COMPLETE CAST ANNOUNCED FOR PROSPECT THEATER’S “THE OSCAR MICHEAUX SUITE”

Press Contact:

Michael Jorgensen
michael@jorgensenpr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR
PROSPECT THEATER COMPANY’S

WORK-IN-PROCESS CONCERT PRESENTATION OF

“THE OSCAR MICHEAUX SUITE”

PART OF PROSPECT’S IGNITE SERIES

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY GRAMMY NOMINATED JAZZ ARTIST
ALPHONSO HORNE


CAST INCLUDES

JELANI REMY
FELICIA BOSWELL
JAMES HARKNESS
DARIUS ANTHONY HARPER
TAYLOR SYMONE JACKSON



MARCH 26 & 27
AT 59E59 THEATERS


HEADSHOTS & IMAGERY AVAILABLE HERE


New York, NY (March 17, 2022) – Prospect Theater Company (Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director; Melissa Huber, Managing Director) announced today the complete casting for their upcoming work-in-process concert presentation of The Oscar Micheaux Suite. The next event in Prospect’s IGNITE Concert Series, an ongoing initiative which features today’s new voices shaping tomorrow’s musical theater, the concert performances of The Oscar Micheaux Suite will take place on Saturday, March 26th at 2pm & 7pm, and Sunday, March 27th at 2pm at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street).

Leading the cast singing the role of Oscar Micheaux is Jelani Remy (Ain’t Too Proud, The Lion King), who is joined by Felicia Boswell (Emojiland, Shuffle Along), Grammy Award nominee James Harkness (Ain’t Too Proud), Darius Anthony Harper (Kinky Boots), and Taylor Symone Jackson (Ain’t Too Proud).

The Oscar Micheaux Suite is a special event featuring a six-piece jazz ensemble as well as featured vocalists, debuting new songs from a jazz musical in development. The music is composed by multi-Grammy Award nominated jazz artist Alphonso Horne, who is also the bandleader and will play trumpet for the engagement. Lyrics are by Jesse L. Kearney, Jr. and Peter Mills. The concert director is Kimille Howard.

The band for The Oscar Micheaux Suite is comprised of Jonathan Beshay (Reeds), Victor Gould (Piano), Jerrick Matthews (Trombone), Jonathan Michel (Bass), and Jay Sawyer (Drums).

The Oscar Micheaux Suite is inspired by the life and work of Oscar Micheaux, America's first major Black filmmaker. Micheaux’s groundbreaking films focused on contemporary Black life in the first half of the 20th century, racial relationships, and the struggle of African Americans trying to achieve success. He sought to create films that would counter white portrayals of African Americans, and used the emerging art form of silent film to push back against the racism of early Hollywood, representing stories from Black experience. The Oscar Micheaux Suite aims to illuminate his legacy – but also spark dialogue about the history of America's ongoing struggle for racial equality, including representation on stage.

The Oscar Micheaux Project is honored to have been selected for a developmental residency at the 2022 Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, one of the premier writers' residencies in the nation. The JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed provides a sanctuary for composers, lyricists, and librettists to embark on new musical theater work in an environment rich with creative energy.

Composer Alphonso Horne was awarded a 2022 Individual Artists Composer Commission by the New York State Council on the Arts, to continue the development of the score and orchestrations for this original jazz musical. NYSCA’s Individual Artists Program venerates the power of the individual by supporting composers, theatre artists, and film and media makers, enabling them to successfully realize their visions, and is made possible by support from Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

Tickets ($40) are now available and can be purchased by visiting 59e59.org or by calling 646-892-7999. Student Rush tickets and ’30 & Under’ Membership tickets are also available.

For more information, please visit ProspectTheater.org.


BIOGRAPHIES

OSCAR MICHEAUX (1884-1951) was the quintessential self-made man. Novelist, filmmaker, and relentless self-promoter, Micheaux was born on a farm near Murphysboro, Illinois. He worked as a Pullman porter and then in 1904 homesteaded nearly 500 acres of land in South Dakota. During his lifetime, he wrote and published seven novels and was the author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Micheaux is regarded as the first major African American feature filmmaker, and has been described as “the most successful African American filmmaker of the first half of the 20th century,” producing both silent films and sound films.

JELANI REMY (Actor) is a New Jersey native that attended Montclair State University. He was last seen on Broadway playing the role of Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations! Jelani made his Broadway debut playing the role Simba in Disney’s The Lion King as well as on the National Tour and Las Vegas productions. Prior shows include High School Musical (National Tour), High School Musical 2! (Fox Theater), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Off-Broadway), The Apple Boys (Off-Broadway), Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale, and is a Papermill Playhouse Rising Star alumni. When not performing, he enjoys directing, choreographing, and teaching musical theater to schools, aspiring performers, and arts programs.

FELICIA BOSWELL (Actor). Emmy Winner & Grammy Nominee (NBC's “Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE”), 2x Helen Hayes Award Winner (Outstanding Lead Actress/ Musical), BWW Winner (Best Lead Actress), Jeff Award (Best Supporting Actress nom) Suzi Bass (Best Lead Actress nom). Broadway: Shuffle Along (Josephine Baker); Motown (Diana Ross); Memphis (Felicia Farrell). Nat'l Tour: Memphis (Felicia Farrell); Dreamgirls (Deena). Off-Broadway: Emojiland (Police Officer); Little Rock (Minniejean Brown). TV: “Power” (Melissa) STARZ; “The Good Fight” (Lace) CBS; “Evil” (Paramount+); Macy’s Day Parade (Diana Ross) Motown; “Last Week w/John Oliver”. Regional highlights: The Color Purple (Celie) Portland Center Stage; Jelly's Last Jam (Anita) Signature Theatre; Medea (Medea) Bay St Theatre; Too Heavy For Your Pocket (Evelyn) George St Playhouse; Brooklyn the Musical (ParaDice) Broadway On Demand; Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene) Paramount Theatre; Aida (Aida) Sandler Center; Into The Woods (Baker’s Wife) City Springs Theatre; Man of La Mancha (Aldonza) Barrington Stage; Rent (Mimi) Atlanta Lyric; Caroline, or Change, Guthrie Theatre; Raisin In The Sun (Ruth); Piano Lesson (Berniece); Joe Turner's Come & Gone (Molly Cunningham); SOUL: Stax Musical (Carla Thomas); Mandela (Zindzi) ASCAP; Midwives (Charlotte) GSPlayhouse; Come Find Me (Carol) York Theater; A Quiet World (Marianne) Lincoln Center.

JAMES HARKNESS (Actor). Born in El Paso, Texas, James has been on a diverse journey from dancer to choreographer to director to singer/songwriter and other stuff in between. His career has taken him from the West Coast to the East as well as several continents around this world. From non-paying jobs to the bright starry lights of the Broadway stage, with film and TV in between, he is happy to be a working artist. Credits include: Broadway – Ain’t Too Proud (Grammy nominee), Aida, The Color Purple; Film – North, The Mend; TV – “Blue Bloods”, “Law & Order”, “Le James Café”; Creative – The Color Purple (regional), Best Director nominee.


DARIUS ANTHONY HARPER (Actor). Originally a New Hampshire native, Darius would attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. He would go on to work for the Disney company both nationally and in Tokyo, Japan. Darius was an original cast member in both The Book of Mormon (Chicago), and the Kinky Boots 1st National Tour (Lola). Other credits include: Kinky Boots (Fulton), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Arkansas Rep), A Grand Night for Singing (Goodspeed), and Grease (Merry Go Round). Most recently Darius originated a role with Cirque Du Soleil (Volta).


TAYLOR SYMONE JACKSON (Actor) was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up in an artistically influenced household she was introduced to the arts quite early. She began taking dance, acting, and violin lessons at Spelman College at the age of five. Taylor knew from such a thrilling introduction that the Arts would always have a place in her heart. She began teaching tap jazz and ballet in middle school and later started dancing at the Atlanta Ballet. She then went on to attend Carver School of the Arts for the majors of Dance and Theater. After graduating High School, she attended AMDA in New York City. Shortly after graduating she worked at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for six months and finally booked her first Original Broadway show Ain’t Too Proud- The Life and Times of The Temptations.

ALPHONSO HORNE (Composer/Bandleader). Juilliard Graduate and Multi-Grammy Award nominee Alphonso Horne thrills audiences with his soulful sound and dramatic sensibility. He has collaborated with artists from all genres and disciplines including Wynton Marsalis, Patti LaBelle, and Rihanna, and has performed in several Broadway shows including After Midnight and Shuffle Along, featuring guest artists Fantasia Barrino, Dulé Hill, Audra McDonald, Savion Glover, and more. Alphonso has been seen on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Saturday Night Live,” and in the jazz biopic, Bolden. Currently Horne is involved with many projects including playing with Sammy Miller and the Congregation (residency at Ars Nova, 2017). He is the bandleader of an early jazz band: Gotham Kings, which performs regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is writing / producing his original show Mother Kofi: The Tale of An African Princess. He is the recipient of a 2022 NYSCA Composer Commissioning Grant for The Oscar Micheaux Project.

JESSE L. KEARNEY, JR. (Lyrics) is an award-winning playwright. Honors include the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop, and the Jonathan Larson Musical Theater Fellowship through the Dramatist Guild, and the Lazarus Family Musical Theater Award. His musical, The Little Playhouse, received a workshop production at Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab / American Living Room Series. He wrote book and lyrics for The Lion In Love (music: Brian Feinstein), and book for The Blind Man (lyrics: Peter Mills / music: Deborah Abramson) based on a story by D.H. Lawrence. His songs have been featured at cabaret venues around NYC, including Joe’s Pub. Mr. Kearney is co-founder and General Counsel of The STAGE Network, a streaming media platform devoted to the performing arts. J.D.: New York Law School. MFA: NYU Musical Theater Writing Program. BA: Dartmouth. Member: Dramatists Guild. 2022 participant in The Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals.

PETER MILLS (Lyrics). A celebrated lyricist, composer, and bookwriter, Peter Mills has been honored to receive the Kleban Prize for lyrics, the Cole Porter Award from ASCAP, and the Fred Ebb Award, among other recognition of his work. He received 2019 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for his original score for the Off-Broadway hit The Hello Girls which premiered with Prospect Theater Company at 59E59. He has penned more than a dozen musicals, and his shows have been performed at regional venues across the U.S., and internationally. He also wrote lyrics for The Honeymooners, which premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse. He has been a faculty member at the NYU's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program (where he received his MFA), and Princeton's Lewis Center for the Arts & the PIIRS Global Seminar Program.

KIMILLE HOWARD (Director) is an Assistant Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera, Artistic Director of the Lucille Lortel Theatre’s NYC Public High School Playwriting Fellowship, and co-founder of the Black Classical Music Archive. Recent directing credits: Night Trip (Opera NexGen), The Visit (ECU), The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson (Glimmerglass), L’Amant Anonyme (Wolf Trap Opera), Death By Life: a live virtual opera (White Snake Projects), In The Open (WCSU), Soil Beneath (Primary Stages/59E59), $#!thole Country Clapback (Loading Dock Theatre), The Fellowship Plays (Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation), Low Power (EST), Skeleton Crew (TheatreSquared), and TRIGGERED (Cherry Lane Theatre). Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud (Assistant Director). Met Opera: Porgy And Bess and Tosca (Assistant Stage Director). Recent Fellowships: NYTW 2050 Fellowship, MTC Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship, current member of The New Georges Directors Jam, and a participant in New York Stage and Film’s inaugural NYSAF NEXUS project. UPCOMING: Highway 1, USA (IU Opera), Tosca (Assistant Stage Directing - The Met), Quamino’s Map (Chicago Opera Theater).


ABOUT 59E59 THEATERS

59E59 THEATERS was established by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation in 2004 to grant professional space and expertise to non-profit theater companies premiering their work in New York City. Under the leadership of Val Day, Artistic Director, and Brian Beirne, Managing Director, 59E59 Theaters presents a year-round curated program of Off Broadway plays and musicals that are nurtured and supported through highly-subsidized rental rates as well as production, ticketing, FOH, marketing, and press support.


ABOUT PROSPECT THEATER COMPANY

PROSPECT THEATER COMPANY is dedicated to fostering and showcasing today's new voices shaping tomorrow's musicals. Over two decades, the company has premiered more than 35 musicals in New York City, in addition to new plays and numerous re-inventions of classic works. Reflecting its investment in the future of the field, Prospect leads a variety of developmental initiatives: including an annual Musical Theater Lab for emerging writers, and the IGNITE Series of new musical theater in concert. In 2020, Prospect launched the VISION Series of original music-theater works on film, created for online streaming. In recognition of its enterprising and risk-taking new musical theater, the company has received an OBIE Award grant, and its role as a community anchor for emerging artists that strengthens the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theater was honored by the American Theatre Wing.

Recently, Prospect produced the Drama Desk Award-nominated Einstein’s Dreams (2019) by Joanne Sydney Lessner & Joshua Rosenblum, adapted from the novel by Alan Lightman, and The Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated The Hello Girls (2018), by company founding artists Peter Mills & Cara Reichel. Both shows ran Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters, and have original cast albums available from Broadway Records. Other notable productions include: Kerrigan & Lowdermilk's The Mad Ones (2017); Milburn & Vigoda's Long Story Short (2015); Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Foster's Jasper in Deadland (2014); the Drama Desk nominated Tamar of the River (2013) by Joshua H. Cohen and Marisa Michelson; Carner & Gregor's Unlock'd (2013); Gordon Greenberg's revisal of Working (Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Ensemble, 2012) including new songs by Lin Manuel Miranda; Elizabeth Lucas' re-imagining of Guettel's Myths and Hymns (2012); and John Gregor's With Glee (2010).


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