Ato Blankson-Wood to Replace Wayne Brady in Ms. Blakk for President

Wayne Brady has withdrawn from the off-Broadway premiere of Ms. Blakk for President, which is scheduled to begin previews October 22 ahead of an official opening night November 8 at Vineyard Theatre (it had originally been slated to open on November 1).

“I couldn’t have imagined when I began this journey with Ms. Blakk for President two years ago that I would have to step away before we finished it together,’ Brady said in a press statement. “Unfortunately, due to vocal strain and a polyp on my vocal cords, I need to step away from the production immediately. I’ll be having a procedure very shortly, and I’m looking forward to healing and returning to the stage next year at 100%.”

Ato Blankson-Wood, who starred as Clifford Bradshaw in the last Broadway revival of Cabaret, will step into the role of Terence Alan Smith/Joan Jett Blakk, the Black drag artist who ran for president in 1992.

Written by Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Drama Desk winner Tina Landau, Ms. Blakk for President is set against the height of the AIDS crisis, with Ms. Blakk and her Queer Nation Chicago taking the floor of the 1992 Democratic National Convention that would ultimately nominate Bill Clinton.

Laudau directs the production.

In addition to Blankson-Wood, the cast includes Nic Ashe, Tony Award nominee Gideon Glick, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sawyer Smith, and Adina Verson.