A Spotlight on Broadway Stages Stars During Black History Month
/At Broadway Stages, we provide our facilities to a wide variety of productions spanning myriad genres and formats — TV dramas and comedies, miniseries, feature films, shorts, music videos, commercials, and live entertainment. These productions employ a diverse array of talent, and for Black History Month we are happy to spotlight some of the Black actors who star in productions filmed at Broadway Stages, as well as the writers and content creators who bring their distinct perspectives to the small screen.
"Godfather of Harlem"
MGM+ historical drama "Godfather of Harlem" debuted in late 2019 to rave reviews. The series centers on the real-life crime boss Bumpy Johnson, played by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (who is also an executive producer), as he tries to regain control of Harlem in the 1960s after spending 11 years behind bars at Alcatraz.
Whitaker made his feature film debut in the iconic teen comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). He followed up with supporting roles in the cult classic "Vision Quest" (1985) and the slick drama "The Color of Money" (1986). He then co-starred in two critically acclaimed historical dramas set during the Vietnam War — "Platoon" (1986) and "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987).
His first leading role was in the biopic "Bird" (1988) about the renowned saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker. Two decades later he would win an Oscar for his leading role in another biopic, "The Last King of Scotland" (2006), portraying the despotic Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Shortly after that win, Whitaker was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Godfather of Harlem" features a large cast of supporting players, including Antoinette Crowe-Legacy as Bumpy's daughter Elise, Ilfenesh Hadera as his wife Mayme, Erik LaRay Harvey as his enforcer Del Chance, Giancarlo Esposito as congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Elvis Nolasco as Bumpy's right-hand man Nat Pettigrew, Markuann Smith (who is also an executive producer) as Bumpy's top lieutenant Junie Byrd, and Korey Jackson as the civic leader (and later state Supreme Court judge) Livingston Wingate.
The first three seasons co-starred Kelvin Harrison Jr. as an aspiring musician dating a rival mob boss's daughter, Demi Singleton as Bumpy's granddaughter, Nigél Thatch and Jason Alan Carvell as Malcolm X (Thatch in the first two seasons, Carvell in the third), and Grace Porter as X's wife, Betty Shabazz.
On April 13, "Godfather of Harlem" will return for its fourth season, which will be dedicated to series co-creator Paul Eckstein, who passed away in 2023. Bumpy's new rival will be the infamous drug kingpin Frank Lucas played by Rome Flynn. Michael Benjamin Washington will join the cast as the influential writer and activist James Baldwin. Devin Kessler will portray political activist and Black Panther Afeni Shakur, the mother of the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.
Check out "Godfather of Harlem" on MGM+ to learn more about these historical men and women who shaped the region and the nation in the mid-20th century.
"The Equalizer"
A reboot of the series of the same name that ran on CBS from 1985 to 1989, "The Equalizer" stars Queen Latifah as former CIA Operative Robyn McCall. The crime drama premiered on CBS in early 2021 and is currently airing its fifth season.
Latifah began her career as a rapper and singer, releasing her first album "All Hail the Queen" in 1989 at the age of 19. Her biggest hit came in 1993 with "U.N.I.T.Y." off her third album "Black Reign." The track earned her the 1995 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
She made her acting debut playing a waitress in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" (1991) then shifted her focus to television with a starring role on the FOX sitcom "Living Single," which ran for five seasons from 1993 to 1998.
In 2002, Latifah garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Matron "Mama" Morton in the hit film adaptation of the musical "Chicago." She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress while the film won Best Picture.
Latifah cemented her legacy in 2006 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, she was honored with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award where she thanked the network for "creating an outlet for beautiful Blackness to thrive, to shine" and publicly mentioned her longtime partner Eboni Nichols for the first time.
The talented cast of "The Equalizer" also includes Tory Kittles as NYPD detective Marcus Dante, Laya DeLeon Hayes as Robyn's teen daughter Delilah, and Lorraine Toussaint as Robyn's Aunt Vi. Stephen Bishop has a recurring role as Dr. Miles Fulton, Robyn's ex-husband.
"Harlem"
Sadly, Prime Video's "Harlem" has recently aired its final season. But in better news, the series helped propel the careers of its lead actresses Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandai, and Jerrie Johnson and lead actor Tyler Lepley. We are excited to see what they each do next.
Filmed at our Foster Avenue studio in Brooklyn, "Harlem" centers on four 30-something Black women who support each other as they look for love and professional fulfillment in New York City. The drama premiered in 2021 and is currently airing its third and final season, which includes Robin Givens, Gail Bean, Logan Browning, and Kofi Siriboe in recurring roles. Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have also appeared on "Harlem" in recurring roles since the first season.
The show is the brainchild of writer, director, and producer Tracy Oliver, who has several new projects in the works. Oliver began her career as a writer, producer, and actress on the YouTube comedy series "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl" starring Issa Rae that lasted two seasons from 2011 to 2012.
Oliver would find her biggest success as a co-writer of the 2017 comedy film "Girls Trip" starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the aforementioned Queen Latifah. The film grossed $140 million worldwide on a $19 million budget. Oliver has indicated that a sequel to "Girls Trip" is in the works.
She also had a hit as the showrunner and executive producer of the BET+ series "First Wives Club" starring Jill Scott, Michelle Buteau, RonReaco Lee, Mark Tallman, Michelle Mitchenor, and Ryan Michelle Bathe. The show ran for three seasons, with every episode directed by a woman. Oliver made her directorial debut with a first-season episode in 2019.
"The Gilded Age"
HBO's stunning period drama "The Gilded Age" debuted in early 2022 to positive reviews, with particular praise for its production design and elaborate costumes. While the show primarily focuses on the prominent White families of the era, it also shines a light on affluent members of Black society and notable individuals of the late 19th century.
Broadway star Denée Benton plays Peggy Scott, a writer born into a wealthy Brooklyn family. Accomplished stage actor John Douglas Thompson plays her father who owns a profitable pharmacy, and Broadway legend Audra McDonald plays her mother, an accomplished pianist.
Benton earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut, as the lead actress in the 2016 musical "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812." She would go on to play Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway smash "Hamilton" from 2018 to 2019, then Cinderella in the 2022 revival of "Into the Woods."
Thompson has appeared in numerous Broadway productions, debuting in the 2005 revival of "Julius Caesar." He also appeared in 2007's "Cyrano de Bergerac" Broadway revival. He originated the role of the anguished father Carl Lee Hailey in the 2013 Broadway adaptation of John Grisham's novel "A Time to Kill."
With six Tony Awards, McDonald has won more times than any other actor and is the only performer to win in all four acting categories. She first won for her featured role in the 1994 Broadway revival of "Carousel" and would later win for featured roles in the play "Master Class," musical "Ragtime," and play "A Raisin in the Sun." She also won for her lead performances in the musical "Porgy and Bess" and the play "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill."
Some prominent Black leaders of the era have also been featured on the show. Sullivan Jones has portrayed Timothy Thomas Fortune in 10 episodes over the first two seasons. Fortune was an influential journalist and the editor of the newspaper "The Globe" in the early 1880s. Fortune would go on to start his own newspaper called "New York Freeman," which later became the "The New York Age." Fortune was also a confidante of the iconic author and orator Booker T. Washington, who was portrayed by Michael Braugher in two episodes of the second season.
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