Fantasia Barrino In Talks For Broadway-Bound ‘After Midnight’

Fantasia Barrino has made a great home for herself on Broadway. It looks like she may return to the stage, as it’s rumored that she’s currently in talks to star in Broadway-bound show After Midnight.

According to indieWIRE, After Midnight, which was originally titled after the praised production Cotton Club Parade, is heading to Broadway in October with its new name. The original production ran off Broadway in November of 2011, and returned to the stage last fall with a strong reception. Due to the strong response, After Midnight is finally hitting the stage in a big way.

Although we don’t have any official word on who the lead will be, producers are rumored to be in talks with Fantasia Barrino. The American Idol winner has starred in the Broadway production of The Color Purple as Celine, which earned her a 2007 Theatre World Award.

After Midnight is said to be directed by its original director and choreographer Warren Carlyle with music direction by Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis.

The New York Times went on to explain the production in a November 2011 review. Of Cotton Club Parade, the stage production was said to be:

“A thrilling 90-minute celebration of that famous Harlem nightclub in the Duke Ellington years (1927-31) at City Center, is the sound of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. At the show’s opening-night performance on Friday, this peerless ensemble created by Mr. Marsalis made period jazz come to life with a focused intensity and rhythmic savvy that left me open-mouthed with wonder.”

After Midnight is said to feature variety acts including big band swing, blues, singers, dancers, and the jazz composures such as Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen, and Duke Ellington.

After Midnight is said to start previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theater starting October 18, and opening on November 3.