Greetings! We opened up Black Music Month, or African-American Music Appreciation Month, with a musical tribute on Radio GBE to the late Prince Rogers Nelson, whose birthday we noted with a replay of his spectacular Black Musical tribute at the 2005 NAACP Image Awards.
Caribbean American Heritage Month in our Sunday Express Yourself broadcast was dedicated to the late Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who passed in London June 10, 1940.
THEATER
‘Looking Through the Stained Glass Window” is a one-woman play by Evie Rhodes, acclaimed Black woman novelist turned playwright-director. The production is about trauma, AIDS and the rise of hip-hop. Coming to The Playroom Theater, 151 W. 46th St., New York, N.Y., between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, in Black Music Month, June 14 to June 17 and June 29 to July 1. Show times, 7:30 p.m. Visit rhodesenterprise @ventbrite.com.
The music of iconic disco diva Donna Summer comes to Broadway in “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” The performance includes more than 20 well-known Summer hits. Starring Tony Award winner La Chanze, Anana Dubose and newcomer Storm Lever, who portray three different phases of Summer’s life and career. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St., New York, N.Y. Call 212-379-0370 or visit luntfontannetheatre.tickets.com/.
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!” 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. For more information, please visit mamafoundation.org.
“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.
“Little Rock,” written and directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj. History called it heroism. They called it high school. The riveting true story of the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to attend their city’s formerly segregated Little Rock Central High School three years after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Limited run through Sept. 8, 2018, at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker St.). Opening night Thursday, June 14, at 7 p.m. Visit littlerockplay.com or sheencenter.org.
JD Lawrence’s “Harriet, Rosa & Me” is a thought-provoking, inspiring and witty theatrical presentation written and directed by the NAACP Legacy Award recipient, 8 p.m. at Paramount Hudson Valley Theater,1008 Brown St., Peekskill, N.Y. Tickets are available at the Door and on the website http://paramounthudsonvalley.com/events/black-girls.
MUSIC
WBLS-FM is celebrating Black Music Month in June and kicking off 107 days to Circle of Sisters with the Eras of Music BMM Celebration. Come out for a night of music and dancing and celebrate the rich history of music though the eras of sound with various DJs. Cielos, 18 Little West 12th St., New York, N.Y., June 14, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Call 212-654-0051 or visit Cieloclub.com. There is a nominal door charge to get in, and the first 107 people through the door get a free pair of tickets to Circle of Sisters, so get there early. Visit wbls.com.
Blue Note Jazz Festival at Sony Hall, 235 W. 46th Street, New York, N.Y. For information on the full artist lineup, call 212-997-5123 or visit www.sonyhall.com.
City Parks Summer Stage Presents Coney Island Summer 2018: Big Daddy Kane: Music by the Finisher, DJ Mister Cee. Hosted by Doug E. Fresh. Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, 3052 W. 21st St., Brooklyn, N.Y. For the full lineup of talent, visit fordtheatreconeyisland.com.
A Night of Funk & Soul: Kool & The Gang, Morris Day & the Time and Cameo, the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Friday, June 15 at 8 p.m., 39 Norwich West 1, Mashantucket, Conn. For information, visit ticketmaster.com.
Jill Scott, Wednesday, June 27 at 8 p.m., New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark, N.J. For information, visit ticketmaster.com.
COMEDY
Earthquake’s Father’s Day Comedy Show, Saturday, June, 16 at 8 p.m., Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. For information, visit Ticketmaster.com.
COMMUNITY
“Remembering Arthur Miller and Randolph Evans and the Movement That Derived From Their Deaths, Which Impacted the World.” Multiple events taking place at the House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn N.Y. Saturday, June 16 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., The Community Remembers Arthur Miller/Remembering Soweto South Africa; Saturday, June 23 at 3 p.m., the 39th Randolph Evans Award Ceremony and Reception; June 30 to July 4, International Arts Festival; Saturday July 7 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the 40th anniversary of the Black United Front. For more information, call (718)596-1991 or contact www.herbertdaughtryglobal ministries.com or 415@holc.org.
The 47th annual International African Arts Festival is back! Celebrating Dekawowo (Solidarity) Brooklyn’s most beloved dedication of African culture and family, saluting Winne Mandela, Hugh Masekela, Dara Iman and Dr. Sam., June 30 to July 4, 2018. African marketplace, family friendly African world music from throughout the Diaspora, all day children’s activities and play zone, first annual African World Documentary Film Festival, family friendly live performances and cultural entertainment, youth talent search, poetry, spoken word show, fashion show, African dance workshops, natural Black hair showcase, health fair for all ages, chess tournament, martial arts exhibitions and the annual IAA Festival Community Parade. For general information, for information on how to register as a vendor and for program updates, please email info@iaafestival.org or call 718-638-6701.
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.
