Considered one of the best regional theaters in the United States, the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, reaches more than 165,000 patrons per year through plays and musicals showcasing the diversity of American theater while amplifying the voice of Atlanta’s Black community. Since Kenny Leon became the theater’s artistic director in 1988, it has staged world premieres of The Color Purple, Aida, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. It received the regional theater Tony Award in 2007.
The Alliance continues to show prominent productions while highlighting the works of artists from underrepresented communities. The theater’s 2023-24 season features Fat Ham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning and five-time Tony-nominated play based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet that explores concepts of love, family, and identity, as well as Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, and the world premiere musical The Preacher’s Wife.
Below is a closer look at The Preacher’s Wife, which will be shown from May 11 to June 9, 2024, on the Alliance’s Coca-Cola Stage.
Early Look at the Plot
The Preacher’s Wife tells the story of preacher Henry and his wife Julia, both of whom are trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to foster their Harlem congregation. In a last attempt to revive the congregation, Henry asks God for help and, to his surprise, is visited by an angel. The musical is based on the novel and motion picture The Bishop’s Wife and the film The Preacher’s Wife.
The Preacher’s Wife film, a comedy-drama released in 1996, stars Courtney B. Vance as Henry and Whitney Houston as his wife Julia. Denzel Washington plays the role of Dudley, a witty angel who falls in love with Julia but eventually helps restore the family, the congregation, and faith in God. The film won two Image Awards and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score.
Directors Michael Arden and Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Michael Arden and Tinashe Kajese-Bolden are slated to direct The Preacher’s Wife. Arden, an award-winning director, has directed Broadway productions such as Parade, High Noon, and A Christmas Carol. He won the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Once on This Island in 2018 and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for Spring Awakening in 2016. He is a former artist in residence at Wallis Annenberg, where he produced the NAACP Award-winning production Merrily We Roll Along. He also directed Maybe Happy Ending, which premiered at the Alliance.
Kajese-Bolden is the Alliance’s BOLD associate artistic director and is also directing Furlough’s Paradise, a world premiere play that will be shown on the Hertz Stage from January 31 to March 3, 2024. She won the Princess Grace Award for Directing in 2019 and has directed productions such as Toni Stone (Alliance and Milwaukee Repertory Theater), School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), and Native Gardens (Virginia Stage Company).
In addition to directing, Kajese-Bolden has acted in several Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater productions. She also appeared alongside Oprah Winfrey in the HBO film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the NAACP Image Award winning mini-series The Bobby Brown Story, among other TV and film projects.
Book by Tituss Burgess and Azie Dungey
Tituss Burgess, best known for his role in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, co-developed the book and wrote the music and lyrics for The Preacher’s Wife. While he is more active in film and TV, he has appeared in Broadway productions of Guys and Dolls, The Little Mermaid, and Jersey Boys.
Azie Dungey wrote the book with Burgess, was a writer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She also wrote and starred in the web series Ask A Slave, a comedic take on her experience playing a slave character at Mount Vernon. Additionally, she wrote for and executive produced the BET sitcom Twenties and the Amazon comedy series Harlem.
Other Productions for the Alliance’s 2023-24 Season
The Alliance’s 2023-24 season marks its 55th year of producing plays and musicals for audiences in Atlanta. In addition to The Preacher’s Wife, Fat Ham, and A Tale of Two Cities, the theater will also showcase an operatic version of Stephen King’s The Shining in conjunction with The Atlanta Opera. This will be shown on the Coca-Cola Stage from September 15 to October 1, 2023. Other productions include the Obie-winning English, which follows the journey of four Iranian adults learning English, and kid-friendly shows like The Incredible Book Eating Boy and Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale.
“We are so excited to celebrate theater’s transformative power to strengthen human connection through stories that reflect the cultural vibrancy and rich diversity of Atlanta. Stories that are equally harrowing, hilarious, and hopeful,” said Kajese-Bolden. “Led by globally recognized artists channeling their vibrant and fearless spirits, we believe audiences will journey with us into imaginative experiences of self-actualizing, family legacy, and communal empowerment.”