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Actress/Singer: Joilet Harris Talks RetroLove
Jun 14, 2016
RetroLove
June 29th & 30th, 2016 at 7:00PM
Drake Theater | 1512 Spruce Street | Phila., PA 19102
Joilet Harris is a Philadelphia treasure. Her searing portrait of Lena Younger in the Arden Theater’s production of A Raisin in the Sun and her Barrymore award-winning turn as Caroline Thibodeaux in Caroline, or Change rank among the great performances in our company’s history. Throughout her 30 year career, Joilet consistently proves that she is a powerful and dynamic presence on stage as well as on television, with roles on The Wire, Do No Harm and Law & Order: SVU. Joilet has also toured the world as a vocalist, most recently playing Ella Fitzgerald in Ella, The Ella Fitzgerald Story.
Joilet Harris has appeared on many Philadelphia stages including the Walnut Street Theatre, Act 2 Playhouse, People’s Light and Theatre Company and Delaware Theatre Company. She most recently starred as Gloria in the Broadway-bound Because of Winn Dixie and has also appeared as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business… and in Ain’t Misbehavin’ and It Ain’t Nothin But the Blues. In addition to her many talents, Harris is a founding and former board member of The Philadelphia Black Theatre Festival, and is an active member of the Enon Tabernacle
Joilet Harris serves as the featured actress and vocalist for the upcoming music/theater performance, RetroLove. This project is an evening-length performance of poetry, songs and jazz that capture relationships before the Internet. Conceived and written by poet and performer Beth Feldman Brandt and composer and music director, Monnette Sudler, RetroLove will be presented by Philadelphia Jazz Project on June 29-30, 2016 at Philadelphia’s Drake Theatre.
RetroLove
June 29th & 30th, 2016 at 7:00PM
Drake Theater | 1512 Spruce Street | Phila., PA 19102
Admission: $15.00
To Purchase Tickets: Click Here or call 267-259-3802
PJP recently spoke with Philadelphia-area, actress and vocalist, Joilet Harris about her work and the upcoming project, RetroLove.
PJP: What is RetroLove?
Joilet Harris: RetroLove is a performance consisting of poetry, stories, rememberances merged with the music that makes them all memorable. It's about those special moments, words, or songs that bring back pleasing and sometimes, painful memories. Your RetroLove moments are different from mine, but we all have them.
PJP: Talk about your role as the singer in RetroLove.
Joilet Harris: I see my role as melodically underscoring the words and helping with the flow of the show. Music is the universal language - tunes always stick. I help send the words out to the soul and the spirit.
PJP: What are your musical influences?
Joilet Harris: My mother always played music in the house — we were surrounded by music. When I read the RetroLove script, there were 100 "oldies but goodies" that came to mind. I think of a hundred songs that fit in this show. Plus my mom and dad were "Randy & Sandy from Tioga T’s”, bop dance champions of Nicetown!
PJP: Tell us about the music in the show and the people you are working with.
Joilet Harris: Monnette Sudler's music has rich soul and sometimes instead of me singing, I wish I could just listen to her play and sing. She has this deep sultriness and I love where she takes a line in ways that are unexpected.
PJP: What advice would you give the audience?
Joilet Harris: Come ready to go back in time.
RetroLove
June 29th & 30th, 2016 at 7:00PM
Drake Theater | 1512 Spruce Street | Phila., PA 19102
Admission: $15.00
To Purchase Tickets: Click Here or call 267-259-3802
Keep up with Joilet Harris and her upcoming events: HERE
“RetroLove: The Book”, published by Greenleaf Poetry Press, is available at Brandtwords
Philadelphia Jazz Project is a sponsored project of the CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia, with funding provided by The Wyncote Foundation.