Monday, November 16, 2009
Theater
?uestlove Recruits Jay-Z, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as Producers on Fela!
Posted
by Benjamin Sutton
on Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Earlier this month ?uestlove, the drummer and producer from
The Roots, was
reportedly doing everything in his power to get Jay-Z to come on board as a producer of the Broadway musical
Fela!, based on the life and music Afrobeat pioneer
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (on which ?uest is an associate producer).
Today, ArtsBeat reports that not only Jay-Z, but also Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have signed on as lead producers of the show, which is choreographed and directed by Bill T. Jones and opens a week from today at the Eugene O'Neil Theater. Not only will that make for an especially star-studded opening night, but this is also the biggest Broadway show I can think of in recent memory to be presented by mostly African American producers, which is rather awesome.
Tags: Fela!, nyc theater, Broadway, musicals, ?uestlove, The Roots, Bill T. Jones, Jay-Z, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, producers