Roundabout Theatre Company announced that LaChanze will star in the Broadway premiere of Alice Childress‘ “Trouble in Mind” this fall.
LaChanze, a founding member of Black Theatre United, returns to Broadway following her 2019 performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol.” She also starred in “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” in 2018, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for best performance by a leading actress in a musical.
Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the production will begin preview performances on Oct. 29 ahead of a Nov. 18 opening at Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre.
“Trouble in Mind” follows an experienced Black stage actress through rehearsals of an anti-lynching Broadway drama who finds the courage to stand up against the show’s white creative team. While the play, which examines racism, identity and ego in the world of New York theatre, opened to acclaim Off-Broadway in 1955, this production will mark the 66-year-old play’s official Broadway debut.
Roundabout recently joined forces with Black Theatre United to launch The Refocus Project, a multi-year project designed to spotlight 20th Century Black plays and their playwrights. The project is currently spotlighting an array of 20th-century Black playwrights, including Childress, Shirley Graham Du Bois, Angelina Weld Grimké, Zora Neale Hurston and Samm-Art Williams. The project included a recent reading of Childress’ play “Wine in the Wilderness.”
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The stage production’s design team will include Arnulfo Maldonado (sets), Emilio Sosa (costumes), Kathy A. Perkins (lights), Dan Moses Schreier (sound) and Nona Hendryx (original music).
The casting was announced by Todd Haimes, Roundabout’s artistic director/CEO. The remaining cast members will be announced soon.
