Artists Tituss Burgess and Michael Arden bring “The Pastor’s Wife” to Atlanta – Georgia Voice – Gay & LGBT Atlanta News

Artists and theater veterans Tituss Burgess and Michael Arden have known each other for what Arden estimates to be nearly 20 years now. Both have Broadway credits and have even been neighbors, with Arden spending many nights listening to songs written by Burgess into the wee hours of the New York night. Yet, as close as they were, the two gay men never realized that they shared a secret passion. Arden always loved the movie “The Preacher’s Wife” and thought it could become a musical. So when Burgess approached him, mentioned that he had written a stage version and wanted to collaborate, Arden needed no prompting.

“It was Kismet – a writer/friend who had the same inclination as me, who did something and wrote a beautiful score,” Arden said.

“The Preacher’s Wife” is currently having its world premiere at the Alliance Theater. It is based on the 1996 Denzel Washington-Whitney Houston film, in which Harlem-based preacher Henry Biggs (Akron Lanier Watson) and his wife Julia (Amber Riley) struggle to keep their church going. When Henry asks for help, he appears as the angel Dudley (Donald Webber). Iconic “Dreamgirls” star Loretta Devine, who also appears in the film, plays Marguerite Coleman, Julia’s mother, in the production. The new production features music and lyrics by Burgess and a book by Azie Dungey (“Girls5eva”), co-directed by Arden with Alliance co-artistic director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.

It takes a lot to stage an original musical – and Burgess can certainly attest to that. “The Preacher’s Wife” is a project that has almost consumed him over the past 15 years. He started the process before securing the rights.

“I don’t recommend that,” Burgess said with a laugh. “But I just had a feeling I was going to acquire the rights, so I started the score.”

His team tried unsuccessfully to land the project, but after the actor’s third Emmy nomination for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” his representatives were finally able to acquire it. Since then, Burgess has organized numerous readings and refinements, with Devine’s warm participation.

When the idea of ​​adapting came to him, it was completely realized.

“I saw it all in my head,” said Burgess, who grew up in the church.

After watching the film, he turned to his mother and told her that it must be a musical. He was only in grade 12 at the time and had no idea he would be the one to take the reins. It’s a true dream come true for Burgess to see him on stage, especially in Atlanta. Burgess grew up in Athens, attended the University of Georgia and saw his first musical at the Alliance Theater.

“It’s come full circle,” he said.

He is also very proud of the representation of a black family.

“There’s something so nice about putting on a show with people of color, in a world today, with both parents at home, that isn’t focused on the trauma (that we often see with) Black people on stage and in cinema,” he said. “There’s usually something catastrophic that we overcome. I said, “Let’s make a different entry into our stories.” »

Co-director Kajese-Bolden feels in a time where women, particularly black women, have been invited into the spotlight but not given the stage and space they can occupy, “The Preacher’s Wife » celebrates them.

“This is a story for every Black woman who is using her voice, her style, her leadership and her love of family to transform her community,” Kajese-Bolden said.

Arden and Burgess have a familiarity and history that makes it easy to work together, and Arden is an Alliance veteran. The 2020 musical “Maybe Happy Endings” he directed was highly praised, but every project is different.

“It’s a big musical with a huge cast, with flying elements, magic and so much more,” Arden said. “Getting it ready for opening night is no easy task.”

Last year, his Broadway revival of “Parade” was a huge commercial and critical success. It was also topical.

“Neo-Nazis were demonstrating outside the doors of our theater,” Arden recalls.

He went on to win the 2023 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical and spoke on stage about being called “the f-word” more times than he could remember growing up – and said he was now ‘screwed a Tony.

The Monday before the telecast, he realized he had to come up with something in case he won. Before that night, he had been nominated twice, including once against “Hamilton,” where Arden knew he wouldn’t take the stage. In case 2023 was the year, he thought about what he meant. A trans writer friend had recently told Arden that she wanted to visit her family, but was afraid because of the new laws and would be afraid to go to the bathroom.

“Hearing that made me recognize, even though I’m gay, how lucky I was as a cis, privileged white man,” he said. “I said to myself: If I have 30 to 45 seconds, what can I say that will really speak to the people I love and the people I don’t know who look at the world and are told they don’t ‘have no place, which, in a way, was what “Parade” was about. So I tried to summarize as much as possible what I could say: welcome, assure, validate and send love to people who might feel marginalized.

“The Pastor’s Wife” runs until June 16 at the Alliance Theater