The St. Louis Black Repertory Company will open its 28th season with an updated performance of Tell Me Somethin’ Good, one of its most popular productions, Sept. 8-19 at Edison Theatre.
Conceived and directed by Ron Himes, the Henry E. Hampton Jr. artist-in-residence in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences and founder and producing director of the Black Rep, Tell Me Somethin’ Good is a musical revue of rhythm and blues that first debuted in 1997.
The updated version will feature more than 60 tunes, from ’50s doo-wop to contemporary rap and hip hop, including hits such as He’s So Fine, Come See About Me, Shining Star, It’s Your Thing and Dr. Feelgood.
The production will feature Black Rep mainstays Drummond Crenshaw, J. Samuel Davis, Chuck Flowers, Greg Tayborn, Renee Lunceford, Coco Soul, Norrisa Pearson, Tamika Jackson, Nicole Thomas and Andrea Hayes.
“People have been asking me to bring Tell Me Somethin’ Good back for years,” Himes said. “The good songs, great voices and terrific choreography featured in our original production had audience members dancing in the aisles.
“That audience involvement is part of what makes this show so exciting.”
Performances, which are hosted by the University, will begin with a pair of previews at 8 p.m. Sept. 8-9. The opening-night show will begin at 8 p.m. Sept. 10. Performances will continue through Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays.
The Black Rep is the largest African-American performing arts organization in Missouri and among the largest in the country. It is committed to providing platforms for theater, dance and other creative expressions from the African-American perspective that heighten the social and cultural awareness of its audiences. Through its educational and mainstage productions, the company reaches an audience exceeding 150,000 annually.
The Black Rep is a sustaining member of the Arts & Education Council and receives support from the National Endow-ment for the Arts, the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis, and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Tickets range from $15-30 and are available by calling the Black Rep box office, 534-3810. Special pricing is available as part of the Black Rep’s “Under 30 Thursdays,” which feature half-price tickets for patrons age 30 and under with valid identification.
For more information about the Black Rep, go online to stlouisblackrep.org.