Who's Breathing and Imaginative in the New Play-With-Music Breath & Imagination at Hartford Stage

Breath & Imagination, Hartford Stage's new show (running Jan. 11 through Feb. 9) about groundbreaking African-American lyrical tenor vocalist Roland Hayes, has announced its cast. It’s a small cast—two singers and a piano accompanist, but pound for pound could not be more impressive. Jubliant Sykes, who’s performed with everybody from the Metropolitan Opera to the Boston Pops, portrays Hayes. Kecia Lewis-Evans, from the original Broadway casts of Leap of Faith, Shrek the Musical and The Drowsy Chaperone (and in Connecticut, last year’s Long Wharf Theater revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’)  plays his mother Angel Mo’. Tom Frey, who’s done over 700 performances of Two Pianos Four Hands (having mastered both roles in the show, and often directed it as well), is “The Accompanist” as well as a slew of smaller roles, including King George the Fifth and a horse.

By Christopher Arnott

December 30, 2012