Holler If Ya Hear Me
Broadway Playbill cover
MusicTupac Shakur
LyricsTupac Shakur
BookTodd Kreidler
Productions2014 Broadway

"Holler If Ya Hear Me is a jukebox musical written by Todd Kreidler featuring the rap music of Tupac Shakur.

According to Playbill, the musical is "a non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope. Inner city lives struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face in this entertaining and original musical".[1]

Productions

The musical had a five-week workshop in the summer of 2013.[1]

The musical began previews on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on June 2, 2014, and officially opened on June 19, 2014. The musical closed on July 20, 2014, after 17 previews and 38 performances. Directed by Kenny Leon, the musical staging and choreography was by Wayne Cilento.[2][3]

One of the producers, Eric L. Gold, "blamed the show's closing on 'the financial burdens of Broadway". Gold also told Variety that he made a " 'rookie mistake' by underestimating the amount of capital necessary to keep the $8 million show running".

A cast album of the musical was recorded but never released.

In 2017, Director Kenny Leon launched the first regional production in Atlanta. The script was revisited with a new cast. The production premiered on September 15, 2017.

Cast

Principal roles and original Broadway cast

Sources: PlaybillVault;[2] TheaterMania[3]

Principal roles and regional premier cast

Sources: Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company

  • John – Saul Williams
  • Corinne – D. Woods
  • Darius – Joshua Boone
  • Anthony – Dyllon Burnside
  • Vertus – Garrett Turner
  • Street Preacher – Eddie Bradley, Jr
  • Mrs. Weston – Theresa Hightower
  • Griffy – Rob Lawhon
  • Nunn – Jahi Kearse

Songs

Source: Internet Broadway Database[4]

Critical response

The show had mixed reviews.[5]

Marilyn Stasio, in her review in Variety, wrote: "The true believers won't care about such pedestrian matters as the predictable book and clumsy characterizations...The music...is terrific.... But the performers are so overly miked that the lyrics are almost unintelligible....The other major drawback is that the story told in Todd Kreidler's book isn't the story we want to hear. It's not the life of Tupac Shakur.... it's the generic tale of a thug named John...who comes out of prison determined to go straight, only to be drawn back into the violent gang culture of the neighborhood by friends who demand his undying loyalty to the clan philosophy of life-as-war."[6]

David Rooney, writing in Billboard, noted: "Critical response to the show was lukewarm. While many reviewers appreciated the attempt to stretch the jukebox musical format in new directions, going beyond the safe parameters of Baby Boomer hits, most found the story of racism, poverty, crime, violence, community and redemption mired in plot cliches and stock characters....It was apparent from the outset that not only was the show's marketing not working, but also that producers had made a mistake in bypassing the developmental opportunities of an out-of-town tryout and the fine-tuning window of a longer preview period."[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Hetrick, Adam (January 8, 2014). "Tupac Shakur Musical Holler If Ya Hear Me Will Play Broadway's Palace Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Holler If Ya Hear Me (Broadway, Palace Theatre, 2014)". Playbill. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Rickwald, Bethany (July 14, 2014). "Broadway's Tupac-Inspired Musical 'Holler If Ya Hear Me' to Close". theatermania.com.
  4. ↑ "'Holler If Ya Hear Me' Songs" ibdb.com, accessed December 15, 2015
  5. ↑ Healy, Patrick (July 14, 2014). "'Holler if Ya Hear Me' to Close on Sunday". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (June 19, 2014). "Broadway Review: 'Holler If Ya Hear Me' With Songs by Tupac Shakur". Variety.
  7. ↑ Rooney, David (July 14, 2014). "Tupac Musical 'Holler If Ya Hear Me' Meets Swift Demise on Broadway". Billboard.
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