My Fourth Broadway play

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, now playing at the Belasco Theatre. This is the first revival of the play since its debut on Broadway some twenty years ago.

What I have learned about my life and what seems true of Joe Turner's Come and Gone is that When you don't have blood family to feed you love, tenderness and companionship, God steps in and creates a family for you. This is represented in the boarding house (the primary setting of the play) run by husband and wife Seth (Ernie Hudson) and Bertha (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) Holly.

The intersecting of human lives is an amazing thing. When you start out on this journey called life you never really know who and what you will encounter. Each person in the Holly home is complex and interesting, such as my favorite- Bynum Walker (Roger Robinson) a man who specializes in binding (rootworking). I don't agree with the practice of rootworking, yet my ears perked to hear the wisdom he dispensed to the other housemates.

Some other characters are: Herald Loomis, a tortured soul looking for his life in the face of his missing wife. His daughter Zonia Loomis, a child that has been lead by her father to travel what seems like a endless road for four years looking for her mother. Others are Reuben Scott, a playmate of Zonia who claims her as his with a first kiss; Mattie Campbell, a woman who just wants the "rootworker" to make her man come back; Molly Cunningham (Aunjanue Ellis), Jeremy Furlow , Rutherford Selig, "a first class people finder" who finds Zonia's mother and Martha Pentecost, Zonia's mother.

I encourage you to read up on this play and all of August Wilson's plays. Years ago I saw Fences (a Pulitzer winner), preformed by the Hampton Players at Hampton University and it was great!

"Its been a long time since I seen a full woman."-Herald Loomis to Mattie Campbell.

Shout out to L.J. & A.W. for treating me to this gem.

Harlem Heights

Tonight I attended (along with my girl J.P.) a screening and reception for the season finale of Harlem Heights, BET's latest hit reality show, spotlighting young twenty-somethings in Harlem.

All the cast members were present to celebrate the finale. Looking very much like the version of them you see on TV. They spoke to the fact that the show was about their real lives, disputing rumors of the show being scripted. Although I must say, there is a suspect scene in the finale with Brianna putting on lotion and it sought of looks like a commercial for that product.

Kudos to BET for stretching themselves and trusting that we the viewers had an appetite for a show that was wholesome, profanity, sex and ignorant free. A major effort was made to show young black professionals living out their dreams for the world to see. Each cast member was striving for career best. For example: Landon is running for city council, Brooke is a producer for a major cable network, Brianna is a handbag designer, Bridget is in law school and the list really does go on. Cast member Brianna commented that she was sort of stunned to see the launch of her handbag collection shown for the world to see on a major network.

The event was co-sponsored by Essence Magazine and Ambi. Each guest left with an Ambi gift bag. I just love freebies!!!

Shout out to D.J. Kiss for spinning the music at the event.

The Harlem Heights season finale airs on BET, tonight at 10 P.M. EST.

On another note...

I am always struggling with the voice of this blog. Mainly, because I want to be responsible with what I write. I go back and forth so much in my head that I don't write enough. So I have just decided to write and allow the voice to develop as I go. For now I just got to get moving.

Declare the day

I declare that this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Sometimes you wake up and you don't FEEL like today is going to be a good day. Tell your feelings to get out the way and go on and declare the day a good day and be glad in it.

Here, Canton Jones sings it.

Breakthrough

This morning I attended the first session of the Financial Empowerment Conference with Dr. Creflo A. Dollar, Pastor of World Changers Church International and World Changers Church New York. What an awesome move of God! I sowed a seed that will surely lead to my breakthrough.

There are so many things happening in the earth, but those who are spirit (all mankind) must take inventory of your spiritual condition (your faith in what?). Remember that there is a system that is PERFECT and that system is not of this world but of God. It is going to take more then natural means to get this global economy back right-side up.

As Dr. Dollar said this morning: "Faith cannot begin, until the will of God is known- and the will of God is His word."

God's word being the Bible. It has everything therein pertaining to life. I challenge you to pick it up and see for your self.