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Trina Thomas as Sister Carrie and Crystal Woodward as Doris Winter perform at the Detroit Music Hall in 1986. |
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Denise Morgan (Sister Carrie) gave the audience much leg when she demonstrated walking out on the water with faith. |
Lisa Fischer in the sequel, Born to Sing, 1996. Photo credit: Carol Rosegg.
Charles Stewart performed the role of Minister of Music in Mama, I Want to Sing from 1985-1995.
Although Mama, I Want to Sing is the most well-known musical based on Doris Troy's life, Vy and Ken have penned and produced several sequels that provide insight into the life of a creative young woman and her relationship with her parents and the church, and her search for love and meaning.
Mama, I Want to Sing: Part II follows the courtship, marriage, and birth of the first child of superstar Doris Winter and her husband, Rev. Julian Simmons. The drama is moving and ultimately triumphant.
The last of the Mama trilogy, Born to Sing reveals the funny and stirring behind–the-scenes activities of Doris Winter’s international tour with her sensitive, vulnerable, 15-year-old daughter and a group of talented teenagers. Acclaimed by The New York Times, New York Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, Born to Sing dramatizes how family and spiritual values can help heal tensions and conflicts.
Doris Troy performed the role of her mother in Mama, I Want to Sing and the sequels for about 16 years. This poster is from a performance in Japan in 1999.
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CodeBlack Entertainment plans to release Mama, I Want to Sing, starring Ciara, in movie theaters in the first quarter of 2009. Ahmaya Knoelle, the current star of the theater production, plays the role of a rising star in the movie.
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Mama, I Want to Sing, the movie is inspired by the stage play and features brand new music. In the movie, Amara Winter takes the pop music world by storm, causing conflict with her mother who has been thrust into the limelight when her husband (Amara’s father) dies suddenly. Amara must learn to pursue her dreams while both navigating the often treacherous celebrity world and trying to remain true to herself and her family.
The movie stars Ciara, Lynn Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, Billy Zane, Juanita Bynum, Hill Harper, and Vy and Ken’s daughter, Ahmaya Knoelle. Vy Higginsen plays herself in a cameo role.
Mama’s Mighty Musicians, AKA, The FM Band, (L-R) Brian Wilson, Abu Shabazz, Berniece (Boom Boom) Brooks, Louis Smalls, Grenoldo Frazier, circa 1995.
Photo credits: Ken Wydro
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