Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to MTC for the Broadway debut of his brilliant solo play celebrating the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion and care. Giving a tour-de-force performance accompanied by live music written by acclaimed composer Bill Sims, Jr. and performed by Blues Hall of Fame Guitarist Junior Mack, Santiago-Hudson embodies more than 20 vibrant characters, creating a richly textured reminiscence that’s inspiring, uplifting and right at home on Broadway.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson summons a world of ghosts, or at least as many as will fill a couple boarding houses and a lifetime of gratitude, in his affectionate Lackawanna Blues, the one-man autobiographical tour through a childhood made golden by the presence of a strong and loving guardian angel.
There are only two men onstage, but there's an awfully big crowd populating Lackawanna Blues. Ruben Santiago-Hudson's autobiographical one-man play (plus musician) paying loving tribute to the woman who raised him features such a gallery of colorful characters that it's no wonder it was adapted into a cable television movie featuring a large ensemble. But the piece works best as it was originally conceived-the actor narrating the tale and portraying some two dozen other characters in a virtuoso demonstration of solo storytelling.
2001 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2021 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Bill Sims Jr. |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Lackawanna Blues |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) | Jen Schreiver |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Special Achievement Awards | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Ruben Santiago-Hudson |
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