‘Parade’ paints morbid picture of bigotry in South
Erin Washington
Perhaps the most troublesome thing about discrimination is the wide variety of boundaries that it can cross — color, creed, geography and more. The Tony Award-winning 1998 musical “Parade,” now making its Boston professional premiere as the latest production by the SpeakEasy Stage Company, dissects the spread of hate against the backdrop of the post-Reconstruction South in its tragic tale of a falsely accused Atlanta man. Full story
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South African playwright uses art in fight for justice
Donna Bryson
LONDON — Apartheid pushed and Hollywood beckoned, but South African actor and playwright John Kani stayed put.
He was using his art to fight for justice, the Tony Award winner said. And besides, from what Kani had glimpsed of the lives of South Africans who had chosen exile — or had it chosen for them — leaving was no solution to the challenges of being an artist and an African.
Kani, 63, explores one more challenge those he calls “in-xiles” have faced in “Nothing But the Truth,” a play he wrote and starred in and brought to Britain this year. Full story
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Cornel West takes ‘Journey’ to hip-hop’s roots
Gail Mitchell
LOS ANGELES — Talk about timing. Dr. Cornel West’s upcoming album, “Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations,” touches down at a time when renewed debate over hip-hop lyrics and video images is still swirling post-Don Imus. Add to that mix Verizon’s recent termination of its ties with Akon over the singer’s sexually suggestive dance onstage with a female minor during a recent concert.
Due in stores June 19, West’s “Never Forget” will be the first release on Hidden Beach Forum, the new offshoot of independent label Hidden Beach Recordings. Tapping into the historical role of R&B and hip-hop as social forces, the recording is the brainchild of Black Men Who Mean Business, an organization established by West, his brother Clifton and songwriter/producer Mike Dailey. Full story
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