Mama, I Want to Sing illustrates the story of many great performers who learned their craft in the church choir. The Doris in Mama, I Want to Sing (fashioned after Vy’s own sister Doris Troy) stepped out the church choir, performed during Amateur Night at the Apollo, migrated to London where she performed and provided a gospel and soul underpinning for groups such as the Beatles. November 23 at 2pm The Dempsey Theater in Harlem 127 W. 127 St., New York, NY 10027
We Are!
WE ARE! Is based on an award-winning “60 Minutes” feature story that followed the students of Gospel for Teens, the acclaimed music program of The Mama Foundation for the Arts’ School of Gospel, Jazz and R&B Arts, for one year. November 23 at 5pm The Dempsey Theater in Harlem 127 W. 127 St., New York, NY 10027
Alive! features singers and musicians over the age of 55. Some were performers back in the day, some sing in church, the shower, or in the car, but they all can sing! Alive! illustrates that talent gets better, deeper, and richer with age. You will have a great time reliving the turning points in your life, and you will feel rejuvenated when you leave the theater. November 16 at 5pm The Dempsey Theater in Harlem 127 W. 127 St., New York, NY 10027
The longest running black off-Broadway musical in American history
Mama, I Want to Sing illustrates the story of many great performers who learned their craft in the church choir. Doris in Mama, I Want to Sing (fashioned after Creator Vy Higginsen‘s own sister Doris Troy) stepped out the church choir, performed during Amateur Night at the Apollo, migrated to London where she performed and provided a gospel and soul underpinning for groups such as the Beatles.
25 years after its first Japanese tour in 1988, Mama, I Want to Sing returns to perform in Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The show will open on December 4th at Tokyu Theater Orb. Ticket price starts 3,000 Yen (cheaper than $35 at Harlem’s Dempsey Theater.)
Dempsey Theater – 127 West 127th Street (bet. Lenox & 7th Aves), Harlem, NY 10027 MAP
ハーレムのゴスペル魂は永遠に受け継がれてゆくのです。
「ママ、あたし、どうしても歌を歌いたいの！」と叫んだ少女、ドリスは約30年を経た今も健在。1983年初演の ゴスペル・オフ・ブロードウェイ・ショー、「Mama, I Want To Sing」はさまざまなアーティストに歌い継がれ、なんと前シーズンより作者ヴァイ・ヒギンセンの実の娘、ノエル・ヒギンソンが主演、地元ハーレムはもちろん、全世界の人々を魅了しています。
2月25日、待ちに待った「 Mama, I Want To Sing」春のシーズンの幕開けです。外はまだ真冬の寒さですが、デンプシー・シアターのドアを開けると満員御礼、汗をかいてしまうほど熱気に包まれていました。ハーレムの住人全員が集まってしまったかのようです。正面ステージの前のピットにミュージシャンが待機、右端に設置された架空ラジオ局（WBLSなのは明らかなのですが……）のブースにOn Air という赤いライトが灯りヴァイ・ヒギンセンのナレーションが始まります…….。第一幕ではあどけないドリス・トロイがパパ、ウィンター牧師の教会の聖歌隊のメンバーに加わることを許され、ゴスペルが会場いっぱいに響き渡ります。パパもママもシスター・キャリーもみんなゴスペル・シンガーです。ソウルフルなヴァイブがみなぎります。Amen, Sweet Jesus, Good Lord………コール＆リスポンス、日曜日の教会を彷彿とさせます。
ハーレム126丁目にあった父親の教会で育ったヴァイ・ヒギンセンは同じブロックに「ゴスペル・フォー・ティーンズ(Gospel For Teens)」という非営利団体を設立し、歌を志すティーンたちの音楽指導にあたっています。ゴスペルといっても宗教ではなく、音楽を基礎から勉強するという意味合いのほうが強いそうです。ここで勉強した若者は実力を認められれば様々なチャンスを与えられます。ヴァイのプロデュースする「ママ、アイ・ワント・トゥ・シング」に聖歌隊として出演しているティーンのほとんどがこのプログラムの出身です。ステージで音楽ディレクターを演じているエライジャもGospel For Teens の卒業生です。
Mama, I Want to Sing: The Next Generation, the acclaimed revival of Mama, I Want to Sing – the 1983 musical based on the life and times of singer Doris Troy – re-opened at The Dempsey Theater in Harlem on February 25.
People who missed the show in the 80’s are excited about seeing it now, people who saw it in the past will enjoy seeing it again. While the story line is the same, the presentation is exciting, hip, popping, and full of energy.
Mama, I Want to Sing has played to hundreds of thousands of people of many cultures, races, and faiths. The show has touched the hearts of audiences around the world through its universal story and rousing music. The show works well no matter where it plays because the story is timeless and the music is inspired!
Mama, I Want to Sing: The Next Generation tells the story of a talented young gospel singer who embraces secular music, despite the strong objections of her mother. As a tribute to many of the African-American singers who rose from church choirs to stardom during the 1960s and 70s, Vy Higginsen based the musical on the life of her sister, Doris Troy, whose 1963 hit “Just One Look,” launched her to international fame.
The cast of Mama, I Want to Sing: The Next Generation features Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson as Doris, Bettina Pennon as Mama, Sandra Huff as Sister Carrie, Tyrone Flowers as Reverend Winters, Elijah Ahmad Lewis as Minister of Music and Vy Higginsen as The Narrator.
The show also features performers from Ms. Higginsen’s Gospel for Teens, a program of the Mama Foundation for the Arts, Ms. Higginsen’s School of Gospel, Jazz and R&B Arts, which has grown to be a highly respected and influential program for youth between the ages of 13 and 19.
Previous Cast Members Who Played Doris
1982 Tisha Campbell
1983 Desiree Coleman
1984 Octavia Lambertis
1985 Lynda McConnell
1985 D.K. Dyson
1986 – 1990 D’Atra Hicks
1987 Ramona Keller
1988 – 1990 Noreen Clayton
1989 Sharlene Nelson
1992 – 1996 Stacy Francis
2004 – Present Ahmaya Knoelle Higginson
Pass the legacy of gospel music on…….
Tickets
$35 general admission
$30 groups of ten or more
$30 students and seniors
Spring Season: Saturdays at 4:30pm 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28
Dempsey Theater – 127 West 127th Street (bet. Lenox & 7th Aves), Harlem, NY 10027
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