It's a rainy Monday afternoon here in Brooklyn and Phierce Pholks is ready for action! It's good to be back and I mean that beyond the blog. It has been an incredible time for me since I've taken time off. Like I said in my previous post, I will be reshaping Phierce Pholks to be about life as I expierence it while sharing the things I love. I believe we all have stories to tell and by sharing those stories, we help shape each other's lives.
Before, each Monday, I would try to deliver what I called the "Monday Muse". I've decided to remove the Monday bit and simply call them "The Muses". These are the people in the public eye who inspire me and that I hope will inspire you! With that said, I'd like to introduce you all to the newest Muse of Phierce Pholks: Patina Miller!
Patina Miller is most popular in musical theatre circles, although many of you soap opera fans will probably recognize her as well. I was first introduced to her talent on YouTube by one of my greatest friends who I call "The Manager" (seriously, he practically is!). She gained popularity by means of a song written for her, titled "Random Black Girl", by an incredibly talented pair of musical theater composers: Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. I was almost literally floored when I first saw this girl! Girl can sang and she's brilliantly funny.
Random Black Girl:
Hailing from the small town of Pageland, South Carolina, Patina Miller's story is not too different from anyone elses, raised singing with her family and in church and amazing her community in a school production of Annie. Her God given talents would go on to win her a full scholarship to a prestigious performing-arts boarding-school and went on to graduate in musical theatre from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. After she graduated, she headed on down to my little ol' town, where she secured a stint in All My Children as 'Pam Anderson' or 'Erica Kane's' (Susan Lucci) talk show producer.
Before I get to the reason I pushed her to the front of the line of Muses, there is another display of her tremendous talent that must be shared! I regret not taking the opportunity to see Hair last year while it was a part of Shakespeare in the Park, which takes place every summer in Central Park (thanks to the amazing Public Theater!), especially now that I know that Patina was in it!
Before the Broadway revival, I really didn't know much about Hair, but it is has easily become one of my top favorite musicals! I am just dying to see the revival cast and with the Tony Award nominations happening tomorrow, I am sure the production will walk away with several nominations. Unfortunately, Patina Miller is not in the Broadway cast and with good reason! But first: Patina plays Dionne in the Public Theater's revival of Hair for Shakespeare in the Park, singing the classic song Aquarius (The song from musical theatre that become an iconic pop song.)!
Aquarius- Hair- Public Theater Revival:
So, why on Earth would Patina Miller miss what would probably be her huge breakout onto Broadway? I'm glad you asked!
If you are able to remember the 90's at all, then you definitely know about Whoopi Goldberg's legendary film: Sister Act. If you were a silly little colored child growing up in the 90's, like me, then that movie was probably an integral part of your childhood. So, where am I going with this? Ladies and gentlemen, the time I have been waiting for nearly as long as I can remember had come! Whoopi Goldberg is producing Sister Act, The Musical!
It's true! It will begin it's run on London's West End (the equivalent of Broadway in England) on May 7th at the London Palladium and Whoopi Goldberg handpicked Patina Miller to bring her iconic role of Ms. Deloris Van Cartier to life on the stage! I am so Phreakin' excited, I can barely contain myself. Oscar winning and Tony nominated composer Alan Menken created a whole new score (no pun intended) and it's going to be amazing! It probably won't be very long before it's able to find the backing to fund a move to the Great White Way and hopefully Patina Miller will be there along with it!
Here's a taste of what to expect from Sister Act:
Sister Act - the NEW musical in West End - Patina Miller:
Patina Miller, keep doing your thing!
Sister Act : The Official Web Site
