Bessie's Blues

 A musical odyssey of the blues and the African American people in the 20th century, featuring Helen Hayes Award winner Bernardine Mitchell as Bessie Smith.  Thomas W. Jones II will direct and choreograph, and William Knowles will music direct. The explosive legacy of the blues is told through the eyes and lens of Bessie Smith, the “Empress of the Blues.”  The 20th anniversary of this production (originally staged at Studio Theatre and receiving 6 Helen Hayes Awards), is being reprised in honor of our long-standing collaboration with Tom Jones as a playwright, lyricist, director and choreographer.