By Keith L. Forest
This Valentine’s Day discover the true meaning of love as New Destiny Dimensions Unlimited, presents, I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me. The multicultural production, starring Jequan Jackson, Zahra Thomas, Andrew Galteland and Melissa Denize, examines the lives of 4 urban families.
Kayla, a child of interracial parentage, has the best of both worlds. In addition to loving parents, she has a supportive community and her faith. When young love blossom between her and James, will this new feeling be enough to save him from the lures of drug dealing or will it separate her from her family and friends? Entangled in an adulteress affair, Rev. Cunningham is not only losing the respect of his wife, but the jeopardizing the respect of his congregation. Can love save the day? Can love’s healing power save the Brown family from the spread of HIV or bring back the Moore’s family son?
I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me is award winning music producer and director Bernard Corbett’s examination of the affairs of the heart. Set in modern day New York City, Corbett unveils the lives of four blended, diverse and complex families whose lives are changed by the choices they make in the name of love. Whether it’s escaping the pressure of success through addictive behavior; adulteress annex in the pulpit; same sex attraction or teen pregnancy, this two-act play unmask such hidden secrets and more. I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me is an emotional rollercoaster unnerving sentiments, confronting taboo topics as it search for in-depth understanding, true healing and forgiveness.
Dr. Bernard Corbett – an accomplished musical director and song writer – is no stranger to the theatrical community. He’s worked on a variety of Broadway and Off Broadway productions including Crown, The Oldest Profession, Blind Eye and Screaming Survival, to name a few. He was the musical director for the international tour of Vy Higginsen ground breaking musical, Mama, I Want to Sing which led to the debut of his original work Jesus Lay Your Head in De Winda. An ordained minister and second generation preacher, Dr. Corbett is the founder of the Judah Worship Conference and author of The Christian’s Guide to Spiritual Living, Worship and Praise in the New Millennium. He is a respected praise and worship leader and voice and music teacher at MS 8 in Queens NY.
New Destiny Dimensions Unlimited, was designed and created to transform lives and communities through music and theatrical arts. Its mission is to reach and inspire the strength that lives inside of us all and foster the hope that helps one overcome adversity or tragedy. Its latest production I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me examines the affairs of the heart through the lens of a Post-Civil Rights Generation. Although the lines that once divided these blended, multicultural characters have long been erased, can love heal the wounds of addiction, adultery and deception?
Riverside Theatre (91 Claremont Avenue, Harlem, NY) for 2 nights, Friday, February 14 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 15 at 7:00 PM. Creator Bernard Corbett will direct.Tickets are $45 for orchestra and $40 for general admission and can be purchased at www.newdestinysound.com or by calling (718) 488-8858.
Photo credit: Behind-the-scenes backstage view from I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me taken by the author.
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