During a time where there is a need for more diversity and inclusion on Broadway, a new play titled Thoughts of a Colored Man has moved up its opening night to Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.
Originally set to open on Oct. 31, the play began previews last Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. It hosts a star-studded cast including Mack Wilds from “The Wire,” Luke James from “The Chi,” Da’Vinchi from Starz’s new hit show “BMF,” Esau Pritchett from “Prodigal Son,” Dyllón Burnside from “Pose,” Forrest McClendon from “The Scottsboro Boys,” and Bryan Terrell Clark from the American musical “Hamilton.”
Thoughts of a Colored Man explores a single day in the lives of seven Black men as their stories unfold and intersect in Brooklyn, New York.
Because the show is arriving on Broadway without a prior off-Broadway run, some theatergoers may not be familiar with it. To combat this, Thoughts of a Colored Man partnered with the YMCA on a mobile barbershop and brought free haircuts to neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx for a day of community and conversation.
Written by Keenan Scott II and directed by Steve Broadnax, this is the first time that a Broadway show has ever had an entirely Black team on and off the stage.
“The reason why I created this play is because I didn’t see myself represented in American theater,” said playwright, Keenan Scott II at the mobile barbershop.
Mack Wilds co-signed as he told the crowd, “You’re gonna see yourself on that stage.”
The production is also produced by a team of all-Black producers including Brian Moreland, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Samira Wiley.
“This is the first time ever on Broadway you will have seven Black men starring, a Black man directing, a Black man writing, as well as an all-Black producer team on this project that’s coming to Broadway,” Kandi Burruss said about the play in a video interview on Instagram with director Steve Broadnax.
