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Singer Patti LaBelle, seen performing in Washington in July, will join the cast of Broadway musical Fela in September. (Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)Soul and R&B icon Patti LaBelle is heading back to Broadway to join the critically acclaimed musical Fela.
The 66-year-old Grammy-winner will appear in the biographical musical about Fela Kuti, the Afrobeat performer and Nigerian political activist.
From Sept. 14 through the show's close on Jan. 2, LaBelle will portray Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti, the musician and composer's mother.
She takes over from actress Lillias White, a past Tony-winner nominated again earlier this year for her performance in Fela.
"After seeing the show, I was struck by the choreography and work of [director-choreographer] Bill T. Jones, and the passion and joy that overflows from the stage," LaBelle said in a statement.
"Fela's mother, Funmilayo, was a strong, truly inspiring woman, and I am so privileged to be able to pay tribute to her on the Broadway stage."
Fela, which earned a trio of Tony Awards in June, will also begin a limited U.K. run at London's National Theatre Nov. 6.
A U.S. national tour is also tentatively in the works for 2011.
Dancers perform a number from the musical Fela at the Tony Awards in June. (Richard Drew/Associated Press)
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FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
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