 12:00 pm

Sat 14th July, 1:45 pm

About Josephine Baker- Born in St. Louis in 1906, Josephine Baker achieved only moderate success in the United States, but became an international superstar after moving to France in the early 20's. She starred alongside white romantic leading men in films in the 30's, had multiple interracial marriages and homosexual relationships, and performed in men's clothing before the term "drag" existed in the lexicon. She was also a spy for the French Resistance, a civil rights activist, and the mother of 12 adopted children from 4 continents. Her success in France and Europe often gave her the opportunity to live freely without the racial oppression of her home nation, though she never stopped yearning for acceptance in America.

Producer/Director/co-Creator Michael Marinaccio notes: "In a period of profound division in the world, we are excited to present the story of a woman who broke boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality in a time before America had begun coming to terms with the concept of diversity. You would be hard pressed to find a more remarkable human being than Josephine Baker, and it's about time that extraordinary women of color like her have their stories known."

Performer/co-Creator Tymisha Harris adds: "I am thrilled to bring the story of one of the most impactful yet often overlooked figures of the 20th Century to North American audiences. I hope Josephine's story brings people together, but telling it has made me realize not only how far we have come, but also how far we have left to go as a society with regards to racial inequality."

About the company:

Based on the life of Josephine Baker

Created by Tymisha Harris, Michael Marinaccio, and Tod Kimbro

Performed by Tymisha Harris

Directed and Produced by Michael Marinaccio

Book and Music Direction by Tod Kimbro

Stage Managed by Lindsay Taylor

Tymisha Harris, Performer/Costume Designer/Choreographer. Tymisha Harris (aka "Tush") has been performing professionally for over 20 years. Her early credits include assistant choreographer and backup dancing for the 90's pop group N*SYNC, backup dancer for LFO, multiple roles at Universal Studios Orlando, and a featured role in the hit movie series Bring It On. More recent endeavors include the national tour of Rock of Ages, a European tour with the innovative and world-renowned Pilobulus Dance Theater Company, and founding member and Assistant Director/Choreographer of the successful Orlando based troupe, VarieTease.

Michael Marinaccio, Director/Producer. Michael has been a successful Producer, Director, Actor and Teacher in Central Florida and beyond for over 20 years. A BFA Theatre Performance graduate of The University of Central Florida, Michael has participated directly in hundreds of theatrical productions. As a collaborator, he has helped create over 20 original theatre pieces, and has produced and directed dozens of new works. He is currently employed as the Festival Producer of Orlando Fringe.

Tod Kimbro, Playwright/Musical Director. Tod Kimbro has written over 25 plays and musicals since 1997, including My Illustrious Wasteland, which was presented Off-Broadway at the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival. His 2000 musical LOUD was nominated for the M Elizabeth Osborn Award, a national prize for emerging playwrights. Tod is also an accomplished pianist and singer, and has released two albums of original music.

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