Former Public Theatre director George C. Wolfe (Caroline, or Change) directs the 94-minute screen version based on the Obie Award-winning play. Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Shelby Stone and Santiago-Hudson executive produce the work with Nellie Nugiel producing. The cable debut is set to air at 8 PM (ET) on the network. Check local listings.
Lackawanna Blues played Off-Broadway at The Public Theatre in 2001 written by and starring Tony Award winner Santiago-Hudson (Seven Guitars). Set in 1956 in Lackawanna, New York, the play centers on Miss Rachel's boarding house, a gathering spot for pseudo-philosophers, petty hustlers, lost souls and abandoned lovers.
The ensemble cast features Carmen Ejogo (HBO's "Boycott"), Marcus Carl Franklin (Caroline, or Change), Louis Gossett Jr. (A Raisin in the Sun, Chicago), singer Macy Gray ("Training Day"), Hill Harper (Dogeaters, Blue), Terrence Howard ("The Best Man," HBO's "Boycott"), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Lackawanna Blues), Delroy Lindo (Joe Turner's Come and Gone, "The Cider House Rules"), S. Epatha Merkerson (Fucking A, "Law & Order"), Rosie Perez (Reckless, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), Liev Schreiber (Henry V, "Scream"), Henry Simmons ("NYPD Blue"), Jimmy Smits (Anna in the Tropics, "NYPD Blue") and Jeffery Wright (Angels in America, Topdog/Underdog).
Originally a one-man piece, the actor-playwright (recently seen in Broadway's Gem of the Ocean) portrayed over twenty characters with original music composed and performed by guitarist Bill Sims. He also toured with the work.
HBO Films presentations have included the screen versions of the Tectonic Theatre's The Laramie Project and Tony Kushner's Angels in America. Recent films have include stage stars as Nine's Antonio Banderas ("And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself"), Private Lives' Alan Rickman and Topdog/ Underdog's Mos Def ("Something the Lord Made"), Avenue Q's Jordan Gelber with Dracula's Stephen McKinley Henderson ("Everyday People")and John Lithgow (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) with Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune's Stanley Tucci ("The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"). For additional airings and more information, visit HBO Films online at www.hbo.com/films/lackawannablues.
