NewsPHOTO CALL: Holler If Ya Hear Me Cast Celebrates Bringing Tupac's "Ghetto Gospel" to Broadway on Opening NightThe Tupac Shakur-scored musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, a non-biographical new work directed by 2014 Tony Award winner Kenny Leon about hope, friendship and life on the city streets, officially opened June 19 at Broadway's Palace Theatre.
"I'm such a Tupac fan beyond his music, but of his spirit, too," Williams, who is making his Broadway debut in the production, told Playbill magazine. "To me, Tupac is the Rambo of, I wouldn't just say hip-hop, but of American poetry. And I think that in terms of what [Jean-Michel] Basquiat may represent as the visual artist of the hip-hop world or aesthetic, I think that Tupac is the sonic equivalent of that."
Broadway previews began June 2. Holler If Ya Hear Me, the world inside Tupac Shakur's music and lyrics, "blazes to life in a non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope. Inner city lives struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face in this entertaining and original musical," according to press notes. "Through the poetry of one of the 20th century's most influential and culturally prominent voices, we are given a window into realities of the streets still relevant today."
Joining director Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Fences, The Mountaintop) and author Kreidler (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and direction of How I Learned What I Learned) on the creative team are Tony Award-winning choreographer Wayne Cilento (Wicked, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed…, Aida, Sweet Charity) and musical supervisor Daryl Waters (Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk; The Color Purple; Memphis).
Other members of the creative team includes scenic designer Edward Pierce (The Other Place, Shatner's World) based on original concepts by David Gallo; projections designer Zachary G. Borovay (No Man's Land, Waiting for Godot); costume designer Reggie Ray (Stick Fly); lighting designer Mike Baldassari (Cabaret, Titanic, First Date); and sound designers John Shivers (Kinky Boots) and David Patridge (Soul Doctor). Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting (Casa Valentina, The Trip to Bountiful).
Holler If Ya Hear Me is produced on Broadway by Afeni Shakur, Eric L. Gold, Chunsoo Shin, Jessica Green, Marcy Kaplan-Gold and Anita Waxman. The general manager is Richard Martini for KL Management.
The new jukebox musical featuring the songs of Huey Lewis and the News follows a Chicagoan whose failed band leads to him returning to corporate America.