Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf

Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf opens at a funeral.  Among the guests mourning the passage of the “dear departed” are the great revolutionary Malcolm X, the legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, and a black teenager Yusuf Hawkins, who was brutally murdered by a white mob in 1989.

As the funeral procession makes its way through the Gates of Heaven, we learn the identity of the “departed,” the conflicts between Billie, Malcolm and Yusuf, and their struggle to live, love and laugh without gods or icons.  With songs, humor, powerful reminiscences, historical footage and more than a few surprises, these characters take the audience on a spellbinding journey.

2019 will mark the 30th anniversary of Hawkins’ murder, which catalyzed broad protests for racial justice and resulted in the election of New York City’s first black Mayor.