Greetings! Our GBE “Living in the Spirit” month continues with Celebration 2018, a four-day event honoring the life and legacy of Prince, taking place at Paisley Park, April 19 to April 22. Prince’s Paisley Park Museum is presenting “Prince: Live on the Big Screen” at the Target Center in his hometown of Minneapolis. The concert features newly mastered and never before released audio and video of Prince (on the screen) accompanied live by a super-group of musicians who performed with him over the years.
Queen Beyoncé became the first Black woman and any woman of color to headline the internationally famed music festival Coachella in the Southern California desert town of Indio. The worldwide live stream, two-hour long performance featured a Destiny Child’s reunion, a Beyoncé tribute to Nina Simone and quotes from Malcolm X.
News from the Pulitzer Prize Board is that Kendrick Lamar, a nine-time Grammy Award winner, has won a Pulitzer Prize for music for his album “Damn.”
THEATER
“Yellowman” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama. A seminal work in the American theater and a powerful examination of the intraracial tensions that affect communities and individual lives. Now playing until May 5 at The Billie Holiday Theatre, 1368 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Call 718-636-6995 or visit thebillieholiday.org/visit-us/.
From the creators of “Mama I Want to Sing,” Vy Higginsen’s Mama Foundation for the Arts proudly announces the brand-new 30th anniversary production of their acclaimed musical, “Let the Music Play…Gospel!” Conceived and written by Higginsen and Ken Wydro, the legendary production returns with roof-shaking performances guaranteed to lift your spirit. Now playing at the Dempsey Theater in Harlem,127 W. 127th St., between Lenox and Seventh avenues. Tickets are available by calling 212-280-1045 or through OvationTix at Mamafoundation.org. Special rates for seniors age 62 and older and for groups of 10 or more are also available when calling the box office. For more information, please visit mamafoundation.org.
“Set It Off” brings back Frankie, Stoney, TT and Cleo, live on stage! The one and only Da Brat is leading the way as Cleo, along with an all-star cast: vocal powerhouse Demetria Mckinney, actress Kyla Pratt and Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Letoya Luckett. April 28 and 29 at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. Charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
“Chicago,” the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical recently celebrating its 21st anniversary on Broadway, welcomes legendary singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson, making her Broadway debut in the role of Matron “Mama” Morton, at the Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St. For show information and tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com.
“Sistas: The Musical,” St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W. 46th St. (between Eighth and Ninth avenues), New York, N.Y. Now through June 24, 2018. For information, call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com.
MUSIC
Sunday Gospel Brunch featuring the Harlem Gospel Choir, Sundays 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. Visit bbkings.com.
Blue Note Jazz Club presents Kenny Garrett, April 19 to April 22, 131 W. Third St., New York, N.Y. Shows are 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Visit bluenote.net.
McDonald’s Gospelfest 2018 Presents The Praise and worship event of the year! Mother’s Day weekend at Newark Symphony Hall, starring Hezekiah Walker, Jekalyn Carr, Vashawn Mitchell, Le’Andria Johnson, Wes Morgan, Cissy Houston, Melba Moore, Keith ‘Wonderboy’ Johnson. Bring your mom to the gospel event of the year! Mother’s Day weekend Friday, May 11, at Symphony Hall! Call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or go to TicketMaster.com. McDonald’s Gospel Fest 2018 produced and directed by A. Curtis Farrow.
A Mother’s Day Show to remember! The 10th annual Mother’s Day Music Festival starring Maxwell, the Legendary Gladys Knight and special guest Vivian Green. Saturday, May 12, on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.Y. Visit ticketmaster.com or platinumshows.com.
FAMILY
The UniverSoul Circus celebrates its 25th anniversary in Brooklyn and Queens. WBLS has partnered with UniverSoul Circus April 25 to create a “Kids Lives Matter Night.” Seven youth organizations will perform live in the show to showcase their talents. For schedules, visit wbls.com.ticketmaster.com or univrsoulcircus.com/cares.
COMMUNITY
April represents several important “awareness” campaigns: Autism Awareness Month, National Occupational Therapy Month, Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Financial Literacy Month, Jazz Appreciation Month, Mathematics Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Deaf Awareness Month and National Poetry Month.
National Action Network’s 2018 Convention will take place April18-21 at the Times Square Sheraton in New York City. It offers an opportunity to revisit the current state of the national civil rights movement in America. We will take a look back on the last 50 years since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968. Registration is free. Please refer to our website to get updates on schedules, speakers and panelists. Visit nationalactionnetwork.net for more information.
The Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patients Network presents their 25th anniversary gala, Saturday, April 21, at Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn. The gala is to honor those who have dedicated themselves to helping the cause of those challenged with sickle cell. Call 347-533-8485 or visit sctpndinnerdance.org.
Dr. Molefi K. Asante, who has been cited as one of the most influential leaders of the decade, will bring his dynamic message on the value of “Embracing and Activating the Lessons of Our African Ancestors” to CEMOTAP at its 31st anniversary celebration. Asante will be joined by Dr. Leonard Jeffries, who will bring an acknowledgement message on the life and work of Sister Winnie Mandela. Be there Saturday, April 21, at 3 p.m., Robert Johnson Family Life Center at 172-17 Linden Blvd. St. Albans, N.Y. Admission is free. Call 347-907-0629.
“Black Panther and the Superhero as Educator,” a panel discussion on the film and its implications for educational research and practice. Saturday, April 21, from 10:50 p.m. to 12:25 p.m., Milbank Chapel, Teachers College, Columbia University. Co-sponsored by the Diversity and Practice Conference.
Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM weekly with “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and simulcast over WLIB 1190AM. 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. Archived online at www.wbai.org. For bookings or to reach us about your GBEvent or for comments, email co-editor Nyerere, nyerere1@aol.com, find us at Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or call 212-592-3279.
