With book and lyrics by Angelica Chéri and music by Ross Baum, the production is inspired by the true story of the playwright’s great-great-aunts, Mary and Martha Clarke.
Set in 1893 Texas, the narrative follows the two Black sisters as they escape the cotton fields and use their ability to pass as white to secure enough money to save their sharecropper mother, Tallulah, from losing their home.
From Cotton Fields to Outlaw Legends in 1890s Texas
When their mother toils for years, the sisters set out beyond country roads to earn money and save themselves and their family from destitution. Armed with Ole Bessie, Tallulah’s pistol, the sisters soon discover that stealing and intimidation earn them cash much faster than any other profession, staging armed robberies with a single gun across saloons and churches.
A Long Journey to Broadway via Regional Stages
The production played regional runs at the Paper Mill Playhouse in spring 2024 before transferring to Broadway with a tightened structure, lusher orchestrations by John Clancy, and a more detailed design.
Directed by Obie winner and Tony nominee Stevie Walker-Webb and choreographed by Chelsey Arce, the Broadway staging features a set designed by Beowulf Boritt under the weathered-wood framing of a barn.
Throughout the production, the main characters are accompanied by Emilio Sosa’s period costumes and surrounded by the Kinfolk, a six-person chorus of ancestor spirits in white garments who serve as storytellers narrating the history of the Clarke family, featuring cast members including Aaron Arnell Harrington, Jennie Harney-Fleming, Rayshun LaMarr, Hailey Thomas, Harris Matthew Turner, and Betts, alongside a company rounded out by Wesley J. Barnes, Kailey Boyle, Meghan Olivia Corbett, Timothy Hughes, Crystal Joy, Mary Claire King, Brad Sharp, Danielle J. Summons, Nathan Quay Thomas, Katie Thompson, and Brent Thiessen.
Powerhouse Performances Overshadow a Patchy Book
The cast also features Aurelia Williams as Sissy and Awa Sal Secka as Flo, reprising their performances from earlier regional runs.
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Tallulah has a dream and a vision for her family, and she goes after it. And then finds that there’s a newer way through her children…So she supports them and what they do — they’re coming back to take care of the family and legacy.
Ledisi
Grammy-winning R&B singer Ledisi stars as Tallulah, joined by Bradley Jaden as Jesse, a rich white hotel owner who sets his sights on Mary, and Luke James as Elijah, a brooding romantic interest and subordinate of Jesse.
Opening night guests included special visitors such as Jesse Eisenberg, Rachel Zegler, Vanessa Williams, Wendell Pierce, and Tony winner LaChanze. The production is scheduled to run at the James Earl Jones Theatre until 31 March 2027, with tickets available via Ticketmaster and a running time of two hours and thirty minutes including one intermission.
