Grammy Award winning singer and actress Patti Labelle has joined the cast of the award-winning critic’s darling “Fela!” on Broadway. Labelle, joins the cast as Kuti’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. She will begin performances on Tuesday, September 14 and will continue through the musical’s end date on Saturday, July 2, 2011.
“I am both thrilled and honoured to be joining the cast of ‘Fela!’ on Broadway,” Labelle said in a statement. “After seeing the show, I was struck by the choreography and work of [director and choreographer] Bill T. Jones and the passion and joy that overflow from the stage. Fela’s mother Funmilayo was a strong, truly inspiring woman, and I’m so privileged to pay tribute to her from the Broadway stage.”
The Fela Broadway Musical is being directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones and co-produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Jay-Z. The musical lets the audience into the extravagant, decadent and rebellious world of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), [the musical] explores Kuti’s controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician.” Fela! won three 2010 Tony Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and Best Choreography.
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