PBS’ ‘Black Broadway’ features a who’s who of contemporary stage talent
An impressive assemblage of Black stage talent blows the roof off in a concert special coming to PBS.
In “Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future,” premiering Tuesday, Feb. 28 (check local listings), artists including Nova Payton, Corbin Bleu, Stephanie Mills, Norm Lewis, Nikki Renee Daniels and Amber Iman take the stage at Cramton Auditorium at Howard University in Washington, D.C., to perform selections from such iconic shows as “The Wiz,” “Ain’t Misbahavin’,” “Porgy and Bess” and “The Color Purple,” accompanied by the American Pops Orchestra.
So in the two-hour special that was taped this past October, viewers will be treated to classics such as “Come Rain or Come Shine” (from “St. Louis Woman”), “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ “(“Porgy and Bess”), “Being Alive” (“Company”) and “I Am Telling You” (“Dreamgirls”).
For Payton, the evening was special, not only because she got to perform a showstopping rendition of “I Am Telling You,” but also it came on her home turf of Howard, where she was in her first stage production at age 3 and where she now teaches in the voice program.
“I felt like we were at a rock concert,” she reports, “and the reason why I say that is because it was just the most exhilarating feeling, like the energy in the building (was) unmatched . ... I try to explain to people that the audience are just as much a part of the show as we are, and whatever you give us, that helps us to put out more. So the audience came and gave us a show, so we were able to give them a show. So it was amazing.”
The atmosphere also extended to the wings, where the performers watched, supported and cheered one another on with every number. And Payton, who was also a producer here, got to make a few new friends, catch up with old ones and soak it all in.
“It’s one of those things where it’s almost like you dream of doing ...,” she says. “So to be able to bring this show to my hometown to be recorded in what I consider one of my home theaters is amazing, with artists that are just so talented and so great to collaborate with.”