Controversy over creative license and permissions has followed the biographical content that has been produced in recent years. From biopics on Aliyah to Aretha Franklin, family members have intervened to make sure their loved-ones story werepresented truthfully. An upcoming family-approved play about the life of acting pioneer Sidney Portier eliminates the potential for that kind of drama by hand-picking who they want involved. Star of film television and stage, Portier, now 94
has been seen in Cry, the Beloved Country,Something of Value,The Defiant Ones, Pressure Point, A Patch of Blue, To Sir With Love, In The Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Lilies of the Field to name a few.
New York, NY – The legendary life of Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker, activist and human-rights trailblazer Sidney Poitier is set to be a new Broadway play produced by Ron Gillyard (Born for This, Mr. Soul), Poitier’s daughter, Filmmaker Anika Poitier and Barry Krost.
Chosen by the Poitier family, Charles Randolph-Wright (author of Blue, director of Roundabout Theatre Company’s critically acclaimed revival of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind, and the upcoming American Prophet: Frederick Douglass In His Own Words) has penned SIDNEY, based on Poitier’s best-selling autobiography The Measure of a Man. The family has also selected Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (author, director and star of Lackawanna Blues, director of the Tony-winning Broadway premiere of August Wilson’s Jitney, director of the upcoming Broadway premiere of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew) to direct.
SIDNEY dramatizes Mr. Poitier's life, from his upbringing on Cat Island in the Bahamas to his rise to become America’s most revered actor and activist. With his unique career, Sidney Poitier helped change many racial attitudes that had persisted in this country for centuries. He built the bridges and opened the doors for countless artists in succeeding generations. He is an actor who stood for hope, for excellence, and who has given happiness to millions of people around the world. Paying tribute to Sidney Poitier in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “He is a man of great depth, a man of great social concern, a man who is dedicated to human rights and freedom.” The play explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, pride and humility and the price for artistic integrity. Poitier has inspired many artists in multiple fields including encouraging Alice Childress to begin writing when they were both members at American Negro Theatre.
Playwright Charles Randoph-Wright says, “The 3rst time I met Sidney Poitier was decades ago when he saw a show I co-wrote and directed in Los Angeles. We went to dinner and I literally could not speak. He said to me, ‘If in any way I have inspired you, you have more than paid me back with what I saw this evening.’ I have held onto those words my entire career. And now to place his astonishing life on stage is the ultimate challenge and the ultimate joy. To have the trust of Mr. Poitier and his family is one of the greatest gifts I have been given - what an honor to get to dramatize the true measure of this monumental man. I look forward to the world discovering the astounding person that is behind one of our most prodigious heroes, a man who continues to inspire.”
Director Ruben Santiago-Hudson says, “Sir Sidney Poitier is clearly one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema. His integrity and standard of excellence set the bar for generations to come. It is an honor to be a part of celebrating the incomparable Sidney Poitier’s monumental career in this play but also the man and his extraordinary life.”
Published in 2000, The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography spent several weeks on The New York Times’ list of best sellers, and the audio edition, narrated by Mr. Poitier, won a Grammy Award for best spoken word album. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey relaunched her Book Club with the memoir.
Casting, creative team and production timeline will be announced at a later
date.