'Black Nativity' Production Returns To Basie Center In Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ — "Black Nativity," Langston Hughes’ Gospel-inspired interpretation of the Gospel Of Luke and the birth of Jesus Christ, returns to the Riker Family Stage at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Saturday, Dec. 30.

Tickets, priced between $15 and $27, are on sale now through theBASIE.org, the Count Basie Center box office at 99 Monmouth St. in Red Bank, and through all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com, the theater says.

Produced by regional theatre company Dunbar Repertory and directed by Dunbar founder and Count Basie Center trustee Darrell Lawrence Willis Sr., "Black Nativity" is the story of Christ’s birth told from a Black perspective, the Basie says.

“We are honored to continue the tradition of staging this production at the Count Basie Center, which we’ve been doing since 2010,” Willis said.

The original production debuted off-Broadway in 1961 and has continued to showcase Black actors, artforms and repertory ever since, with productions across the country incorporating contemporary dance, hip-hop and musical arrangements to keep the story updated and relevant for current times.

Poet and author Langston Hughes was commissioned to write "Black Nativity" as an interpretation of the Christ story from the Black perspective, said Willis.

“In the years and countless productions since, we have seen everything from gospel to hip-hop and spoken word enter the stage. These elements, placed against the Nativity story and the Gospel Of Luke, turn ‘Black Nativity’ into an all-around celebration of the season and our community,” he said.

"Black Nativity" at the Count Basie Center is directed by Willis, along with musical director Gwen Moten (also the music director of the Count Basie Center Gospel Choir), production stage manager Janet Clarke Graham, choreographer Amber Blue, costume designer Olivier Grant Wendall and lighting designer Mark Antonio Henderson, the Basie said.

Willis will next direct the Basie Center community theatre company Phoenix Productions’ presentation of "Ragtime – The Musical" in March. Tickets for that show are on sale now through theBASIE.org.