Exodus To Jazz is doing something different this month. The great jazz series is bringing two performances of the Off-Broadway play Monk-The Play, by acclaimed playwright Laurence Holder and starring Rome Neal, both winners of the Audelco Award for excellence in African-American Theatre, up from NYC to Rochester for performances on January 29th and 30th. Monk is a
is one character play exploring the genius and mystery of jazz icon Thelonious Monk. The award-winning production of the play by Neal, Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café Theatre, has received many great notices in New York, including:
- “Brilliantly written … Extraordinary … Phenomenal” (Amsterdam News)
- “Intense sense of drama … Hypnotic mood ….” (The Village Voice)
- “Brilliant… Exquisite…” (The New York Times)
- “Witty, soulful and terse … A tender tribute to a legend.” (Newsday
) - “…with its strong, accomplished writing … captures the rhythm and feel of the 1940s and ’50s jazz scene … it ranks up there with the best, because it is passionate, powerful and real.” (Shout)
- Here are some more testimonials from YouTube, including from jazz men who knew Monk, after seeing it at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe Theatre.
There will be a performances, on Friday, Jan. 29th and Saturday, Jan. 30th, 2010. Both shows start at 8:00 pm. The play will be presented in the Riverview Ballroom, Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside,
120 Main Street East, Rochester, New York. Reserved Seats are $25; General Admission seats are $20. Students get in for $10. You should be able to purchase tickets at all Wegmans “That’s T.H.E. Ticket” locations soon (start date TBA). Tickets may also be purchased at
TicketWeb.com (search for “MONK – The Play”) or by email order to (for reserved Seats only) to Exodustojazz@aol.com.
For more information:
Call (585) 733-7685 or visit the Exodus to Jazz website.
Leave a Reply