Peter Kramer/NBC From left, Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford and Fantasia Barrino on “Today.â€Following popular runs at New York City Center under the title “Cotton Club Parade,†the show - a musical revue about the famed Harlem nightclub - will begin performances on Broadway in October with a new name, “After Midnight,†the producers said on Monday. No casting was announced, but the producers are in talks with Fantasia Barrino, the Grammy Award winner and American Idol champion, o join the show, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal the confidential discussions.
Ms. Barrino, who made her Broadway debut as a replacement Celie in the musical “The Color Purple,†recently said on NBC’s “Today†that she was returning to Broadway in October, though she did not name the show.
“After Midnight†will be produced by Scott Sanders, who was also a lead producer on “The Color Purple,†and a team that includes Wynton Marsalis, the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Mr. Marsalis chose the 17 musicians for the big band that performs the show’s swing and blues numbers, which include songs by Duke Ellington and Harold Arlen.
“After Midnight†will cost approximately $6 million, on a modest side for a commercial Broadway musical. Warren Carlyle will again direct and choreograph the show, and the creative team will include the costume designer Isabel Toledo. “After Midnight†is sch! eduled to start previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theater on Oct. 18, with an opening night on Nov. 3.
Mr. Sanders, in a statement, said that the City Center version of the show will “arrive intact†at the Atkinson, but the title was changed because “the Broadway production will very much be its own animal.â€
