{"id":51828,"date":"2023-02-02T09:58:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T14:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=51828"},"modified":"2023-02-03T09:39:16","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T14:39:16","slug":"on-stage-uptown-offers-looks-at-mlk-rustin-to-celebrate-black-history-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=51828","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Uptown! offers looks at MLK, Rustin to celebrate Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Black History Month has arrived and Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) is kicking off Black History Month in style with a stage performance focusing on one of America\u2019s most important Civil Rights leaders.<\/p>\n

Now through February 19, the Uptown! Knauer is presenting \u201cThe Mountaintop,\u201d which looks at Martin Luther King\u2019s activities on the evening before his assassination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d\u00a0is a drama by American playwright\u00a0Katori Hall. It is a fictional depiction of\u00a0Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s last night on earth.<\/p>\n

In a bit of cringe worthy irony, the play is set in Memphis, Tennessee \u2013 the city that is currently reeling from the murder of Tyre Nichols, an innocent Black man who was beaten and murdered a few weeks ago by a group of vicious Black Memphis policemen. <\/p>\n

King was in\u00a0Memphis\u00a0to speak out on the behalf of the\u00a0Memphis sanitation workers\u00a0who went on strike regarding the death of two workers crushed by a malfunctioning truck. The workers dealt with continuous mistreatment and denial of their civil rights.<\/p>\n

A week before his assassination, King led a demonstration through downtown Memphis which resulted in the death of one reporter as well as a multitude of injuries and property damages. The poor work conditions and pay the sanitation workers suffered angered the black community and encouraged them to speak out on the behalf of other issues concerning civil rights.<\/p>\n

On April 3, the night before his assassination, King gave his speech,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve Been to the Mountaintop,\u201d, where he declared, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through.\u201d<\/p>\n

King was nothing but supportive, even saying that he did not want to leave Memphis until his work was done. King along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference produced the idea of the\u00a0Poor People’s Campaign, a campaign that demanded economic and human rights for poor Americans of diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Before he could finalize his ideas and plans however, he was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4 at 6:01\u00a0pm. King was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital\u00a0for surgery, but was later pronounced dead an hour later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d\u00a0is a two-person drama about the last day of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The entire play is set in a room at the Lorraine Hotel room. King is alone \u2013 trying to write yet another powerful speech.<\/p>\n

When he orders a cup of coffee from room service, a mysterious woman arrives, bringing much more than a late-night beverage. What follows is a reflective, often funny, often touching conversation in which Dr. King examines his achievements, his failures, and his unfinished dreams.<\/p>\n

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is played by Chaz Rose, who played the role in a production at The Hippodrome Theatre, in Florida.<\/p>\n

Rose graduated from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and performed off-Broadway in \u201cBlack Angels Over Tuskegee\u201d and \u201cShe Like Girls\u201d (GLAAD Award winner). He produced and appeared in the film \u201cWriter’s Block,\u201d starring\u00a0Bryan Cranston.<\/p>\n

Brianna Miller plays the role of Camae. Miller graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 2021. She was part of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company\u2019s touring company and resident ensemble.<\/p>\n

The show also has a local connection.<\/p>\n

Uptown has enlisted JBD MusicWorks to work on the production.<\/p>\n

JBD MusicWorks is a project featuring The Hooters\u2019 guitarist John Lilley, a West Chester native now living in Marshalton, along with bassist Brent Edmonson and pianist Dan Gallery.<\/p>\n

JBD MusicWorks is part of the creative team for the upcoming stage production of\u00a0\u201cThe Mountaintop.\u201d Additionally, the trio\u2019s latest recording is \u201cTake Me Up,\u201d an EP that was created for \u201cThe Mountaintop.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music for the show draws on the Memphis sound, Motown, Stax Records, Chicago blues, Jimi Hendrix, the Sound of Philly, and takes the audience to church with gospel singers from the First Calvary Church in Coatesville.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became aware of the script during COVID when Carmen (Uptown Artistic Director Carmen Khan) had given a script to my husband,\u201d said Lilley, during a recent phone interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so moving and so gripping. When Carmen added it to the season, I wanted to do the music.\u201d
\nWhen not working with The Hooters, Lilley has composed and performed several\u00a0theater\u00a0and\u00a0dance\u00a0scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cSister Carrie,\u201d adapted by Louis Lippa and based on\u00a0Theodore Dreiser’s novel, was performed at the People’s Light and Theatre Company in\u00a0Malvern\u00a0in 1991. The show included more than 125 musical moments and themes throughout the six-hour play that Lilley contributed to.<\/p>\n

At the\u00a0Edinburgh Festival Fringe\u00a0in 1992, Lilley contributed to\u00a0\u201cCollecting Gravity\u201d\u00a0by the Terry Beck Dance Troupe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did \u2018Sister Carrie\u2019 and I loved that experience,\u201d said Lilley. \u201cThen Edinburgh was another great experience. I love working in theater. It\u2019s a very different way of creating music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working with JBD for a while, and I brought them into this. Everything we do, we make each other better. Brent is a double bassist and Dan is classically trained. I\u2019m a trained jazz musician so it\u2019s a great fit for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018The Mountaintop,\u2019 our goal was to really move people \u2013 to have the sense of 1968. It was a difficult and challenging time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main challenge was to capture the feeling. I spent a lot of time listening again to Sly (Stone), Motown, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stax and Jimi (Hendrix). The music for the show is a real mix of everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also wrote a song \u2013 \u2018Take Me Up\u2019 \u2013 which is sung by lead vocalist with background singers from First Calvary Church in Coatesville. Additional lyrics were written by the church\u2019s pastor Roland Holmes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show is not a musical. We\u2019re bookending the play with a feeling at the front and a feeling at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

On February 6, Uptown is partnering with\u00a0The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, and Chester County Kehillah, in a hosted Zoom conversation,\u00a0\u201cReflections On The Mountaintop,\u201d at 6:30 p.m. The online conversation is free and open to the public with advance reservation required. Guests will be Uptown Artistic Director, Carmen Khan; Director, Ryan George, and actor, Chaz Rose.\u00a0 A ticket purchase to the show is not a prerequisite.<\/p>\n

On February 16, there will be a free event at Uptown at 5:30 p.m. with\u00a0Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft, Sr., Pastor of St. Paul\u2019s Baptist Church in West Chester. Dr. Croft will present\u00a0\u201cThe Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,\u201d a conversation on Dr. Martin King\u2019s sermon. The presentation will be in Uptown\u2019s Univest Cabaret space on the second floor.<\/p>\n

Dr. Croft is a pastor, writer and scholar, having earned an Associate degree from Pinebrook Jr. College and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College earning a Bachelor of Arts. He received the Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary), Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and graduated with distinction from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey earning a Doctor of Ministry degree.<\/p>\n

He also earned a Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Drew. He is the first person to earn both a Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy from Drew University and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Villanova University in May 2018.<\/p>\n

First come, first seated. Space is limited.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/aYawH1crGTY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d is running now through February 19. The run time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Ticket prices start at $30.<\/p>\n

The Uptown will present another Black History Month event on February 6 \u2013 \u201cBrother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bayard Rustin was born and raised in West Chester and graduated from West Chester High School. Today, a plaque in his honor stands outside Henderson High School.<\/p>\n

During his 60-year career as an activist, organizer and \u201ctroublemaker,\u201d Rustin formulated many of the strategies that propelled the American Civil Rights movement. His passionate belief in Gandhi\u2019s philosophy of nonviolence drew Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders to him in the 1940\u2019s and 1950\u2019s. His practice of those beliefs also drew the attention of the FBI and police.<\/p>\n

In 1963, Rustin brought his unique skills to the crowning glory of his civil rights career — his work organizing the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, the biggest protest America had ever seen. But his open homosexuality forced him to remain in the background, marking him again and again as a \u201cbrother outsider.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin\u201d\u00a0combines rare archival footage \u2014 some of it never before broadcast in the U.S. \u2014 with provocative interviews to illuminate the life and work of a forgotten prophet of social change. On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama named Bayard Rustin a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.<\/p>\n

The screening is a free community film event starting at 7 p.m. There will be a \u201cPre-Show Introduction\u201d by Mayor\u00a0Lillian DeBaptiste.<\/p>\n

Lillian L. DeBaptiste was officially sworn in to serve as the first Black female mayor of the Borough of West Chester on January 3, 2022. She\u2019s following in the footsteps of her father, Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste, who served two terms as the first African American mayor in West Chester starting in 1994.<\/p>\n

Opera Philadelphia (www.operaphila.org<\/a>) is presenting a pair of shows this month \u2013 concerts not operas.<\/p>\n

\"\"On February 3 and 5, Opera\u00a0Philadelphia returns to the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia) — gathering nearly 200 performers from the company\u2019s Chorus and Orchestra for a concert\u00a0of Carl Orff\u2019s\u00a0\u201cCarmina Burana\u201d\u00a0and Margaret Bonds\u2019\u00a0\u201cCredo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concerts, which will be the same both evenings, pair one of classical music\u2019s most recognizable choral works with a rarely performed masterpiece. The concert marks both the Philadelphia premiere of\u00a0\u201cCredo\u201d\u00a0and the company debut of a rising star, conductor\u00a0Lina Gonz\u00e1lez-Granados.
\n\u201cThis is my 19th season,\u201d said Opera Philadelphia Chorus Director Liz Braden, a West Chester University graduate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last couple years, we\u2019ve done a concert for the winter show rather than a full opera. We\u2019ve done Verdi\u2019s \u2018Requiem\u2019 and last year it was Stravinsky.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Orff (1895\u20131982) premiered his rollicking cantata\u00a0in 1937, he couldn\u2019t have imagined that its opening strain \u201cO Fortuna\u201d would become one of the most-quoted music themes in American popular culture, and\u00a0\u201cCarmina Burana\u201d\u00a0one of the most popular pieces of the classical music repertoire.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Opera\u00a0Philadelphia\u2019s concert, the piece is paired with Bonds\u2019 magisterial\u00a0\u201cCredo,\u201d which followed a much less celebrated path to the stage. Based on a prose poem by W.E.B. Du Bois, the work is an affirmation of racial justice, peace, and Black pride expressed through powerful melodic language and ingenious orchestration.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCredo\u201d\u00a0premiered in 1967 but Bonds was only able to hear her composition live two times before her death in 1972, as it remained unpublished until 2022.<\/p>\n

Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) was an American composer and pianist who wrote and performed classical works, arrangements of African American spirituals, and popular music. She was one of the first Black woman composers to gain nationwide recognition for her work. At 20, she became the first Black soloist to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Bonds is best remembered today for her comprehensive output of music and her dedication to advancing the careers of prominent Black creatives through performance and collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Carmina Burana\u2019 is a piece many people know \u2013 even if they don\u2019t know it by name,\u201d said Braden during the phone interview last week from her home in Collingswood, New Jersey. \u201cThe opening piece \u2013 \u2018O Fortuna\u2019 \u2013 is used a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to balance this concert with a piece that is different. Orff was an older white male. The other is a Black woman \u2013 a Black composer and Black poet.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Credo is 20 minutes and \u2018Carmina Burana\u2019 is an hour. The shorter piece does have some big loud moments but also some quieter moments and some jazz. And it\u2019s in English.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, after a short pause, we launch into \u2018Carmina Burana.\u2019 The opening segment is \u2018O Fortuna\u2019 and it\u2019s loved. Even my 13-year-old son recognizes it.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Credo\u2019 is a living piece of prose. It\u2019s about humanity \u2013 saying \u2018I believe in God\u2019 and \u2018I believe in the negro race.\u2019 \u2018Carmina Burana\u2019 is more playful. It\u2019s about love and lust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining the concert as soloists are soprano\u00a0Brandie Inez Sutton, tenor\u00a0Alasdair Kent, and baritone\u00a0Ethan Vincent. The concert marks Sutton and Vincent\u2019s company debuts with\u00a0Opera\u00a0Philadelphia.\u00a0The soloists will be led by Colombian American conductor\u00a0Lina Gonz\u00e1lez-Granados, who has distinguished herself nationally and internationally as a singularly talented young conductor.<\/p>\n

Video link for Opera Philadelphia \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Az0aXZTPzzg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The concert on February 3 will start at 8 p.m. and the concert on February 5 will start at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $20.<\/p>\n

The words \u201cjoyous\u201d and \u201cuplifting\u201d are frequently used to describe plays, songs or musical acts. In reality, the words are often misused and should be put in the \u201chyperbole\u201d category.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Come from Away<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cCome from Away,\u201d the hit musical which is running from February 7-12 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, www.kimmelculturalcampus.org<\/a>) as part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus\u2019 Broadway Series, is a play that is joyous, uplifting and a lot more.<\/p>\n

The musical \u201cCome from Away\u201d is the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the people of Gander, Newfoundland, the small Canadian town that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome from Away\u201d is a Canadian musical with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is set in the week following the September 11 attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. The characters in the musical are based on (and in most cases share the names of) real Gander residents as well as some of the thousands of stranded travelers they housed and fed.<\/p>\n

All of the cast members play several characters whose roles are interwoven through the action during the course of the play. One of the cast members is Christine Toy Johnson, who plays the role of Diane.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome From Away\u201d is making a successful return to the Academy of Music. When the musical first went on tour. It touched down in Philly in October 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with the show since the very beginning,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cWe started rehearsals in August 2018 and then we opened October in Seattle. We passed 1,000 shows back in May in Victoria, British Colombia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tour was stopped on March 12, 2020 because of Covid and then came back in October 2021. There are still a lot of original cast members in the show. I think there are seven who you\u2019ll see that were here when we came to Philly a couple years ago.<\/p>\n

The music is a real marriage of history and culture in Newfoundland. It\u2019s also married to a traditional Broadway sound. There is an organic Celtic feel with musicians playing bodhran and fiddle. And it\u2019s the only Broadway musical with an \u201cugly stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bodhr\u00e1n is the iconic Irish drum, one of a small select family of Celtic instruments that is stated to pre-date Christianity. The \u201cugly stick\u201d is a traditional Newfoundland musical\u00a0instrument fashioned out of household and tool shed items, typically a mop\u00a0handle with bottle caps, tin cans, small bells\u00a0and other noise makers. The instrument is played with a drumstick\u00a0and has a distinctive sound.<\/p>\n

This show starts on September 11 and continues right until the planes left Gander. When you watch this show, you see how the people of Gander were unflappable.<\/p>\n

The current cast has been able to read transcripts from people in the original event, and even connect to people who were actually involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe really amazing thing was that the producers went to Gander and brought almost all the main characters into the show when we first opened,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had social interaction and shared meals together. All the stories in the show are based on real things that happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many interesting stories. It does surprise people how much humor and heart are in this show.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs actors, it\u2019s challenging because we\u2019re all onstage for most of the 100 minutes. One of the challenges is honoring their spirit. It\u2019s joyous and so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cCome from Away\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/SXny5aW4HgA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Com<\/span>e from Away\u2019 is running at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Cultural Campus from February 7 \u2013 12. Ticket prices start at $25.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chestnut\u00a0Grove will play on February 3 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) with a focus on its latest album, \u201cThe Album\u201d\u00a0along with a trio of new singles \u2014 \u201cNo Stranger,\u201d which was released on October 17, \u201cCan\u2019t Stand the Music,\u201d which was released on September 20 and \u201cAll for You,\u201d which was released on August 29 \u2013 and a limited edition EP titled \u201cCan\u2019t Stand the Music.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band has its roots in the Delaware Valley, has played gigs at the Ardmore Music Hall, Phantom Power and World Cafe Live and recorded \u201cThe Album\u201d at BarnSound Studios in Newtown Square with producer Derek Chafin.<\/p>\n

Chestnut Grove was formed by\u00a0James Daniels, John Tyler, Sean Murray\u00a0and\u00a0Dee\u00a0Gerhart\u00a0in 2011 during their senior year of high school. The band\u2019s name was chosen in memory of would-be member and guitar player Matt Barber, who passed away tragically in a car accident on\u00a0Chestnut\u00a0Grove\u00a0Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together for more than a decade,\u201d said\u00a0Gerhart, during a phone interview. \u201cWe\u2019ve been touring heavily since 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all graduated from high school together in 2011 \u2013 Boyertown High School. Our drummer James played with our guitar player John. I was doing acoustic singer\/songwriter doing open mics. We weren\u2019t drawn together musically.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my senior year, I was in a talent show at Boyertown High. I did some numbers like \u2018You Really Got a Hold On Me\u2019 with Zach Winkler. They approached me and it rolled on from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe covered a lot of Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix. I was the only one singing. We immediately started working on some originals. We were trying to be a jam group but drifted more to singer\/songwriter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s collective songwriting. It\u2019s mainly driven by me and James, but everyone has an input. Each has their own part of the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2015,\u00a0Gerhart, Winkler, Daniels, Tyler and Gary Geers, with the help of friend\/engineer Owen McGreehan, released their self-produced album,\u00a0\u201cPerkiomenville,\u201d\u00a0to a sold-out hometown crowd at\u00a0World Cafe Live\u00a0in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded that album at our barn studio in Perkiomenville,\u201d said\u00a0Gerhart. \u201cIt had 10 tracks with a vert rootsy, Americana feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, the band recorded the EP \u201cLet it Down\u201d with critically acclaimed producer Bill Moriarty, who has worked with notable artists like Modest Mouse and Philly\u2019s own Dr. Dog. This EP featured a collection of songs including \u201cWhiskey Hand\u201d and \u201cLet it Down,\u201d two of the band\u2019s first hits.<\/p>\n

The band released the EP \u201cBlack Champagne\u201d with Mad Dragon Records in 2018, signed a deal with Nimbleslick Entertainment, and began touring the East Coast and Midwest. Chestnut Grove has headlined venues including the Trocadero, World Cafe Live, and Ardmore Music Hall, while continuing to gain popularity in their home city of Philadelphia and beyond.<\/p>\n

In 2019, Chestnut Grove began recording their first full-length studio album when home from touring. In 2020, they released the single \u201cGolden Age,\u201d which received praise from\u00a0American Songwriter Magazine. The band\u2019s ambitions for 2020 had also included completing and releasing the new album and embarking on a US tour\u2013goals ultimately derailed by the global pandemic.<\/p>\n

Undeterred, Chestnut Grove went back to the studio with producer Derek Chafin (AKA \u201cChestnut Grove\u2019s sixth man\u201d) and finished \u201cThe Album\u201d featuring singles \u201cGolden Age,\u201d \u201cAin\u2019t Got Nobody,\u201d \u201cNewspaper Hats,\u201d and fan favorite \u201cI Know Somebody.\u201d This album was released in 2021 at Ardmore Music Hall and virtually streamed via\u00a0Nugs.net<\/a>, followed by appearances on Radio 104.5 and 88.5 XPN.<\/p>\n

Video link for Chestnut Grove \u2014\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/sWBiFGvzK_Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live on February 3, which also features Philly bands Stella Ruze and Brick Nova, will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $15 and $20.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present STRAYS+MISFITS on February 3 with MiloSolo as the opening act.<\/p>\n

On February 4, the local venue will be rocking with a 60s vibe when it hosts Beatlemania Again.<\/p>\n

Both nights, the shows will start at 8 p.m. and are BYOB.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will present John Flynn on February 3 and The Paul Waltz Band on February4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Black History Month has arrived and Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is kicking off Black History Month in style with a stage performance focusing on one of America\u2019s most important Civil Rights leaders. Now through February 19, the Uptown! Knauer is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[14973,2671,12541,7426,14974,14972,11331],"class_list":["post-51828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bayard-rustin","tag-black-history-month","tag-come-from-away","tag-featured","tag-opera-philadelphia","tag-the-mountaintop","tag-uptown-knauer-performing-arts-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51828"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51836,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51828\/revisions\/51836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}