Full Cast Announced for “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole” at the Geffen Playhouse

12.31.2018

L-R/T-B: Gisela Adisa as Eartha Kitt and others; Connor Amacio Matthews as Billy Preston and others;Bryan Dobson as Producer and others; Dulé Hill as Nat King Cole; Ruby Lewis as Betty Hutton, Peggy Lee and others; Zonya Love as Perlina and others; Marcia Rodd as Candy and others; Brandon Ruiter as Stage Manager and others; Daniel J. Watts as Sammy Davis Jr.

LOS ANGELES — Triple threats abound: Singing/Dancing/Acting chops to be showcased by the cast of the upcoming new musical Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, beginning February 5 at the Geffen Playhouse.

Director Patricia McGregor describes what you can expect at “Lights Out: Nat King Cole”

Written by Tony and Olivier nominee Colman Domingo (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, If Beale Street Could Talk, Fear the Walking Dead) and Patricia McGregor (Place, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Skeleton Crew), directed by Patricia McGregor, with music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by John McDaniel (Chicago, Grease) and featuring Emmy Award nominee Dulé Hill (Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk; The West Wing; Psych) as Nat “King” Cole. This marks the West Coast premiere for the production, which made its world premiere in 2017 at People’s Light, one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional non-profit theaters.

Dulé Hill taps at the MDA Telethon in 2000.

In addition to Hill, the cast features Gisela Adisa (Beautiful, Sister Act) as Eartha Kitt and others; Bryan Dobson (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show) as Producer and others; Ruby Lewis (Marilyn! The New Musical, Jersey Boys) as Betty Hutton, Peggy Lee and others; Zonya Love(Emma and Max, The Color Purple) as Perlina and others; Connor Amacio Matthews (In the Flow with Connor Amacio) as Billy Preston and others; Marcia Rodd (Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Shelter) as Candy and others; Brandon Ruiter (Sex with Strangers, A Picture of Dorian Gray) as Stage Manager and others; and Daniel J. Watts (Hamilton, In the Heights) as Sammy Davis Jr.

Zonya Love sings “Lord Remember Me” from “The Parchman Hour” at the Guthrie Theater.

Ruby Lewis sings “Bang Bang” inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Kill Bill.”

https://youtu.be/YYMgZuoOc7I (403)

Gisela performs a rendition of the late George Michael’s “ Praying For Time “ at the legndary Cutting Room in New York City.

Previews for Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole begin Tuesday, February 5 in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, with opening night on Wednesday, February 13. The production has been extended for one week and will close on Sunday, March 17.

In this electrifying exploration into the soul of an American icon, Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor imagine Nat “King” Cole as he faces the final Christmastime broadcast of his groundbreaking variety show and weighs the advice of his friend Sammy Davis Jr. to “go out with a bang.” Cole’s hit songs, such as “Nature Boy,” “It’s a Good Day” and “Smile,” underscore this boldly original homage to the renowned performer who struggled to break through America’s color barrier in the early days of television.

Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole was originally commissioned and produced by People’s Light, Malvern, PA. Abigail Adams, Artistic Director/CEO; Ellen Anderson, General Manager/CFO; Zak Berkman, Producing Director. The original development and premiere of Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole was supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Tickets available at www.geffenplayhouse.org