NewsPHOTO CALL: Jan Maxwell, Holly Hunter, John Cullum, Katie Finneran, Lucy DeVito Celebrate the New Group's Rasheeda SpeakingThe New Group’s Off-Broadway production of Joel Drake Johnson's Rasheeda Speaking, starring Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change) and Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest (“Bullets Over Broadway”), officially opened Feb. 11 following previews that began Jan. 27.
By
Matthew Blank
February 12, 2015
Helmed by Tony winner Cynthia Nixon, who is making her directorial debut, Rasheeda Speaking examines racial tensions in the workplace, playing at the Pershing Square Signature Theatre through March 22.
0
of
Jan Maxwell, Holly Hunter, John Cullum, Katie Finneran, Lucy DeVito Celebrate the New Group's Rasheeda Speaking
According to the New Group, "Despite their differences, Ileen (Dianne Wiest) and Jaclyn (Tonya Pinkins) have developed a real bond in the six months they’ve worked together at the front desk of Dr. Williams’ office. When the doctor decides to get rid of Jaclyn, he enlists Ileen to help him find fault with her. Jaclyn, sensing betrayal, turns the tables, unleashing a chilling power struggle in this incisive and crisply funny look at the unspoken tensions buried inside our 'post-racial' America."
The production features set design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton and sound design and original music by David Van Tieghem.
Next year, Carnegie Hall's house band will perform Bernstein’s “Kaddish” Symphony, unfinished works by Schubert, and the final concert of Conductor Bernard Labadie.