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[[image - black and white photograph of Billy Dee Williams and a woman]] 
[[caption]]Billy Dee Williams starred as Dr. Martin Luther King in "I Have A Dream," which opened on Broadway September 20th at the Ambassador Theatre. It's a musical evening based on words and writings of civil rights leader.[[/caption]]

[[image - black and white photograph of Moses Gunn and a woman]]
[[caption]]Moses Gunn replaced Billy Dee Williams in "I Have A Dream."[[/caption]]

[[image - black and white photograph of James Randolph and Ernestine Jackson]]
[[caption]]James Randolph and Ernestine Jackson in "GUYS AND DOLLS."[[/caption]]

"ME AND BESSIE" - the hit Broadway musical starring Linda Hopkins as the legendary Bessie Smith, "Empress of the Blues."

[[image - black and white photograph of Linda Hopkins]]
[[caption]]Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee about 1894 Bessie Smith was raised essentially by an older sister after her parents died, until she ran off with the tent shows and the woman who was to become the greatest influence on her life style - Ma Rainey. As her "adopted" protege, she spent her teenage years in the tents, on the black vaudeville circuit, in black clubs, and finally, in the biggest theatres and clubs that would allow black artists. From her recording debut in 1923 until 1930, Bessie was regarded as the greatest blues singer alive and broke attendance records wherever she went. By 1930, the depression and the waning interest in the blues, plus the effects of a tumultuous personal life, contributed to the decline of her popularity. Though she continued to perform, it was not until after her death in 1937 that her reputation soared and the blues (mostly through a re-issue of her recordings) caught the addictive interest of the public.[[/caption]]

[[image - black and white photograph of four men on stage in performance]]