The Roots’ Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter will contribute music and lyrics to a new musical opening later this year.
Trotter will also join the cast of Black No More, a modern adaptation of George S. Schuyler’s Harlem Renaissance-era novel that will premiere October 2020 as part of New York theatrical company the New Group’s 2020 to 2021 season.
12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridley will provide Black No More’s book, with renowned Tony-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones and director Scott Elliott also onboard. Tony-nominated actress Jennifer Damiano, Hamilton vet Brandon Victor Dixon, Tamika Lawrence and Theo Stockman will also be part of the cast when the musical opens at the Pershing Square Signature Center this fall.
The New Group said of the musical adaptation: “It’s June 1928 in New York City, and Howard University graduate Dr. Junius Crookman promotes a mysterious machine that promises to remove the burden of race from any person of color by turning them white — Crookman’s plan to ‘solve the American race problem.’ Black No More is an examination of race, identity and the very nature of love.”
While best known for his work with the Roots and his night job alongside Jimmy Fallon, Trotter is no stranger to acting over the past two decades, recently appearing in TV series like The Deuce and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
