Greetings! Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre will continue its 46th season dedicated to Amira Baraka with the world premiere of his final play, “The Most Dangerous Man in America (W.E.B. Du Bois).” Performances will begin May 28, with opening night set for June 11 at the Castillo Theater (543 W. 42nd St.). This limited off-Broadway engagement, directed by King, will continue through June 28 only. Starring Art McFarland as W.E.B. Du Bois and Petronia Paley as his wife, performances will be Thursday and Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets will be can be ordered through www.castillo.org or by calling 212-941-5800. For more information, please visit newfederaltheatre.org or call 212-353-1176.
THEATER
Grammy Award winner Brandy Norwood joins the cast of the award-winning musical “Chicago” as Roxie Hart. “Chicago” is a tale of greed, murder and show biz. Ambassador Theater, 219 W. 49th St., New York City, now through June 21. For information, visit boxoffice.broadway.com or www.chicagothemusical.com.
“Black Angels Over Tuskegee” is the story of six men embarking on a journey to become pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps, despite the overwhelming odds against them. Going beyond the headlines of the popular stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, it exposes the men who exhibited the courage to excel. St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 46th St. Saturdays May 23 and May 30 at 1 p.m. For information, call 800-276-2392 or visit boxoffice.broadway.com.
Using the lyrics of songs made famous by artists such as Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Beyonce and many others, “Sistas” tells of the struggles, the joy and the triumphs of being Black and being a woman in America, as told through the life of one woman and the women in her family. Moving from the days of Jim Crow to the present, the narrative is presented through songs such as “Strange Fruit,” “Society’s Child” and “Taint Nobody’s Business,” right up to the present with more contemporary songs of worth and independence such as “I Am Not My Hair” by India Arie, Alicia Keys’ “A Woman’s Worth” and “Golden” by Jill Scott, Saturdays, May 23 and May 30 at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays May 24 and May 31 at 4:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Theater, 308 W. 46th St. For more information, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com.
Adrian Williamson’s “My Grandmother Prayed for Me!,” the off-Broadway hit at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Limited engagement. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com and adrianwilliamson.com.
“Baby Hold On to Me,” inspired by the music of Gerald Levert, starring Eddie Levert at Newark Symphony Hall, Friday and Saturday, May 29 and May 30 at 7 p.m., 1030 Broad St., Newark, N.J. For information, call 973-643-8014 or visit ticketmaster.com.
MUSIC
“Earth, Wind and Fire Tribute Show: Celebrating Over 40 Years of EW&F (Tribute Band),” B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, Friday, May 22 at 8 p.m., 237 W. 42nd St. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit bbkingblues.com.
Sunday Gospel Brunch, featuring the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir and an all-you-can-eat buffet at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St. For information, call 212-997-4144 or visit bbkingblues.com.
A “’70s Soul Jam” featuring the Stylistics, Heatwave, Rose Royce, Peaches and Herb and the Three Degrees, Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m., NYCB Theater at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Rd., Westbury, N.Y. For information, call 516-334-0800 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Chaka Khan with special guest Stephanie Mills, Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m., New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center St., Newark, N.J. For ticket information, call 888-466-5722 or visit www.njpac.org.
Gladys Knight and the Spinners at NYCB Theater at Westbury, Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m., 960 Brush Hollow Rd., Westbury, N.Y. For information, call 516-334-0800 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Gladys Knight at Kings Theater, 1027 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. For ticket information, email boxoffice@kingstheater.com or call 800-745-3000.
“The Forever Charlie Tour” with Kem, featuring Joe, Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, Conn. For ticket information, call 860-862-8489 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Hot 97 Summer Jam, Sunday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m., featuring Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown, TreySongz, Big Sean, Fabolous, Meek Mill, Ty Dolla Sign, Omarion and Childish Gambino, at MetLife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Dr., East Rutherford, N.J. For information, call 201-559-1515 or visit metlifestadium.com.
COMMUNITY
“Black America in Crisis: Which Way Forward?” Renowned broadcaster-activist-filmmaker Bob Law presents “NightTalk Live,” an open community forum, at Harlem Mist Harlem, 46 116th St. (between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue). Broadcast live Thursday, May 21 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on WBAI-99.5 FM. Free admission.
“What Can Today’s Leaders Learn from the Leadership of Patrice Lamumba,” featuring panelists Professor Yaa-Lengi Ngemi, educator, author, activist and scholar, and Brother Maurice Carney, executive director of Friends of the Congo, Sunday, May 24 at Dr. John Henrik Clarke House, 286 Convent Ave. in Harlem, N.Y. Call 347-907-0629 to RSVP.
The executive committee of CEMOTAP, along with other well-wishers, will host a farewell party and birthday celebration for Sister Betty Dopson, Sunday, May 31 at 2 p.m. at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center, 172-17 Linden Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens. Near the corner of Merrick Boulevard.
Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM weekly with “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. and simulcast over WLIB 1190A.M. The full show can also be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2 and at WBLS.com.WLIB.com and iHeartRadio. IGB is also heard on WBAI-FM 99.5 with Radio GBE: “The Global Black Experience” and “The Global Beat Experience,” Fridays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both shows are archived online at www.wbai.org. To contact us for bookings or to reach us about your event or for comments, email igbexp@gmail.com, find us at Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @GBELIFE or call 212-592-3279.