Event

Dinah Was

Seattle Parks and Recreations Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (LHPAC), opens its 2007 2008 season with DINAH WAS, a dynamic musical production that celebrates the life and times of jazz & blues legend Dinah Washington. Hailed as the Queen of Blues, Dinah Washington played hard and fast. She was the epitome of a blues diva who lived a tumultuous life and was driven to sing about it.
Incorporating many popular songs from the singers 20 year career, DINAH WAS celebrates her remarkable and rocky journey from humble roots to headlining fame. DINAH WAS explodes with the rhythms, tough breaks, and tender notes that fired the life and music of this passionate performer. Songs include What a Diffrence a Day Makes, I Wanna Be Loved, and Come Rain or Come Shine.
The inspiration for DINAH WAS stems from a shocking incident at the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel. Nat King Cole had broken the color barrier before Dinah Washington but Dinah was the first black woman to headline in Las Vegas. However, in 1959 African-American performers were not permitted in hotel rooms, and the racism that lingered spoiled the triumph of her achievement. And her lifelong struggles with weight, drugs, and love soured many of her other successes.

Written by playwright Oliver Goldstick, DINAH WAS held its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1995. After a successful run, the show moved on to the Arena Stage in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the off-Broadway Gramercy Theatre in New York, and an 11-week sold-out performance at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles. The Seattle premiere of DINAH WAS at LHPAC will star Stephanie Hatley, (Black Nativity, INTIMAN, FAME Choir) as Dinah Washington; Felicia Loud (Native Son, INTIMAN) as Maye and Violet. The remaining cast members are: G To'mas Jones, as Boss and Chase; Ron Davids as Greenblatt and Spinelli; Nik Doner as Frick and Rollie; Owour Arunga, Tim Carey and Brendan ODonnell are the dynamic musical trio that completes the cast.