John Legend and More Welcome August Wilson's Jitney to Broadway
(© David Gordon)
August Wilson's Jitney celebrated its opening night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on January 19. Directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney is presented by Manhattan Theatre Club.
Set in the 1970s, Jitney follows a group of men trying to eke out a living by driving unlicensed cabs. When the city threatens to board up the business and the boss's son returns from prison, tempers flare, potent secrets are revealed, and the fragile threads binding these people together may come undone at last.
The play's ensemble features Harvy Blanks (Jitney in WNYC's Greene Space American Century Cycle recording) as Shealy, Anthony Chisholm (Radio Golf) as Fielding, Brandon J. Dirden (All the Way) as Booster, André Holland (Joe Turner's Come and Gone) as Youngblood, Carra Patterson (Wit) as Rena, Michael Potts (The Book of Mormon) as Turnbo, Keith Randolph Smith (American Psycho) as Doub, Ray Anthony Thomas (The Crucible) as Philmore, and John Douglas Thompson (A Time to Kill) as Becker.
The creative team for Jitney includes David Gallo (scenic design), Toni-Leslie James (costume design), Jane Cox (lighting design), Darron L. West (sound design), Bill Sims Jr. (original music), and Thomas Schall (fight director).
