10 Seconds to Plot: What Exactly is WHITE GIRL IN DANGER About?
Talk about a soap opera! Ahead of the Off-Broadway premiere of Michael R. Jackson’s White Girl in Danger, starting previews March 15 at the Tony Kiser Theater, Theatrely chatted with the cast and creatives to find out what exactly the show is about.
As with any show from the indelible Jackson, it’s nearly impossible to summarize White Girl in Danger in 10 seconds, but James Jackson, Jr., Latoya Edwards, Lauren Marcus, and even the writer himself gave it their best shot. Check it out below.
The latest musical from the Tony and Pulitzer Prize–winning Michael R. Jackson is set in a town called Allwhite where, you guessed it, white people get all the good plotlines. Meanwhile, Blackgrounds are constantly given backburner stories of slavery and police violence. When Keesha Gibbs decides to take center stage in Allwhite’s juiciest stories, she attracts the attention of the Allwhite Killer.
The cast features Liz Lark Brown as Diane W/Barbara W/Judith W, Kayla Davion as Florence, Latoya Edwards as Keesha Gibbs, Jennifer Fouché as Abilene, Morgan Siobhan Green as Caroline, Molly Hager as Megan White, Vincent Jamal Hooper as Tarik Blackwell, James Jackson Jr. as Clarence, Tarra Conner Jones as Nell Gibbs, Alyse Alan Louis as Maegan Whitehall, Lauren Marcus as Meagan Whitehead, and Eric William Morris as Matthew S/Scott M/Zack Paul Gosselar. Ladonna Burns, Ciara Alyse Harris, Alexis Cofield, Shane Donovan, Jon-Michael Reese, and Natalie Walker are understudies.
As previously announced, White Girl in Danger reunites Jackson with his A Strange Loop choreographer Raja Feather Kelly. The musical is directed by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz (The Skin of Our Teeth).
The production features scenic design by Adam Rigg, costume design by Montana Levi Blanco, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Jonathan Deans, projection design by Josh Higgason, and music direction and supervision by Meg Zervoulis. Orchestrations are by Lynne Shankel.
White Girl in Danger was originally developed by Vineyard Theatre as part of a multi-year residency for Jackson. It had a staged reading in 2021 at New York Stage and Film.
