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Community Corner

Higgins in Harlem Premieres at Playhouse on Park

WEST HARTFORD, CT- Higgins in Harlem, a modern reimagining of George Bernard Shaw's social commentary masterpiece, Pygmalion, which was the basis for the musical My Fair Lady, makes its world-premiere at Playhouse on Park.  This comedic and endearing classic is reset in Harlem in 1938, during the Harlem Renaissance, a time when the affluent Black society of Sugar Hill found itself at odds with the uneducated Blacks of Harlem struggling through the Great Depression.  With the energy of the Jazz Age and an entirely African American cast, Higgins in Harlem promises to be a fresh and entertaining twist on a classic.

 

This incredible cast includes: Kevyn Morrow - Broadway credits include The Scarlet Pimpernel (original cast), Smokey Joe’s Café (original cast), Dreamgirls (1987 revival) and A Chorus Line (1990 closing company) along with multiple Off Broadway, film and TV credits; Bob Johnson - Black Star Rising (Pulse Theatre Ensemble), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Richmond Theatre Collection), TV: Orange is the New Black; Geri-Nikole Love - Carlisle: A Different Three Sisters (La MaMa), Film/TV: Redrum, Grasp, Purpose Built; Jeffrey Cousar - The Piano Lesson (Pottstown, PA), Film: Franny; Phyllis Bowen - Film: Zero Hour, 419, After; Xenia Gray, Aurelia Clunie, and Vanessa Butler.

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Lawrence Thelen, the playwright and director for the production, has previously written works such as Ichabod Crane Tells All, Pyramus and Thisbe, and The Third Wave. He is also the author of the book The Show Makers: Great Directors of the American Musical Theatre. Mr. Thelen has directed productions at the Ivoryton Playhouse, as well as the Cherry County Playhouse and the Thunder Bay Theatre, where he has served as Artistic Director for the latter two companies. He has also spent seven years as the Producing Associate and Literary Manager for Goodspeed Musicals.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Higgins in Harlem runs March 5th through March 23rd. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.playhouseonpark.org, or call 860-523-5900 x10. 

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