CCT continues its 29th season with the gospel musical Crowns, opening Friday, May 2, and playing for three consecutive weekends. Crowns, by Regina Taylor, is adapted from a book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. This moving and celebratory musical play uses hats as a theatrical springboard for an exploration of black history and identity. There is a hat for every occasion, from flirting to churchgoing to funerals to baptisms, and the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and slavery and forward to current fashion.
The cast of Crowns includes Lisa Charles, Janney Gerson, Sasha Green, Kim Jerome, Tiara Mason, Sherri Poree, Maren Roebuck, Jamile Smith, Isabella Sylvester, Kelvin Vidale, and Curtis Walters. The production is directed by Lionel Downer, with Linda Garvin as assistant director, and Lucien James provides piano accompaniment.
Performances are held at CCT’s theater at #18 Estate Orange Grove, just minutes from downtown Christiansted, St. Croix. There will be six evening performances of Crowns on Fridays and Saturdays, May 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, 2014, at 8 PM, and a matinee on Sunday, May 11 at 4 PM.
Tickets for CCT’s musical productions are always popular, and are available for sale in advance to theatergoers in order to secure seating on the night of their choice. Purchase advance tickets online; or purchase tickets in person at the CCT box office by appointment. Tickets are $25 each with some discounts available for seniors, students and CCT members. For more information, call 778-1983 or 718-4229, or email eileencct@gmail.com.
Crowns is sponsored by CBS-TV2, Donna M. Christensen, Christiansted Apothecary Hall, Linda Garvin & Bill Boyton, Carl & Marti Gotts, Innovative Companies, JKC Communications of the VI, Marshall & Sterling Insurance, and Seascape Pool Center, Inc. This project is jointly supported by a grant from the Virgin Islands Council for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Maren Roebuck and Sasha Green
Isabella Sylvester and Lisa J. Charles