Holler Is No Longer Heard: Broadway's Tupac-Inspired Musical Closes | Playbill

Related Articles
News Holler Is No Longer Heard: Broadway's Tupac-Inspired Musical Closes The 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, ends its Broadway run July 20 at the Palace Theatre.

//assets.playbill.com/editorial/620855a6e5e7e4a405245ba004f9fc27-saul200_1403125581.jpg
Saul Williams, Dyllon Burnside and Joshua Boone Photo by Joan Marcus

At the time of closing, Holler will have played 17 previews and 38 regular performances. The production opened June 19 to mixed reviews. Read the critics' reviews here

The musical struggled to find an audience, and box office figures continued to dip since opening. For the week ending July 13, the musical took in only $154,948 at the box office and played to a 45.4-percent full audience with an average ticket price of $38.44.

"We are so proud to be a part of this ground breaking production," producer Eric L. Gold said in an earlier statement. "The cast, musicians, production and creative teams gave more than just their professional excellence but contributed their passion as well. My hope is that a production of this calibre, powerful in its story telling, filled with great performances and exciting contemporary dance and music will eventually receive the recognition it deserves. It saddens me that due to the financial burdens of Broadway, I was unable to sustain this production longer in order to give it time to bloom on Broadway. Tupac's urgent socially important insights and the audiences' nightly rousing standing ovations deserve to be experienced by the world."

As previously reported, the new musical An American In Paris will begin previews at Broadway's Palace Theatre March 13, 2015, prior to an official opening April 12.

Written by Todd Kreidler and directed by Leon, Holler If Ya Hear Me features slam poet, actor, singer and musician Saul Williams ("Slam") as John with Christopher Jackson (In the Heights, After Midnight) as Vertus, Saycon Sengbloh (Motown, Fela!) as Corinne, Ben Thompson (Matilda) as Griffy, Tony nominee John Earl Jelks (Radio Golf) as Street Preacher, Joshua Boone (Brownsville Song [b side for Tray] at Actors Theatre of Louisville) as Darius, Dyllon Burnside ("Prison Break") as Anthony and Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly's Last Jam; Caroline, or Change; Play On!) as Mrs. Weston. Broadway previews began June 2.

Rounding out the cast are Tracee Beazer (Memphis), Afi Bijou (Fela!), Mel Charlot (three-time World Hip Hop Champion), Carrie Compere (Shrek national tour), Otis Cotton, Ryan Davis (danced for Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj), Brandon Gill (Neighbors at The Public), Ariana Groover (Bare Off-Broadway), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked), Jared Joseph (The Book of Mormon national tour), Jahi Kearse (Baby It's You), Muata Langley (freestyle Krump performer), Candace Maxwell, Valentine Norton ("American Idol"), Christina Sajous (Spider-Man Turn off the Dark), Charlene "Chi Chi" Smith, Jaime Lincoln Smith (Ruined Off-Broadway), Donald Webber, Jr. (Motown) and Joaquina Kalukango (Antony and Cleopatra).

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."

Read the Playbill.com feature with director Leon, who was awarded the 2014 Tony for the direction of A Raisin in the Sun and compares the work of Shakur and Lorraine Hansberry

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.

Visit HollerIfYaHearMe.com.

 
RELATED:
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!