Due to the current health crisis, Thoughts of a Colored Man by Keenan Scott II has permanently closed after playing its final performance December 22 at Broadway's Golden Theatre. At the time of closing, the show had played 79 regular performances and 13 previews.
Even with positive cases in the company, the production made a valiant effort to continue—playwright Scott joined two understudies by stepping into a role himself this week, script in hand, to perform when three cast members were not able to take the stage.
Lead producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana DiMenna, Kandi Burruss, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Samira Wiley issued the following statement on the closure: “While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, being part of this historic season on Broadway has been the greatest privilege of our lives. The theatre industry’s great return is about so much more than the success or failure of any single production. As a community, we remain undeterred, unflinching, and unstoppable. We have never been prouder to be theatre makers than at this very moment.”
The play, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, explores a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn, as seven Black men discover the extraordinary together through a blend of spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm, and humor. It opened October 13, 2021.
The current cast included Emmy winner Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Tony nominee Forrest McClendon (The Scottsboro Boys) as Depression, Luke James (Showtime’s The Chi) as Passion, Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton) as Happiness, Da’Vinchi (Showtime’s Black Mafia Family) as Lust, Esau Pritchett (Fox's Prodigal Son) as Wisdom, and Tristan Mack Wilds (HBO’s The Wire) as Anger with Bjorn DuPaty (Mlima's Tale) and Garrett Turner (National Black Theatre's Bayano) as understudies. Actors Kadeem Ali Harris, Reynaldo Piniella, and Christian Thompson had recently been announced to join the cast in January.
The creative team also includes composers Te’La and Brother Kamau, set designer Robert Brill, costume designers Toni-Leslie James and Devario D. Simmons, lighting designer Ryan O’Gara, projection designer Sven Ortel, and sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman. Casting is by Calleri Jensen Davis.
