Hillary Clinton and Monica
Lewinsky come face to face
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The play "Hillary and Monica"
asks what if the current New York
senator and former first lady had
met the college intern who had a
sexual relationship with her hus
band? The play answers that ques
tion in a way that is both
enthralling and entertaining.
Writer/director Yvette Heyliger
will take theatergoers through the
fictionalized meeting between the
two women, which opens a Pando
ra's box of sorts that allows the
infusion of a wide range of topics,
from sex to politics.
The play centers around
Hillary Clinton and Lewinsky
casually meeting one day in the
White House. Other characters in
the play include Bill Clinton and
Betty Currie. Clinton's loyal assis
tant who was grilled by Ken Starr
aftef the scandal broke.
Heyliger - who is also an
actress who portrayed Phylicia
Rash ad's sister on "The Cosby
Show" - is no stranger to the
National Black Theater Festival.
In 2001. she and her twin sister,
Yvonne Farrow, brought the play
"Autobiography of a Homegirl" to ;
the festival. "Hillary and Monica-" !
and "Autobiography of a Home- !
girl" sprang from Twinbiz, a com
pany the twins started to write,
direct and produce original proj
ects for the stage, television and
the big screen. Most Twinbiz pro
ductions focus on the struggles of
women.
Yvonne Farrow will do a read
ing of her television pilot, "Color
Me Justice" during the festival.
Farrow also will screen her recent
ly televised short film. "Move
ments."
Opening Night
Gala sells out
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
National BlackTheatre Festival
officials are already celebrating a
great success and the 14th anniver
sary festival doesn't start until Aug.
4. Officials announced recently that
tickets to the swank opening night
izaln had sold
out. It is the
earliest sell
out for the
gala, which
will he held
at the
Benton
Convention
Center, in
the festival's
history.
Gala
Rose
tickets were $2(X) and included din
ner and a performance of "From
Brooklyn to Broadway II," a musical
trip down memory lane with Tony
winning talent Lillias White. The
gala also will feature an awards cer
emony that will pay tribute to some
of the giants of stage, screen and tel
evision. Scheduled to be on hand
Aug. 4 to receive accolades is
Diahann Carroll, who will receive
the Sidney Poitier Lifelong
Achievement Award for her decades
of work. Producer Philip Rose also
will receive that honor. "Jeffersons"
star Sherman Hemsley and Ben
Verecn are among those who will get
Living Legend Awards during the
gala.
Although gala seats are no
longer available, there is still space
left for White's performance, which
will be held at 9 p.m. (immediately
after the gala) at the Stevens Center.
Tickets for the performance,
which will be attended by a star
studded crowd, including many of
the gala honorees. are $75 per per
son A ticket stub from the perform
ance also will allow people entrance
into a celebrity reception that will be
held after the performance at the
Adam's Mark Hotel.
Tickets to the Aug. 4 perform
ance of "From Brooklyn to
Broadway II " cannot he purchased
online. To order tickets, call 723
7907.
m. ? ?? - i i
*j Photos by Christopher (). Bank
Tanisha Brady Christie, left, and Lisa Biggs conceived and perform in "Memory is a Body of Water.
'Memory' blends dance, acting
SPECIA1 l(> Till CHRONIC! E
Medusa Speaks: An Artists' Collective is continuing
its first national theatrical tour with the production of
"Memory Is a Body of Water." a dynamic theater/dance
work conceived and performed t>y Lisa Biggs and Tan
isha Brady Christie. They will bring the production to
the 2003 National Black Theatre Festival for several per
formances.
Set in contemporary Washington. D.C.. "Memory Is a
Body of Water" follows Kim, a grief-stricken. African
American graffiti artist who journeys through time to
uncover the complex reasons why her brother was killed.
The guidance of her family, ancestors from the past, and
a chance meeting with the person responsible for his
death ultimately launch Kim on the path to freedom and
healing for herself and her community.
"Memory" was featured as part of the renowned New
York Hip Hop Theatre Festival earlier this year and at the
2002 New York International Fringe Festival.
Founded in 1999, Medusa Speaks is a six-woman,
multi-disciplinary artists' collective that brings together
professional artists, activists, students, educators and
individuals to create art and promote positive social
Lisa Biggs in "Memory Is a Body of Water."
change. Ensemble members Lisa Biggs and Tanisha
Brady Christie are both critically acclaimed actresses,
writers, and directors, and former members of the Living
Stage Theatre Company.