Vanessa Williams recently stepped into Broadway’s After Midnight, currently running at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The show, hosted by Dulé Hill (The West Wing) and conceived/directed by Jack Viertel, was recently recognized with seven Tony Award nominations, including best musical. Williams joins an illustrious roster of “Special Guest Star” performers including Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole in a summer of leading ladies with this extraordinary new production.
After Midnight takes the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapults it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. The production celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians hand-picked by living jazz legend, Wynton Marsalis. The timeless tunes set against a narrative of Langston Hughes poetry provide an authentic backdrop for an array of cutting-edge performances by 25 sensational vocalists and dancers, including special guest stars, whose interpretations shatter everything you think you know about music, nightlife and Broadway. Preview performances began October 18, 2013 with Grammy Award winner Fantasia in the company. k.d. lang stepped into the show earlier this winter, as did Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. Fantasia will return to After Midnight for a four-week return engagement leading up to the Tony Awards on June 9.
For more information and tickets, visit the show’s website.
Photography by Matthew Murphy
