FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
The Musical Hit Lives Again!
The Classical Theater of Harlem To Present
Melvin Van Peebles’
June 3, 2008
The Classical Theater of
Harlem (CTH) will present their critically acclaimed production of AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH
outdoors in city parks throughout New York City. This will be the first time
that Melvin Van Peebles' landmark musical will be performed in Brooklyn and the
Bronx. Performances will be on July 25th & 26th at
Von King Park (Brooklyn), July 29th, August 1st & 2nd
in Marcus Garvey Park (Manhattan), August 8th & 9th
at East River Park (Manhattan) and August 15th & 16th
in St. Mary's Park (the Bronx). All performances are free to the public. The
show is part of the third season of City Parks Foundation’s (CPF) CityParks
Theater Presented by Time Warner.
About The Play
A totally unique fiction
form, AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH is a gutsy, lusty narrative
of Black street life that explores every aspect of ghetto life. Peopled by
junkies, pimps, drag queens, crooked cops, lovers, and dreamers, Van Peebles'
play is considered a tradition-shattering and trend-setting work that spawned
the choreopoem, spoken word, and rap music. AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE was a
huge hit on Broadway in its original inception, where it was nominated for
seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The recent off-Broadway revival at the Classical Theatre of Harlem
garnered 7 AUDELCO Awards and received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Revival
of a Musical. The show has been touring
the country and is now returning to New York, the city where it is set.
The press was unanimous in
their praise of this new production of AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH
when it ran off-Broadway in 2006. The New York Times said, “This early
precursor to hip-hop, rap and poetry slams is a get-down, roiling depiction of
ghetto life” and goes on to say that the show, “explodes like a round of
mini-riots... [a] streetwise lava flow… this funky assault on the senses
retains its raucous bite several decades after its first incarnation.” The
Amsterdam News said that “AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH is
kicking butt and taking numbers… sit down and wait to be mesmerized.” The Black
Star News wrote, “Van Peebles takes his audience on a real life journey through
a subliminal time machine, masterfully luring his unsuspecting subjects – the
audience – into the regurgitating belly of the beast which is Black street life
in the early 1970s.” And Show Business Weekly said, “In a climate of mostly
tame musical theatre, this Natural remedy for the Broadway blues couldn’t be
more timely.”
"This play couldn't be
more timely," said Alfred Preisser, Artistic Director of the Classical
Theatre of Harlem and the director of this production. "The Sean Bell
shooting incident that recently tore the city apart is distressingly similar to
the centerpiece of AIN'T. Many of the problems discussed in the show are
still very much a part of daily life in New York." CTH is bringing the
play directly to the people that will be depicted on stage, and offering it to
them free of charge.
The cast for AIN’T
SUPPOSED TO DIE includes Charles Browning, Andrea Cosley, Cherrye Davis,
Keith Jamal Downing, Tracy Jack, Kimberly Dalton Mitchell, Taharaqua Patterson,
Libya Pugh, James Singletary, Chazz Reuben, Willie Teacher, and Reji Woods.
About Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles is
best known as the “godfather of independent film and modem black cinema,” and
he has also distinguished himself in an impressive list of other mediums,
including the theater, where his work has garnered nine Tony Award nominations,
seven of them for the original Broadway production of AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE. A new documentary about his life, “How To
Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It)” premiered at the Film
Forum on January 20th and will soon be released in theaters nationwide. Mr. Van Peebles' latest film, Confessionsofa
Ex-Doofus-Itchyfooted Mutha, premiered at the TriBeca Film Festival last
month and is now touring the country.
About The Classical Theatre
of Harlem
Since being co-founded
in 1999 by Alfred Preisser and Christopher McElroen, the Classical Theatre of
Harlem has staged thirty-six productions, which have included numerous works by
Shakespeare, Melvin Van Peebles’ AIN’T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH and
Jean Genet’s seminal political drama, THE BLACKS: A CLOWN SHOW. The
Classical Theatre of Harlem is dedicated to producing theatre that truly
reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry of New York City. Their
long list of awards includes 5 OBIE Awards, 2 Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama
Desk Award and the Edwin Booth Award for Artistic Excellence, among many
others. Their most recent work includes
Langston Hughes’ BLACK NATIVITY presented by the New 42nd Street and a
site specific production of Samuel Beckett’s WAITING FOR GODOT staged
outdoors in the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods of New Orleans.
About CityParks Theater
CityParks Theater
Presented by Time Warner was offered for the first time in 2006, beginning an
annual summertime presentation of free theater in city parks. For the 2008
season, CPF is working with several New York City theater groups to create
“park residencies” offering performances and hands-on workshops for adults and
children. For more information visit www.CityParksFoundation.org or call (212)
360-8290.
City Parks Foundation is
the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer programming in parks
throughout the five boroughs of New York City. By creating free arts, sports
and educational programs in over 700 public parks, and by encouraging community
development within public parks as a focal point, City Parks Foundation helps to
revitalize not only parks but also the neighborhoods that surround them. Its
programs and community-building initiatives now reach more than 600,000 New
Yorkers each year contributing to the renewal of neighborhoods throughout New
York City with a particular focus on some of the city's most underserved areas.
The Classical Theatre of Harlem is pleased to be part of the third season
presented by Time Warner. For more information on City Parks Foundation, visit
their web site at www.CityParksFoundation.org.
AIN’T
SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH will begin performances on
Friday, July 25th, and will continue through Saturday, August 16th.
Tickets are free. For more information,
visit their web site at www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org.
AIN’T
SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL
DEATH
A musical by Melvin Van
Peebles
Directed by Alfred Preisser
Outdoors and FREE to the public
SCHEDULE:
July 25th &
26th at Von King Park (Bedford
Stuyvesant, Brooklyn)
July 29th,
August 1st & 2nd in Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem,
Madison Avenue and 123rd Street)
August 8th &
9th at East River Park (Manhattan, Lower East Side)
August 15th
& 16th in St. Mary's Park (the Bronx, East 143rd
Street)
All
performances are at 8pm
For more
information please visit www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org