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Lackawanna Blues is a 2005 American biographical drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. It aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. It is based on the play of the same name by Santiago-Hudson.
- Biographical Drama
- Ricky in Lackawanna Blues
- Alike in Pariah
- Celie in The Color Purple
- Cleo in Set It Off
- Joanne in Rent
- MA Rainey in MA Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Bessie Smith in Bessie
- Cheryl in The Watermelon Woman
- Chiron in Moonlight
- Kena in Rafiki
Ricky is one of the smoothest people in the history of film. She’s a supporting character but from her first appearance in Lackawanna Blues, she commands attention. Her swagger is enviable. She’s bold, suave and debonair. It doesn’t matter that people are giving her a hard time. It doesn’t matter that the world makes it clear that her mere existenc...
Alike (Adepero Oduye) is trying to find her way in a world that’s hostile to her very existence. On top of figuring out how to date, she’s juggling her friendships and dreams, all while trying to make space for a mother who doesn’t know how to love her. And, of course, Alike’s still discovering her sexuality, something she does in secret for the mo...
Although The Color Purpledownplayed the relationship between Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) and Shug (Margaret Avery), their love story is revolutionary. Both on screen and in the pages of Alice Walker’s novel of the same name, Celie blooms in love, despite a past marked by abuse. In fact, her love for Shug is a bright spot in this otherwise gut-wrenching...
Set It Off is mired in tragedy, but the main characters’ friendship carries the audience through it all. Each of the women is incredible, but Cleo (Queen Latifah) commands our attention as an unapologetically masculine queer woman. From her straight-back cornrows and white undershirt, to how she spoke and carried herself, Cleo oozed confidence and ...
A central character in the musical Rent, Joanne Jefferson has been portrayed by numerous actors on the stage, but Tracie Thom’s portrayal of the type-A character in the film adaptation is truly something to remember. Joanne navigates the corporate world, a band of free-spirited artists and her relationship with Maureen (Idina Menzel), a woman who’s...
In Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, one of 2020’s best films, a recording session brings out conflict among bandmates. But at the heart of the band is the brilliant Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Ma is fully aware of what her talent is worth — and we don’t always get to see that kind of knowing confidence on screen. Not to mention, her business savvy and signat...
Ma Rainey’s protégé, Bessie Smith is a Black queer icon. In Dee Rees’ (Mudbound, Pariah) film, Queen Latifah portrays the blues legend with a breathtakingly beautiful and intimate approach. And that’s something we don’t often get to see when it comes to figures who’re so famous, so known. But, here, the musician is more than just “The Empress of th...
This widely celebrated film follows Cheryl, played by filmmaker Cheryl Dunye, as she attempts to make a film about a Black actress credited as “The Watermelon Woman”. While on this artistic journey, Cheryl falls for a customer (Guinevere Turner) at her day job. From there, the film touches on the intricacies of interracial relationships, Black art,...
The Oscar-winning Moonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkins, centers on Chiron, a Black gay man from south Florida. Adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished and semi-autobiographical play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the film is a coming-of-age story in three acts. There’s child (Alex Hibbert), teen (Ashton Sanders) and adult ...
Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki’s (Sheila Munyiva) budding romance is at the center of Wanuri Kahiu’s Kenyan drama Rafiki. In particular, there’s just something so striking and heartwarming — all at once — about Kena’s innocence and tenderness. As you might expect, Mugatsia’s performance is one of the must-see film’s major draws. When Kena and Zi...
May 5, 2023 · In 1956 during the depths of segregation, Rachel "Nanny" Crosby cared for hundreds of men and women in her Lackawanna, NY home.
- Molly Byrne
Feb 25, 2020 · Macy Gray, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Rosie Perez Photo: Bob Greene. George C. Wolfe’s Lackawanna Blues begins in a sterile, dreary 1980s hospital room, where an agonizing Ruben Jr. (Hill Harper)...
So Rachel Crosby, Nanny, my inspiring woman - I love you. Ruben Santiago-Hudson took a moment to share a story for American Masters' #InspiringWomanPBS campaign. Learn about the woman behind...
Oct 22, 2021 · Photos by Marc J. Franklin. Lackawanna Blues originated at The Public Theater. Four years later, it became an HBO Special starring S. Epatha Merkerson (in place of Santiago-Hudson) as directed by George C. Wolfe. Manhattan Theatre Club presents Lackawanna Blues Written, Performed and Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
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Who is in the cast of Lackawanna Blues?
Is Lackawanna Blues a true story?
Is Lackawanna Blues a one-man show?
Feb 11, 2005 · It's the fanciest scene in a film that is actually very simple: "Lackawanna Blues," which originated as an autobiographical one-man show by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, consists of a string of...
