July 27--"Unspeakable," a new seven-character show billed as a "dramatic fantasia" inspired by the life and work of Richard Pryor is headed to the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago, Broadway in Chicago said Monday. The five-week engagement begins Oct. 6.
The show will be directed by its co-author, Rod Gailes OBC, and will star James Murray Jackson Jr. as Pryor.
This is the not first time "Unspeakable," a piece with Broadway aspirations, has been announced for Chicago. In 2012, the show was announced for the Royal George Theatre, with Isaiah Washington in a leading role. There is no mention of Washington this time around. The 2012 run did not happen. The line-up of producers has changed.
Jackson, however, has been attached to the project since its well-received debut at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2005. "Unspeakable" now is presented by Tenacity Park, Creative Mind Entertainment, OBC DreamTheatre, Stefani Nicole Von Huben and Kenneth Schapiro.
Pryor, the first African-American to host "Saturday Night Live," was born in Peoria in tough circumstances and grew up around his grandmother's brothel. His life thereafter was similarly complicated -- he was married seven times -- but he is beloved for his talent and his influence on future generations of comedians. Pryor died in 2005 at the age of 65.
