From June 20th to July 1st, experience the musical story of Deborah Chessler, Sonny Til & The Orioles.
Tickets available online at Uptown! and at Soul Harmony.
Stay updated on events this season in our June Summer Fun Guide!
For a limited time, go on a historical journey with the national premiere of Soul Harmony, presented by Harrison-Berg, at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. This award-winning musical performance tells the story of how Deborah Chessler, Sonny Til & The Orioles defined three musical genres — rock & roll, rhythm & blues, and doo wop. Set in 1948, you’ll be reminded of why these genres even got popular at all.
“Soul Harmony is music history, black history, women’s history, Jewish history, American history…Our history. Our music. Our dancing. Our soul. Our harmony. Our soul harmony” — Soul Harmony
According to Soul Harmony author, playwright, and lyricist Alan Berg, “Soul Harmony is a story of musical geniuses from different backgrounds coming together to change America for good.” In the face of racism and anti-semitism, Deborah Chessler, played by Monica Rodrigues, and Sonny Til, played by his grandson De’Sean Dooley, were considered to be the first Freedom Riders of R&B by Writer Peter Guralnick’s historical notes on R&B.
Songs to Look Forward To:
- It’s Too Soon to Know
- Soul Harmony
- Rock it For Me
- Needle & Thread
- The Music Inside
- Crying in the Chapel
The Cast:
- Deborah Chessler — Monica Rodrigues
- Sonny Til — grandson De’Sean Dooley
- Oriole George Nelson — Jesse Smith
- Oriole Tommy Gaither — Kyle McLemore
- Oriole Alex Sharp — Michael Barnes
- Oriole Johnny Reed — Rakeem Lawrence
- Irene Chessler — Lisa Dennet
- Ella Fitzgerald & Ruth Brown — Stacie Pickney Calkins
- Faye Adams — Deborah Charleston
- Helen Stern — Morgan MacConnell
- Willie Bryant — Ali Hackett
- Jerry Blaine & Ray Carroll — Joel Katz
- And Charlie Horner as Charlie Horner!
Under the direction and choreography of Terrence Kelley and the joint creation of Michael Harrison and Alan Berg, Soul Harmony promises to be an unforgettable night.
“Michael wrote the music, I wrote the lyrics for the original, award winning score,” says Alan. “Together, we wrote the award-winning script. We produced Soul Harmony so that you would know its people. We wanted to honor the lost story of the lives and work of these musical geniuses: Sonny, Alex, Tommy, Johnny, George, Deborah and Irene.”
“Perhaps now,” he continues “they can take their place, where they belong ‘at the Ellington House’ that is, on the front page of America’s story.”
