With COVID-19 restrictions fading away, Phylicia Rashad is returning to Broadway in December and will star in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Skeleton Crew. Written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Skeleton Crew will begin previews on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, with an opening night on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, according to Deadline.
According to a synopsis of the play, Skeleton Crew is set in 2008 Detroit, where a small automotive factory is on the brink of foreclosure and a tight-knit family of workers hangs in the balance. With uncertainty everywhere, the line between blue collar and white collar becomes blurred, and the family must reckon with their personal loyalties, their instincts for survival and their ultimate hopes for humanity.
In May, “The Cosby Show” matriarch was named Dean of Howard University’s recently established College of Fine Arts, which was rechristened after late fellow alum Chadwick Boseman. She’ll also be revising her role as Michael B. Jordan’s adoptive mother in Creed III when he makes his directorial debut.
In related news, Rashad’s sister Debbie Allen received her flowers Sunday night, June 6, during The Kennedy Center Honors, which aired on CBS. Allen, the multi-hyphenated actress, dancer and director was highlighted for her career achievements along with fellow artists Joan Baez, Dick Van Dyke, Midori and Garth Brooks.
For Allen’s tribute segment, her daughter Vivian Nixon joined Ariana DeBose to perform a number from “Sweet Charity,” while Anika Noni Rose, Tiler Peck and Desmond Richardson performed “Out Here On My Own” from her classic television series “Fame.” Vanessa Hudgens performed the title song from “Fame” as well.
“This has just been an overwhelmingly emotional moment of joy and gratitude and respect and love, and to share this with my most immediate family meant so much and some of the people that have raised me like Eleanor Traylor from Howard University and Dr. Fredericks, the president of Howard University, and my sister,” Allen said. “I never expected to receive this honor, and it was a real surprise and humbling. This honor is so important because it reflects the need for everyone to have the arts in their lives.”
Check out the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honor 2021 class below.
