Nightcrawler: Janelle Monae’s black box theatre
December 10th, 2007 by Rodney Carmichael in Photo Gallery
HERE’S LOOKIN’ AT YOU, KID: Janelle Monae does her best impression of Larry from the Three Stooges, Dec. 1 at Lenny’s.
(all photos by Alan Friedman)
I’d love to see Janelle Monae on a real stage.
Sure, the stages at Sugarhill, Lenny’s, Apache and even the Tabernacle — all of which she’s ripped in ‘07 — are cool. But I really think she needs something closer to off-Broadway to realize her vision.
Don’t get me wrong, I dig the cybergirl punk-soul role she’s portraying. Her recent show at Lenny’s was definitely out there (read the Nightcrawler write-up, here.) But imagine a full-blown musical-theater production of Metropolis, with Monae cast in the lead role of Cindi Mayweather, and a strong supporting cast backing her.
With Big Boi’s upcoming Atlanta Ballet production, big, premiering in ‘08, the Alliance Theatre would be smart to consider such a stage interpretation of Monae’s work. Her concept album already plays like a storybook.
All she needs now is a good headshot. Maybe one of the pics below will do the trick.
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