Just in time for the start of Black History Month, DC-area concert fans will get a sneak peek into what will become a Broadway performance that will honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I Dream: A Rhythm and Blues Opera is in concert on the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performance Arts on Thursday February 2nd at 6pm. The event is free to the public.
I Dream celebrates Dr. King’s message of equality for all people. The show’s creators hope to remind spectators of where we’ve been as a society, how far we’ve come, and our next steps of the journey towards equality and racial reconciliation.
Actor and Singer Quentin Earl Darrington plays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the production. He acknowledges the big shoes that he has to fill when preparing to portray the civil rights leader. Darrington says, “He’s been part of the nation’s family, the world’s family for years and years and years. He’s one of my idols, one of my heroes!’
The Kennedy Center’s performance Thursday night is a 60-minute preview where the I Dream performers will present some of the top musical selections of the show. After that, the performers will join forces with Opera Carolina to develop the full 2-hour show that will premiere in May 2018, just before the 55th anniversary of Dr. King’s March on Washington and the iconic “I Have A Dream” speech.
I Dream: A Rhythm and Blues Opera will be produced by Broadway Producer Bruce D. Long and London-based Dej Mahoney. Endorsed by current and former Mayors of Atlanta Kasim Reed and Shirley Franklin and Head of the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Camille Love.
Watch a video of Quentin Earl Darrington performing “I Dream” on WUSA.
