Jay Z, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith Present Fela on Broadway

Urban Chameleon news

The fact that a show about the life of the Nigerian, activist, musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been brought to Broadway with the help of Jay Z, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith- is pretty spectacular! In going to see the show Fela last Saturday I would encourage you to buy your tickets today and see for yourself how unbelievably powerful this musical is. It is not to be missed!

Jay-Z, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith Have Joined ‘Fela!’ as Producers

By PATRICK HEALY

Jay-Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have signed on as producers of the new Broadway musical “Fela!” and will attend the show’s opening night at the Eugene O’Neill Theater next Monday, Nov. 23, a publicist for the production said.

“Fela!” represents the first time that Jay-Z and the Smiths have joined a producing team of a Broadway show. Their artistic involvement in the musical is bound to be minimal, given that the show is already in previews and had a critically acclaimed run Off Broadway last year.

But the presence of three high-wattage celebrities at opening night, and the likelihood that they will promote the show through television appearances and media interviews, is bound to raise the public profile of “Fela!” at a time when theatergoers have plenty of choices for Broadway musicals.

Revivals of “Ragtime,” “Finian’s Rainbow,” and “Bye Bye Birdie” opened this fall, as did the new musical “Memphis,” and the much-anticipated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” opens next month. Several musical entries from last season, like “Billy Elliot,” “Hair” and “Next to Normal,” are still going strong.

Conceived by the Tony Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones, “Fela!” centers on the life and work of the Afrobeat superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti. There are no widely known stars in the cast, which makes the involvement of Jay-Z and the Smiths even more of a boon for marketing purposes. It was not known on Monday how much money the three had invested in the musical; the three were not immediately available for interviews, said the publicist, Billy Zavelson.

He also confirmed that the opening date would be Nov. 23, as originally scheduled. At first, Jay-Z had a scheduling conflict for Nov. 23, so the 24th became an option if the Smiths could rearrange their own calendar. But the alignment of the three stars has been worked out, and all of them will be making a relatively rare red-carpet appearance on Broadway.

source from artsbeat.blog

Taboo Anyone?

by today's Urban Chameleon contributor

I had attended a dinner party on the Upper West side that a friend of mine was throwing who I had grown up with around-the-way in Brownsville. It was her coming out, "I've made it out the 'hood thank god almighty free at last!!!" party. The lobby of her new sexy pad included marble flooring, a live plant, chandelier and a doorman to announce you- even push the button to your floor in snazzy white gloves. The post Obama white people in the elevator wished you good evening as they exited and you had to chuckle at the fact that your twenty-sumptin’ girlfriend was 2 floors higher than them. I used the couple of seconds I had alone in the elevator to check myself out in the mirror adjust my Dior top and Afro then looked around noticing even the fancy details in the elevator and thought ahhhhh this is what money buys you, peace and quiet not a gun shot in sight. I have got to rework by business plan. The Zen sound of a "ding" alerted me that I had reached my floor. Just as I was looking up at the sign trying to figure out which direction was apartment 21R, the blaring sound of Jamie Foxx’s “Blame it on the Aaaal aaaaal allllcohol” was there to point me in the right direction. You really can take us out of the 'hood but you damn sure can't take the hood out of us. After having to ring and knock on the door multiple times because god-forbid someone opens the door while "their song" was bumping. I can't even front though I know I've been guilty myself of letting my cell phone go to voice mail because I was jamming to the ring-tone. When my friend finally did opened the door I was greeted with an overwhelmingly pleasant aroma of rice and peas, Jerk Chicken, Rotti, Calaloo, baked macaroni and cheese, red velvet cake all right there on 58th street and Lexington Ave.

The crowd consisted of other Manhattan islanders who cab'd it across town having too bought their ticket out the 'hood, those of us who were still trecking from the 'hood on a metro card and Prada heels and those who love the ‘hood and don’t plan to leave the hood. We were all chilling, enjoying her small but impressive balcony over looking the city as we gnawed on chicken bones being washed down with watermelon martinis (oh the irony) and grooved to the delightful tunes of Fela Kuti. After some time went by my friend announced that she bought Taboo and that we should get a game going. And just as a throw back to "Black people’s ridiculousness" we divided the teams into dark skinned verses light skinned. Now the funny thing is I don't think I've ever played a game of Taboo with a room full of just Black folks. Have yall? Cause it damn sure is a different kind of experience.

For instance some of the rounds went something like this

Clue

The thing you buy in the barber shop

Answer

DVD’s

Clue

My Drug Dealer

Answer

Pharmacist

Clue

First Black man

Answer

White House

Clue

Jewish version of the ‘hood

Answer

Anne Frank

Just mixing the intellectual with the common knowledge tip. It was an Urban Chameleon moment indeed. I just had to sit back and chuckle and shake my head on some, "My people, my people"- gotta love ‘em.

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