Arts & Entertainment

from The New York Amsterdam News Issue # 36 Sept.8-14, 2022

by AmsterdamNews

Sports

Film/TV pg 15 | Theater pg 16 | Food pg 24 | Jazz pg 25

Your Stars

Jasmine Guy: A working icon returns to "Harlem"

By MARGRIRA

Special to the AmNews

Jasmine Guy will again step into the role of Patricia—Quinn’s wealthy mother, who wants her daughter to settle down and let go of her dream of becoming a designer—in Tracy Oliver’s comedy “Harlem,” which was renewed for a second season on Prime Video. The series is also executive produced by Dave Becky, Kim Lessing, Pharrell Williams, and Mimi Valdés.

Here’s a question: what’s not to love about the Jasmine Guy? To begin, there’s something comforting about the sound of Guy’s voice because the second she greeted me, I was tossed back to a different time, a happier period when the television series “A Different World” ruled the airwaves.

The original series, a spin-off of “The Cosby Show,” aired for six seasons on NBC, from 1987 to 1993, followed by a healthy syndication deal. The series focused on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia. It was inspired by student life at historically Black colleges and universities. Once Bonet departed, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert-Wayne (Jasmine Guy) and math whiz Dwayne Cleophus Wayne (Kadeem Hardison).

Guy is a busy woman and although she kicked ass and took names in the aforementioned iconic series, she’s done more than just shape a single, legendary character. In fact, she never let a single blade of grass grow under her lovely feet.

Currently, she’s lending her creative energy to the aforementioned “Harlem.” Her other credits include “Vanished: Searching for My Sister,” a movie for Lifetime; she stars in a new feature film “The Lady Makers,” which is currently available on Amazon Prime; and she recently completed filming “Not Just Another Church Movie” and “A Wesley Family Christmas,” a holiday-themed feature film slated for release this winter.

Guy’s long list of television credits includes her recent multi-episode role in “Grey’s Anatomy,” Showtime’s “Dead Like Me,” HBO’s “America Me,” BET’s “The Quad,” the CW’s “Vampire Diaries,” NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and the CBS miniseries “Queen” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy.” In 2019, she starred in the Oscar-nominated short film “My Nephew Emmett” and HBO’s short film “Irreconcilable.” Jasmine’s other film credits include “October Baby,” Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights,” and “Diamond Men.”

A trained performer, Jasmine started as a dancer, performing with The Alvin Ailey Repertory Company and appearing in “Grease” (as Rizzo), “Leader of the Pack,” “The Wiz,” and “Chicago” (as Velma Kelly). On stage in Atlanta, she starred in the Alliance Theatre production of Pearl Cleage’s “The Nacirema Society,” Theatrical Outfit’s production of Sam Shepard’s “Fool For Love” (with Kenny Leon), and she has starred in Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre productions of “Miss Evers’ Boys,” “Blues for an Alabama Sky” and “Broke-ology.” She has directed productions of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” “Brownie Points,” and the Martin Luther King Jr. opera “I Dream.”

As an author, she wrote “Evolution of a Revolutionary” (Atria Books), about the life and times of Afeni Shakur, Black activist and mother of slain rapper Tupac Shakur. As a vocalist, Jasmine has enjoyed performing on Broadway stages in musicals and has toured the country in the one-woman show “Raisin’ Cane” with the Avery Sharpe Trio, which explores the literature, music and political climate of the Harlem Renaissance, the rich decade between World War I and the Great Depression.

A woman in demand, she now travels the country sharing her vast and diverse experiences with people from all walks of life, speaking at colleges, universities, conventions, conferences, and leading workshops on diversity, acting, and living out your dreams and aspirations, and staying true to your calling.

Here is what actor/author/producer/dancer (and soon-to-be children’s book author) Jasmine Guy had to share about her life and career.

Jasmine Guy (Courtesy photo)

Jasmine Guy: I like your name. It sounds very musical.

AmNews: Wow. Your voice. It takes me back. Growing up, did you have a show or a favorite song that connected you to happier times?

JG: Of course!

AmNews: Well, you are that voice for me. Your character, Mrs. Whitley Gilbert-Wayne, takes me way back to my $750 a month, threebedroom apartment in Harlem. So you know, that’s way-way back. live in Harlem myself.

AmNews: Harlem’s changing. Follow me on social media and I will show you. Yup, I am going to show you just how much.

JG: (laughing) Ok. I will.

AmNews: Question. Did you know that you would be stepping into television history and becoming a cultural touchstone?

JG: No. I had no idea. I was such a gypsy when I got this part. And I was, you know, young, so thinking ahead, six months was a lot. the show was, and it cut across the board. Young people. Kids going to college, and that families were able to watch the show [“A Different World”] together. On this show, we addressed a lot of important issues, and it gave parents and people a lot to talk about. Things that were not easy to talk about. It was a great vehicle for people to talk about those heavier issues.

AmNews: Listen. I want to tell you that you created an iconic character in television history not unlike Archie Bunker, or Rhoda, Martin, or Seinfield. You did that.

JG: Thank you.

AmNews: I suspect you grew up around strong, creative people. Am I right?

JG: Actually, my father taught at Morehouse College for 35 years, so my sister and I used that campus as our personal playground, riding our bikes through the school, we knew all of the buildings and dorms. It was a great experience. But I didn’t realize when I got to LA how disconnected the West coast was from Black colleges. I thought it was natural to be connected to these institutions, and these powerful, directed, and intelligent Black people. That’s why when now-President Barack Obama was running, I was like, ‘Why did they keep acting like he’s this unique?’ He’s not a unicorn.

AmNews: Hey. I hope you don’t think I am weird but are you a children’s book author?

JG: That’s funny. I do love children’s books. I keep buying them. They’re so beautiful. Especially the artwork that they use. You know, I didn’t have these choices when I was growing up or when my daughter was small. She’s 23 but I keep buying children’s books.

AmNews: Jasmine Guy. It’s a sign. Step into the circle. Write your first children’s book. I will check in with you to interview you for the upcoming Christmas movie. I love those.

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Arielle Jacobs and Jake David Smith in “Between the Lines” (Matthew Murphy photo)

Fairytale and fantasy become a refuge for highschool student Delilah in the new off-Broadway musical “Between the Lines,” playing at the Tony Kiser Theater on West 43rd Street. This entertaining, funny and engaging musical has a creatively brilliant book by Timothy Allen McDonald, which is based on a book by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, addictive music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, amusing choreography by Paul McGill and stunning direction by Jeff Calhoun.

“Between the Lines” is musical theater at its best! The musical tells the story of Delilah, a girl whose father has left the family for a young yoga instructor, while she is left with her mother who never has time for her, and she is starting life in a new town at a new school. She is quietly suffering and trying to figure out what is hap-

KELLY RIPA

LIVE WIRE

IN CONVERSATION WITH

ANDERSON COOPER

THUR, SEP 29 | 7PM

KWAME ALEXANDER

THE DOOR OF NO RETURN SAT, OCT 01 | 1PM

CONSTANCE WU

MAKING A SCENE TUE, OCT 04 | 7PM TOSHI REAGON

IN RESIDENCE

NOV 05, 10 & 19 MISTY COPELAND

THE WIND AT MY BACK

IN CONVERSATION WITH

GAYLE KING

TUE, NOV 15 | 7PM

RICHARD THOMPSON

ALL REQUESTS LIVE! DEC 15–17 | 8PM pening in her life and how to deal with all the upheaval and feelings of abandonment that her father’s leaving has given her. Delilah is awkward around others, and her only peace is found when she reads books. Her favorite book is a children’s story called “Between the Lines,” and she feels such a kinship with its hero, Prince Oliver, that she imagines that he speaks to her and that they have a friendship.

There is such a childhood innocence about Delilah’s character and the character of the Prince, who realizes that he is a hero in a book and that he is tired of the writer having power over his life. In one scene it is shared that when the book is closed, its characters get to come to life and take a break until the book is reopened. It is absolutely hilarious to hear the complaints of the alcoholic Queen Maurine, her Lady in Waiting, the evil Magician Rapskullio, Princess Seraphima, an animal character Frump, a Troll, and others. This musical has you look at the characters in fairytales in a different way. Everyone realizes that the author has all the power and they just have to go along with however they are written.

As the problems in Delilah’s world increase, her need to escape becomes more real and it leads her to seek out a way to enter the world of the fairytale characters. This is a world she wanted to escape to, but once there she realizes that she has now abandoned her mother and must leave. Delilah needs friends and she finds those in the Librarian and in a non-binary student named Jules. They help her to see that she has a very creative mind and encourage her to write stories. Delilah goes through a great deal, and finally realizes that she must stay in reality and that the truth of the matter is that she must save herself.

The ensemble cast of this musical is absolutely splendid. Arielle Jacobs is charming, funny and delightful as Delilah. Jake David Smith is amusing, sexy, frustrated and loyal as Prince Oliver. Hillary Fisher plays multiple roles with great ease as does the rest of this outstanding cast—including Vicki Lewis, Will Burton, Jerusha Cavazos, John Ramos, Sean Stack and Julia Murney. It adds to the comedy of the fairytale when characters can inhabit very different roles with such an easy flow. Understudy Aubrey Matalon played the characters of Jules/Ondine at the performance I attended and she was fantastic.

Tobin Ost has created a fascinating set design, there are splendid costumes by Gregg Barnes, perfect lighting by Jason Lyons and sensational sound design by Ken Travis. There is also incredible music supervision, orchestration and arrangements by Greg Anthony Rassen, music supervision and additional arrangements by Daniel Green, and music direction by Chris Gurr. This is a marvelous musical which should be shared with the entire family. It is only playing through Sept. 11, so get your tickets now for this Second Stage production. Visit www.betweenthelinesmusical.com for more info.

The 17th biennial National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) rolled out the purple carpet on Aug. 1-6, 2022 in Winston-Salem, NC, transforming the city of arts and innovation into a mega-performing arts center, with over 130 performances taking place across the city’s venues. Events included theater workshops, films, seminars, a teen poetry slam, and a star-studded celebrity gala.