Greetings! Attention! The National Action Network will present free holiday meals at the House of Justice Auditorium, 106 W. 145th St., at Lenox Avenue, on Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pass the word!
We also welcome the creator of Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba, Dr. Maulana Karenga, to New York City to celebrate Kwanzaa 2011. See you at the world famous Apollo Theater for our Kwanzaa “Regeneration Nite”!
Merry Christmas and happy Kwanzaa!
Theater
- Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett and Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson star in the Broadway debut of “The Mountaintop,” Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning drama, directed by Tony Award nominee Kenny Leon (“Fences,” “A Raisin in the Sun”). Featuring original music by Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and Tony Award nominee Branford Marsalis. At the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St. For tickets, visit Telecharge.com.
- “Black Angels Over Tuskegee,” the story of the pioneering first African-American fighter pilots, now playing at the Actors Temple Theatre, 339 W. 47th St. between Eighth and Ninth avenues. For tickets, call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.
- Alicia Keys presents “Stick Fly” (“When it comes to family…you’re stuck”), a new play by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Kenny Leon. Now playing at the Cort Theatre on Broadway, 138 W. 48th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Join Keys for an intimate post-show conversation Sun., Jan. 8, 2012. For tickets, call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.
- The Gershwins’ “Porgy & Bess” on Broadway with its classic song repertoire, including “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “I Got Plenty of Nothing,” featuring four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier. At the Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St. Previews playing now; the production opens Jan. 12, 2012. For tickets and information, call (877) 250-2929 or visit www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com.
- Whoopi Goldberg’s “Sister Act,” the stage musical based on the 1992 movie of the same name, features funky, soulful songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater and the dynamic debut of Patina Miller. At the Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway. For more information, visit www.sisteractbroadway.com.
- “Mama, I Want to Sing: The Next Generation,” by Vy Higginsen, with original music by Wesley Naylor. Now playing at the Dempsey Theater, 127 W. 127th St. between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Malcolm X boulevards. For more information and tickets, call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com or mamafoundation.org.
Music
- B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill presents Kurtis Blow Fri., Dec, 23; The Wailers, Tues., Dec. 27; and Chuck Berry, “The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” on New Year’s Eve, Sat., Dec. 31. 237 W. 42nd St. For more information, call (212) 997-4144 or visit www.bbkingblues.com.
- New Edition: one night only! Jan 1, 2012, at 8 p.m. at the Paradise Theatre, 2403 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. For more information and tickets, call (718) 220-1015, email info@paradisetheatreevents.com or visit www.paradisetheatreevents.com.
Holiday Highlights
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to New York City Center now through Jan. 1, 2012. Enjoy premieres, new productions and returning audience favorites, including “Revelations,” in exciting new full-theater presentations. City Center, West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues in Midtown Manhattan. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org/citycenter.
- The Apollo Theater presents the fifth annual “Regeneration Nite,” a Kwanzaa celebration, featuring brilliant New York-based dance company Abdel Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre celebrating their 30th anniversary with an evening of dance and music honoring the principles of Kwanzaa. Also featuring jazz trombonist Craig Harris and the Tailgaters Tales, Michael Wimberly, Yacuba Sissko and young dancers from the Harlem Childrens Zone/Forces of Nature Youth Academy, hosted by New York City radio personality Imhotep Gary Byrd. Fri., Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call (212) 531-5305 or 1-800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. Family packs available. For more information, visit www.apollotheater.org.
- The American Museum of Natural History presents “Kwanzaa 2011!” with performances of song, dance and spoken word and an international marketplace. Dec. 31, 12-4 p.m. in the Hall of Ocean Life. This year’s event features storyteller Linda Humes as master of ceremonies, the dynamic African-Caribbean performing group Something Positive Inc. and other exciting presenters. Free with museum admission. Central Park West at 79th Street (enter at 77th Street). For details, call (212) 769-5315.
Exhibitions
- “Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition,” two weeks only through Jan. 2, 2012. Witness the oldest, best-preserved parchment scroll of the 10 commandments. At Discovery Times Square, 225 W. 44th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues. For tickets and information, call (866) 987-9692 or visit www.discoveryts.com.
- Skylight Gallery of the Center for Arts & Culture of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation presents “Her Word as Witness: Portraits of Women Writers of the African Diaspora,” created and photographed by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn. On view now through March 31, 2012. Skylight Gallery is located at 1368 Fulton St. between Brooklyn and New York avenues in Bed-Stuy. Take the A/C train to Nostrand Avenue. For more information, call (718) 636-6949 or (646) 573-2422 or visit www.restorationplaza.org.
Community
- The National Association of Kawaida Organizations presents “Kwanzaa and the Principles, Sharing and Sustaining the World,” Tues., Dec. 27, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Celebrate the 45th anniversary of Kwanzaa with the creator of Kwanzaa, Kawaida and the Nguzo Saba, the brilliant Dr. Maulana Karenga. Also featuring the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble and others. At Boys & Girls High School, 1700 Fulton St., Brooklyn. For information and directions, call (718) 789-3264.
- The Afrikan Poetry Theatre, in conjunction with Cultural Caravan Productions Heritage Ministries (IAMU), presents “Harare 2012” (“To be vigilant, watchful”) Sat., Dec. 31. Doors open at 8 p.m., program is 9 p.m.-2 a.m. A celebration of Kuumba and Imani featuring family entertainment, drumming, dancing, food, honoring African elders and educators including Brother Bernard White and Eileen Edwards Quaye and much more. Free admission with a free-will offering, at the Afrikan Poetry Theatre, 176-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, Queens. For more information, call (718) 523-3312.
- The National Action Network New York Chapter Disabilties and Action Committee presents a Kwanzaa celebration at the House of Justice, 106 W. 145th St., between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Malcolm X boulevards. Sat., Dec. 31 at noon on the sixth day of Kwanzaa (Kummba/creativity). Keynote speaker will be Dr. John Bolling, executive director of the Mandala Soul-Cutural Instititute. Libation will be at 12:30 p.m. For more information, call (212) 690-3070.
Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM daily with “Imhotep’s On-Air Guide to Black Events” and “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., and on WLIB-AM with “The GBE Mind Flight,” Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to midnight (simulcast on WLIB-AM/WBLS-FM from 7-8 p.m.). The full show can be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2. IGB is also heard on WBAI-FM 99.5 with the GBE 2.0 “Global Black Experience” and “Global Beat Experience,” Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. We are archived online with both shows at www.wbai.org. To reach us about your event, email gbemail2@yahoo.com, find Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at GBELIFE.