By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
Anthony Davis’s groundbreaking and influential opera, “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” which premiered in 1986, has arrived at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York at long last. It is only the third opera by a Black composer in Met history.
Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of “Slave Play” Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm X as an everyman whose story transcends time and space.
An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life. Baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the Met premiere of Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” (for which he won a Grammy), sings Malcolm X, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise, and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad.
Maestro Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which provides a layered, jazz-inflected setting for the esteemed writer Thulani Davis’s libretto.
Fathom Events is bringing “X” to theaters nationwide including L.A. Live, AMC Century City and Cinemark 18 on Nov. 18 and 29 as part of “The Met: Live in HD” series. For locations and tickets, visit FathomEvents.com.
SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT: Taraji P. Henson and Tony Award winner LaChanze jumped at the chance to present Ghanian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” on Broadway. Now, courtesy of the League of Live Stream Theater and the Manhattan Theatre Club, you can watch the acclaimed production directed by Obie winner Whitney White exclusively on your screens Nov. 14–19. Lolst.org has reservations.
RED CARPET WALK: Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds” was granted a rare exception to promote. So, stars Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and more should be at the movie’s premiere on Nov. 13 at TCL Chinese Theatre around 5:30 p.m.
HOW DO YOU REALLY FEEL?: “People say that she’s late. She’s late so what? Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this blood ras stage every night!” – MS. LAURYN HILL (returning to Toyota Arena Nov. 16 with The Fugees)
CLIPPETTES: Plenty of options Nov. 10 with Cee-Lo Green at Morongo Casino, a solo John Mayer show at The Forum, folk singer Joy Oladokun at the Belasco Theater, and MC Kurtis Blow’s “Hip Hop Nutcracker” at the Cerritos Center …
In addition, Motown legend Thelma Houston begins a two-night stand at Catalina Bar and Grill; the LA3C Music & Food Festival with Herbie Hancock, Erykah Badu, Questlove and more is held for three nights at select downtown venues; “44 – The Unofficial, Unsanctioned, Obama Musical” with Shanice continues at the Bourbon Room; and the famed Kinsey African American History And Art Collection is on display through Nov. 30 at SoFi Stadium …
Evelyn “Champagne” King and Louie Vega are among the performers at Grand Park’s Disco Trip 2023 on Nov. 11, as Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Tone! at YouTube Theater, and the Robey Theatre Company presents Richard Wesley’s “The Talented Tenth” through Dec. 10 at the LA Theatre Center …
Also, the Hip Hop Museum Tour comes to Hudson Loft. RSVP for your free tickets at uhhm.org/tour/ …
Rhiannon Giddens and the Silkroad Ensemble illuminate stories of “American Railroad” on Nov. 12 at The Soraya …
Nov. 14, the Grammy Museum in conjunction with its new exhibit, “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit,” hosts a special panel discussion with Chuck D and the producers and creators of the Audible Original docuseries “Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story” …
The night also has The Planetary Prince, aka keyboardist Cameron Graves, at The Baked Potato, vocalist Eric Bellinger at Amoeba Music, and Durand Jones at The Observatory (also at The Fonda the next evening) …
H.E.R. performs at the Hollywood Palladium on Nov. 15, while Andrew Dice Clay plays The Wiltern, and The 88 Show with Craig Robinson, Sarah Silverman and Avery Pearson is presented at the Hollywood Improv …
Lil Uzi Vert raps at The Forum on Nov. 16, as The Venice West hosts Joan Osborne, The Roxy presents British vocalist Olivia Dean, the YouTube Theater welcomes Devo: The Farewell Tour, and singer-songwriter and trombonist Aubrey Logan celebrates the holidays at Catalina Bar and Grill.
TASTY QUIP: “I marvel at any Black person who wants to remove themselves from their Blackness. There’s this instant thing of ‘let me get away from where I come from, let me get away from the Madeas of my family, and let me educate myself away from my Blackness. Those people I don’t have respect for.” – TYLER PERRY on “CBS Mornings”
TC ON TV: Nov. 10 – “007: Road To A Million” (Prime Video): From the producers behind the James Bond franchise and reality TV show creator Mark Burnett comes this competition hosted by Brian Cox (“Succession”) sending pairs on a global adventure for a million pounds. “The Curse” (SHO): A genre-bending series with Emma Stone and Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”). “The Killer” (Netflix): Fresh off its festival run, “Fight Club” director David Fincher’s hit man movie with Michael Fassbinder and Charles Parnell (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”) debuts. “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Rick Ross & Meek Mill
Nov. 11 – “Kitchen Commando” (Tubi): In honor of Veterans Day, this special episode features former White House Chef Andre Rush and his quest to aid a fellow veteran’s struggling restaurant. “Devil On My Doorstep” (Lifetime): Rachel Lindsay (“The Bachelorette”) makes her feature acting debut in this thriller. “OWN Spotlight” (OWN): Oprah, Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin
Nov. 12 – “Delicious Miss Brown” (Food): Kardea Brown shares some Thanksgiving recipes. “Black Girls Play” (The Story of Handgames) (ESPN): The critically acclaimed documentary short directed by award-winning filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michéle Stephenson (“Going to Mars: the Nikki Giovanni Story”) debuts at 5:30 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+ afterwards. “Beacon 23” (MGM+): This science-fiction mystery thriller and love story stars Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”) and Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk“). “Candace Parker: Unapologetic” (ESPN): A portrait of the two-time WNBA champion.
Nov. 13 – “The Lady Bird Diaries” (Hulu): Acclaimed director Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”) fashions this film from 123 hours of Lady Bird Johnson‘s personal and revealing audio diary, which she began in 1963, when the assassination of President John F. Kennedy obliged her husband Lyndon B. Johnson to take on the “most challenging and demanding job on Earth” as the 36th President of the United States, and continued recording through the Johnsons’ final day in the White House in 1969.
Nov. 14 – “Dancing With The Stars” (ABC/Disney+): “Whitney Houston Night” “How We Get Free” (HBO): A short following Elisabeth Epps, founder of the Colorado Freedom Fund, over the course of two years as she works to abolish cash bail in Colorado and put an end to the criminalization of poverty. “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (CW): Tiffany Haddish guests. “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Robert Glasper
Nov. 15 – “Cribs” (MTV): Returns for a 20th season by visiting the home of Taye Diggs.
Nov. 16 – “Best. Christmas. Ever!” (Netflix): Brandy stars in this holiday movie with Heather Graham helmed by Mary Lambert (who directed iconic hit videos for Madonna, Lionel Richie, Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Sheila E., and Sting). This coincides with the release of “Christmas With Brandy” on Motown Records. “Drive With Swizz Beats” (Hulu): The car-collecting hip-hop legend and his son Nasir Dean (also known as Note Marcato) visit auto-loving destinations and examine the area’s distinctive car culture.
END QUOTE: “You guys, there’s a group of us that don’t go talk to the manager. You know what I’m saying? Like, there’s a group of us that’ll be like ‘No, manager, come over here, this didn’t taste good. But there’s a lot of us that’ll be like ‘I’m just not gonna come back here no more. We need to start talking to the manager. Do you understand? Pay attention! Only a third of this country is voting. ONLY A THIRD OF THIS COUNTRY IS VOTING! …” – LESLIE JONES (who guest hosts Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” this week) on ABC’s “The View”
