“We can do better every day, in every city, with every orchestra, with every theater company, and we just have to keep holding the feet to the fire,” American Pops Orchestra founder and music director Luke Frazier said during a TCA press conference to promote Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future. The concert event was filmed at Howard University and showcases some of the most talented Black performers to have blessed New York City’s historic theater district with their talent. But after a live performance by several of the participants, the conversation quickly turned to what we as theatergoers and patrons can do to help make the diversity on stage more reflective of the world we live in. “One of my favorite phrases to tell college students, the final salutation is ‘Raise hell.’ And that’s kind of what I think the future of the arts is. because we can do that because it’s just getting better. And in these hands, it’s the best.” T he best will be featured in the concert film, premiering Tuesday, February 28th at 8/7c on PBS (check local station showtimes in case it varies).
(Rahoul Ghose/PBS)
“[We] had the opportunity to introduce a new musical that’s about to be on Broadway, Goddess, which Amber Iman is in,” revealed performer Nova Y. Payton, who dazzled attendees with a show-stopping rendition of “And I Am Telling You” from Dreamgirls. “[Amber] brought that to the table, which was great because it does show the future of Broadway. Black, in all of its Blackness and beauty.” Nova has seen first-hand how much progress has been made in the theater since her college years. “There were songs that I would bring to my professors, and there were songs that weren't sung originally or cast by people of color, and I was told I would never be cast as that. And that was in the Nineties. So to think now there are so many roles that are casting women of color and men of color that weren't originally that in the beginning when they first came out, I wouldn’t mind doing like Mama Rose,” she shared of a dream project, Gypsy. However, all agreed that she will need to wait until she’s old enough to play the ultimate stage mother.
Black Broadway is a celebration of Black joy in the theatrical space, which is something that hasn’t always been easy to find. “I am always grateful when we have representation and have the opportunity to tell the stories; it’s important that we remember our history,” shared Corbin Bleu, who made a name for himself in Disney’s High School Musical franchise and has since gone on to numerous starring roles in stage musicals. “But there are times where I watch and I go, ‘I can’t watch another slave movie.’ I can’t do it. And what happens is that becomes the mindset, that if we’re going to see a show with predominantly Black people, that we are going to see struggle. And we don’t always want to go to see a show of struggle. That’s usually why we’re going to see entertainment. It’s because we need to forget. We need to be able to escape. We need to be able to just have two and a half hours to just live in someone else’s shoes and walk away maybe feeling good.”
Good feelings are what this show is all about, ones that were present backstage in addition to what the audience experienced. “I get to be in the room with almost 50 young Black artists every day working in the BFA Musical Theater Program, but it was nice to be able to do it with my colleagues,” expressed featured conductor Brittany Chanel Johnson of Howard University. “Because we were able to spend time in the community, we were then able to, when it was time for filming, there was a different energy that we were able to bring to this space and it married with the energy of the audience, and that really just makes something magical.”
“I’m all about giving artists a chance to do something they'd like to do,” Luke Frazier said of his collaborative approach to structuring each concert special he creates for PBS. From song selection to orchestrations, he’s fairly hands-off for a music director. However, there was one exception when it came to this presentation – the song that would close the show, joyous number from The Wiz. “We could have ended with ‘And I Am Telling You.’ I mean, that just brought the house down tonight. But isn't it fun to highlight these college kids that are going to be the next ‘And I Am Telling You’? And it’s not the predictable model. Most folks would have ended with one of those three numbers… What [Brittany] brought out of the students in that finale, it was incredible and I can’t wait for you all to see. ‘And I Am Telling You’ is a great ending, but watch what she brought out of that orchestra and those students for ‘Brand New Day.’”
Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future airs Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 8 p.m. ET (Please check your local listings).