Common to Make His Broadway Debut This Winter
Common will make his Broadway debut this winter when he appears in a staging of Between Riverside and Crazy at the Hayes Theater.
The latest production comes eight years after Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play made a splash off-Broadway. The show was previously on Broadway in 2014, and will return in December 2022.
A synopsis for Between Riverside And Crazy reads: “Walter “Pops” Washington has had enough. His landlord won’t leave him alone, his wife recently passed away, and the liquor store can’t keep up with his thirst. Pops’ last living relative, his son Junior, has recently moved back to Pops’ house with his girlfriend, Lulu, and his newly-sober buddy, Oswaldo. With his heels dug into the floor of his rent-controlled Riverside Drive apartment, Pops holds onto old wounds — physical and emotional — picking continually at scabs he refuses to allow to heal."
With much of the original cast intact, Common will join in the role of Junior: the recently paroled son of Pops, who's an ex-cop.
"This has been a dream of mine for a very long time to act in a play, to do theater, and to be a part of a theater company," Common wrote in a post about the news on Instagram. "I am supremely grateful and overwhelmingly inspired to be a part of “Between Riverside and Crazy.” I can’t wait to begin this process and to live this journey. You never could have told me that little south side boy that he would be on Broadway."
Common, a three-time Grammy winner, won the Best Original Song Oscar in 2015 for “Glory.” Two years later, the rapper scored his Emmy when his “Letter to the Free,” from the Netflix documentary 13th, won Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Now, Common is just a Tony Award shy of receiving the prestigious EGOT status. If Common does land a Tony for Between Riverside and Crazy, he’ll be the next EGOT winner following Jennifer Hudson.
In other Common news, the rapper's last LP was A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2. It was released back in September 2021. In 2020, Common also dropped the first part of his Beautiful Revolution album series, as well as an interview series for Audible.
See Common's Broadway announcement below.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Common music at Live365.com.
Rather listen on our app? Download the Live365 app on iOS or Android. Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcast365)!
Article Image: Common in a suit and bow tie while attending the 2009 Critics Choice Awards. (PopularImages via DepositPhotos.)