Vivica A. Fox brings her 2001 film “Two Can Play That Game” to the stage of the Bob Carr Theater today.
Actress Vivica A. Fox reaches millions through her role as Cookie’s sister on TV’s “Empire.” She reaches far smaller audiences through the stage version of “Two Can Play That Game,” her 2001 film, but she hopes patrons take a vital message.
“I just want them to enjoy black theater more than anything else and support black theater,” Fox said in a phone interview Thursday. “Everybody is just so ready to watch things on their telephone or their computer. I want them to learn it’s OK to go out and enjoy a night at the theater.”
The stage version of “Two Can Play That Game” will be performed at 5 p.m. today at the Bob Carr Theater in downtown Orlando. Tickets, which start at $59.50, are available at drphillipscenter .org.
The romantic comedy has a serious theme, Fox says: “Always value your relationship. If there’s someone you really care about, treasure that relationship.”
The play tour is several months, and Fox said she has a lot of say as a co-producer. She jumped at the chance to reprise her character, career woman Shanté Smith. “The film has become like a cult classic,” she said. “Guys love it, girls love it. I was like, ‘OK, Shanté will live on,’ and there’s no one else that could have played that part but me.”
The stage play, however, has new characters. Shanté’s boyfriend Keith (Andra Fuller) now has competition from Bill Parker (Gary Dourdan of “CSI”). The Orlando cast includes Carl Payne, Towanda Braxton, Brely Evans, Mike Strong and Vivian Green. Je’Caryous Johnson adapted the film for stage.
The stage version has been updated to include social media and Netflix. “We still kept 75 percent of the original movie storylines,” Fox said, describing the plot as still “a battle of the sexes in the game of love.”
The actress described her role as Candace, sister of Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) on Fox’s “Empire,” as a blessing.
“This is the first time Taraji and I have shared the screen. I’ve known her for 15 years,” Fox said. “Going there is like a family reunion.”
She said she has known Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollett and creator Lee Daniels for years as well. “It’s so easy for us to work together because we have built up chemistry,” she added.
Fox said her five favorite film roles are “Set It Off, “Two Can Play That Game,” “Kill Bill,” “Independence Day” and “Soul Food.”
She has worked with producer Harvey Weinstein, who’s now embroiled in scandal.
“He treated me with respect,” she said. “By no means do I excuse the chaos that he created for himself. He definitely needs to get counseling and get help.”
Fox gained more fans by working with Larry David on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “I learned to put on my big girl boots and my producer hat,” she said. “When you ad-lib, you’ve got to come up with your own script basically, you’ve got to have on your big girl boots, ’cause Mr. David will let you know if it’s not funny. You just had to take it and get better, to be creative and to think outside your box and to take chances.”
She has at least five projects coming out in the next six months to a year, and she has a book called “Every Day I’m Hustling” to be released in May.
“I love what I do. I’ve planted so many seeds for a couple of years,” she said. “Because being a woman in my 50s, usually that’s when they want to take ladies and put them out to pasture.”
She said she’s here to prove that wrong. “I’m having a resurgence in my career,” she said, “and I’m very grateful to all my fans for their amazing support.”