BANANAS! A Day in the Life of Josephine Baker January 6, 2012

BANANAS! A Day in the Life of Josephine Baker is an award-winning, one-woman tour-de-force play based on the extraordinary life of international star and civil rights freedom fighter, Josephine Baker. Drama, comedy, and music recount Baker’s “rise from the slums of East
St. Louis to the grand stages of Europe.” Written and performed by Sloan Robinson, directed by Joyce Maddox, with musical direction by Aeros Pierce. December 20 – February 29, Tuesday through through Saturday at 8pm (except Feb. 4 – 3pm show only) and Sunday at 3pm, J.E.T. Studios in NoHo.

La Baker, also known as ‘The Duchess of Europe’, overcame limitations imposed by the color of her skin to become one of the world's most versatile entertainers and intriguing personalities of the 20th century. Decorated with the highest French military medal, Josephine Baker was a member of the French Resistance carrying secret documents across the borders during World War II. From her rousing speech standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial next to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., her refusal to perform for segregated audiences, to adopting twelve children from around the world and raising them together to prove by example that nations could live together in harmony, Josephine Baker was a civil rights activist, humanitarian & performer extraordinaire.

BANANAS! premiered May 2008, at the Vintage Hollywood Private Club in Los Angeles. After a successful eight-month run receiving the 2009 NAACP Theater Awards for Best Music Director and for Best Costume Design, with nominations for Best Female Lead and Best Lighting Design, the play moved to the Village Theatre at the Lucy Florence Cultural Center in historic Leimert Park. In addition, Ms. Robinson performed BANANAS! at the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and for the National Black Touring Circuit 2010 Black History Month Play Series at the Schomburg in Harlem, New York, and Theater 150 in Ojai, California.