Filed under: Music, News, Theater, Celeb Updates
The Grammy Award winning diva will join the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical 'Fela!.' starting Sept. 14, when she takes on the role of the title character's mother .
LaBelle is slated to portray the coveted role through January 2, 2011, when the show will play its final scheduled performance.
"I am both thrilled and honored," LaBelle said. "After seeing the show, I was struck by the choreography and work of Bill T. Jones, and the passion and joy that overflows from the stage. Fela's mother, Funmilayo, was a strong, truly inspiring woman and I am so privileged to be able to pay tribute to her on the Broadway stage." Tony Award winning powerhouse Lillias White (who received a 2010 Tony Nomination for her performance as Anikulapo-Kuti) will play her final performance on Sept. 12. It was previously reported that the Brooklyn native will leave take a hiatus from the show to perform concert dates overseas.
Conceived and helmed by Jones, the Tony Award winning choreographer, 'Fela!' chronicles the life of Afrobeat music pioneer and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The show, which is produced by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Stephen Hendel and Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson received three 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design.
It is currently playing at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) where it opened to rave reviews on November 23.
'Fela!' marks the return to Broadway for LaBelle, 66, who performed two weeks of concert specials in 1998. The Philadelphia native made her official Broadway debut in the 1982 gospel musical 'Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.'