If you have ever found yourself at a Broadway production in New York City in the past five years, chances are you have experienced a show from Front Row Productions. Beginning with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and continuing with last year’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones have proven themselves as game changers in the theater industry with The Trip To Bountiful.
Must Read: Review: Cicely Tyson Requires Your “Trip To Bountiful”
While shows like Topdog/Underdog (2002), Raisin in the Sun (2004) and The Color Purple (2005-2008) built up the momentum for Broadway of a more diverse audience, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof broke business barriers. The 2008 production stood out in not only hosting a Black cast, but also being the work of Black producers, and with that opening theater jobs to a more diverse workforce. This is a notable rarity considering the history and reach of Black theater and the weight of New York as a theatrical epicenter.
Getting there was a 12-year journey. Byrd had been involved with film projects in the 1990s, but wanted to produce stories that demonstrated the fine quality and genuine marketability of the African-American classical acting cannon. “In Hollywood, you can die of hope,” Byrd explains his intransigent vision that began with getting the rights to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1996.
One year later, he met with James Earl Jones to discuss the actor serving as the revival’s director. However, two hours into the conversation, it was clear to Byrd that Jones was born to play Big Daddy. Following years of hustle and finally meeting his business parter Alia Jones, the production came together with Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose and Terrence Howard starring alongside James Earl Jones. The end result explains his motto, “always maintain forward movement.”
American audiences, which included a strong showing of African-Americans, got a thrill from the live exposure to a heavyweight cast, even as Byrd recalls, some theatergoers saw some scenes as “Darth Vader beating up on Mrs. Huxtable.” And while the Tonys failed to recognize the magnitude of production, London proved to host a more astute audience. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the first project from Front Row Productions, took home the prestigious Olivier Award (the UK’s equivalent of the Tony) for best revival.
London also brought other lessons. Boyd explains that the research conducted there showed that 78 percent of the audience, which was comprised of diverse nationalities and ethnicities, was first-time theatergoers. Taking this knowledge, along with other savvy the production duo offer as MBAs–in a field dominated by casting directors and stage managers turned producers–has allowed them to defy expectation.
Their next production, A Streetcar Named Desire, came together much quicker, and brought together leading actors Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, Wood Harris and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Audiences were in love, and the production was nominated for a Tony for its costume design. Parker’s performance as Blanche DuBois wowed audiences, driving great responses through social media.
“Our mandate is putting diverse actors to work in classic roles,” Jones shares in explaining the mission behind the success. “We understand that we have to look past the traditional and subscription theater audiences.”
Now with The Trip to Bountiful, which stars Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Williams and Adepero Oduye (“Pariah”), who is taking over for Condola Rashad, Front Row Productions is celebrating a powerhouse run that reached its 100th performance on Tuesday and will hopefully set a record for a non-musical play from an all-black cast running on Broadway. Tyson won this year’s Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Playbill Audience Choice awards for Best Actress.
The revival of a play that only ran 32 weeks on Broadway, and had incarnated on television and film years ago, The Trip to Bountiful is the story of the elder Carrie Watts, who is living with her son and daughter-in-law, longing to return to the home of her youth. With themes that resonate in today’s society where more families are living together to survive the economy, audiences are in love with the opportunity to see one of Hollywood’s unsung and yet most august actors command the live stage.
“It is a story about returning to your roots. And to see Cicely Tyson in this role, you see a fine actor,” Jones explains, “There is a scene that, when you see the film version, Geraldine Page hums this hymn, and Tyson’s eye suggested that she sing it instead. A subtle note that really enhances the scene.”
For the producers, it was a turn from being sole producers to being part of a team. “We were brought on after Cicely Tyson signed on. This was also different in the fact that the executor of the estate [for the rights to the story] had the idea and approached Michael Wilson, who was coming off of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man,” Byrd shares. Once on board, he and Jones went to work in bringing together the elements for a hit production.
This project has been particularly interesting for the fact that 80 percent of its audience is white. And while Motown has been a credible competitor for the production, adding iconic public relations strategist and cultural trend expert Marvet Britto to the team has proven to be a key strategy for maintaining the growth of the business model. She is no stranger to positioning distinct productions for success. Britto worked with Lee Daniels to build his brand at the start of his career. Dedicated to empowering creative leaders, she brought the muscle of relationships and resources that carried “Monster’s Ball” (2001), “The Woodsman” (2004) and “Shadowboxer” (2005) to critical acclaim, setting into motion the partnerships that made “Precious” (2009) possible.
Britto saw the same things in Byrd and Jones that she had recognized in Daniels, and in addition to her talents, she also brought on New York Knick Tyson Chandler and his wife Kimberly as producers. Britto’s perspective on the influence of celebrity in supporting the stage outlines the significance of cooperative investing. “We are bringing people who have vast influence in one aspect of the creative field to a different space. As a culture, we understand the gravity of our global influence and how we must be involved on the business side,” Britto attests.
She continues, “I came to the project after meeting Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones. I was inspired by what they were doing. I remember going to see For Colored Girls when I was young. Who doesn’t remember Stephanie Mills in The Wiz? We have been missing that magnitude. Bountiful is a historical addition to our theatrical cannon.”
Britto’s eye for how ideas and audiences come together has made her an ideal producer and partner for the team. She will being joining Byrd and Jones for their fourth project which will open for previews on August 24. Romeo and Juliet will be led by Condola Rashad, who won acclaim for her role in Stick Fly, and her co-star Orlando Bloom. The producers are looking forward to the challenge of engaging a younger audience and creating a new energy for a play that has not been on Broadway in over 30 years.
For the producers, each day is a series of business meetings, from legal conversations to decisions on marketing plans. And of course there are the casting conversations. The next project for Front Row Productions will be Black Orpheus, adapted from the acclaimed film from out of Brazil, based on the Greek classic. This project will be their first move out of the revival space, marking a new phase for the team.
Jones recalls that in days spent earning her MBA at New York University, she never expected to be producing Broadway shows. “I sat in classes where Broadway producers came and spoke about their jobs. I looked at them as independently wealthy people, so I never thought of it as a path. In reality, being a producer is like being a serial entrepreneur. You are putting together a business plan, marketing plan, legal and personnel each time. And then the stars have to align. By opening night, you are celebrating getting that far, and also awaiting the reviews.”
What connect Byrd, Jones and Britto is a steadfast relationship with tenacity. For Britto, it is about the complementary relationship between excellence and learning. “People can only work from the level they are exposed, you have to constantly elevate. You have to stretch past fear until you see the sky was the limit. Past tense. I want my legacy to be about doing things that had never been done before, and illuminating the path for those coming along.”
Byrd and Jones agree, repeating, “Always maintain forward motion.”
Be sure to visit the highly acclaimed The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway through October 9. Check out our special deal on tickets here. Cathy Hughes’s special on TVOne with the cast and creative team airs Thursday, July 25th at 8 p.m. ET.
LIKE HelloBeautiful On Facebook!
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TV One Takes ‘The Trip to Bountiful’ With Cathy Hughes [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]
Enjoy A Discounted ‘Trip To Bountiful’ On #TeamBeautiful
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If you have ever found yourself at a Broadway production in New York City in the past five years, chances are you have experienced a show from Front Row Productions. Beginning with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and continuing with last year’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones have proven themselves as game changers in the theater industry with The Trip To Bountiful.
Must Read: Review: Cicely Tyson Requires Your “Trip To Bountiful”
While shows like Topdog/Underdog (2002), Raisin in the Sun (2004) and The Color Purple (2005-2008) built up the momentum for Broadway of a more diverse audience, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof broke business barriers. The 2008 production stood out in not only hosting a Black cast, but also being the work of Black producers, and with that opening theater jobs to a more diverse workforce. This is a notable rarity considering the history and reach of Black theater and the weight of New York as a theatrical epicenter.
Getting there was a 12-year journey. Byrd had been involved with film projects in the 1990s, but wanted to produce stories that demonstrated the fine quality and genuine marketability of the African-American classical acting cannon. “In Hollywood, you can die of hope,” Byrd explains his intransigent vision that began with getting the rights to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1996.
One year later, he met with James Earl Jones to discuss the actor serving as the revival’s director. However, two hours into the conversation, it was clear to Byrd that Jones was born to play Big Daddy. Following years of hustle and finally meeting his business parter Alia Jones, the production came together with Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose and Terrence Howard starring alongside James Earl Jones. The end result explains his motto, “always maintain forward movement.”
American audiences, which included a strong showing of African-Americans, got a thrill from the live exposure to a heavyweight cast, even as Byrd recalls, some theatergoers saw some scenes as “Darth Vader beating up on Mrs. Huxtable.” And while the Tonys failed to recognize the magnitude of production, London proved to host a more astute audience. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the first project from Front Row Productions, took home the prestigious Olivier Award (the UK’s equivalent of the Tony) for best revival.
London also brought other lessons. Boyd explains that the research conducted there showed that 78 percent of the audience, which was comprised of diverse nationalities and ethnicities, was first-time theatergoers. Taking this knowledge, along with other savvy the production duo offer as MBAs–in a field dominated by casting directors and stage managers turned producers–has allowed them to defy expectation.
Their next production, A Streetcar Named Desire, came together much quicker, and brought together leading actors Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, Wood Harris and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Audiences were in love, and the production was nominated for a Tony for its costume design. Parker’s performance as Blanche DuBois wowed audiences, driving great responses through social media.
“Our mandate is putting diverse actors to work in classic roles,” Jones shares in explaining the mission behind the success. “We understand that we have to look past the traditional and subscription theater audiences.”
Now with The Trip to Bountiful, which stars Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Williams and Adepero Oduye (“Pariah”), who is taking over for Condola Rashad, Front Row Productions is celebrating a powerhouse run that reached its 100th performance on Tuesday and will hopefully set a record for a non-musical play from an all-black cast running on Broadway. Tyson won this year’s Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Playbill Audience Choice awards for Best Actress.
The revival of a play that only ran 32 weeks on Broadway, and had incarnated on television and film years ago, The Trip to Bountiful is the story of the elder Carrie Watts, who is living with her son and daughter-in-law, longing to return to the home of her youth. With themes that resonate in today’s society where more families are living together to survive the economy, audiences are in love with the opportunity to see one of Hollywood’s unsung and yet most august actors command the live stage.
“It is a story about returning to your roots. And to see Cicely Tyson in this role, you see a fine actor,” Jones explains, “There is a scene that, when you see the film version, Geraldine Page hums this hymn, and Tyson’s eye suggested that she sing it instead. A subtle note that really enhances the scene.”
For the producers, it was a turn from being sole producers to being part of a team. “We were brought on after Cicely Tyson signed on. This was also different in the fact that the executor of the estate [for the rights to the story] had the idea and approached Michael Wilson, who was coming off of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man,” Byrd shares. Once on board, he and Jones went to work in bringing together the elements for a hit production.
This project has been particularly interesting for the fact that 80 percent of its audience is white. And while Motown has been a credible competitor for the production, adding iconic public relations strategist and cultural trend expert Marvet Britto to the team has proven to be a key strategy for maintaining the growth of the business model. She is no stranger to positioning distinct productions for success. Britto worked with Lee Daniels to build his brand at the start of his career. Dedicated to empowering creative leaders, she brought the muscle of relationships and resources that carried “Monster’s Ball” (2001), “The Woodsman” (2004) and “Shadowboxer” (2005) to critical acclaim, setting into motion the partnerships that made “Precious” (2009) possible.
Britto saw the same things in Byrd and Jones that she had recognized in Daniels, and in addition to her talents, she also brought on New York Knick Tyson Chandler and his wife Kimberly as producers. Britto’s perspective on the influence of celebrity in supporting the stage outlines the significance of cooperative investing. “We are bringing people who have vast influence in one aspect of the creative field to a different space. As a culture, we understand the gravity of our global influence and how we must be involved on the business side,” Britto attests.
She continues, “I came to the project after meeting Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones. I was inspired by what they were doing. I remember going to see For Colored Girls when I was young. Who doesn’t remember Stephanie Mills in The Wiz? We have been missing that magnitude. Bountiful is a historical addition to our theatrical cannon.”
Britto’s eye for how ideas and audiences come together has made her an ideal producer and partner for the team. She will being joining Byrd and Jones for their fourth project which will open for previews on August 24. Romeo and Juliet will be led by Condola Rashad, who won acclaim for her role in Stick Fly, and her co-star Orlando Bloom. The producers are looking forward to the challenge of engaging a younger audience and creating a new energy for a play that has not been on Broadway in over 30 years.
For the producers, each day is a series of business meetings, from legal conversations to decisions on marketing plans. And of course there are the casting conversations. The next project for Front Row Productions will be Black Orpheus, adapted from the acclaimed film from out of Brazil, based on the Greek classic. This project will be their first move out of the revival space, marking a new phase for the team.
Jones recalls that in days spent earning her MBA at New York University, she never expected to be producing Broadway shows. “I sat in classes where Broadway producers came and spoke about their jobs. I looked at them as independently wealthy people, so I never thought of it as a path. In reality, being a producer is like being a serial entrepreneur. You are putting together a business plan, marketing plan, legal and personnel each time. And then the stars have to align. By opening night, you are celebrating getting that far, and also awaiting the reviews.”
What connect Byrd, Jones and Britto is a steadfast relationship with tenacity. For Britto, it is about the complementary relationship between excellence and learning. “People can only work from the level they are exposed, you have to constantly elevate. You have to stretch past fear until you see the sky was the limit. Past tense. I want my legacy to be about doing things that had never been done before, and illuminating the path for those coming along.”
Byrd and Jones agree, repeating, “Always maintain forward motion.”
Be sure to visit the highly acclaimed The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway through October 9. Check out our special deal on tickets here. Cathy Hughes’s special on TVOne with the cast and creative team airs Thursday, July 25th at 8 p.m. ET.
LIKE HelloBeautiful On Facebook!
Related Stories:
TV One Takes ‘The Trip to Bountiful’ With Cathy Hughes [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]
Enjoy A Discounted ‘Trip To Bountiful’ On #TeamBeautiful
Check Out This Gallery Of Stars Enjoying “The Trip To Bountiful”:
