Nov 16, 5:05 PM EST

Jay-Z, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith back 'Fela!'

AP Photo
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Buy AP Photo Reprints

Your Questions Answered
Ask AP: Shuttle complexity, credit union agency

NEW YORK (AP) -- It's official: After weeks of speculation, Jay-Z and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have joined the producing team of the Broadway musical "Fela!" (feh-LAH')

Jay-Z told The Associated Press last month that he might be getting involved in the show, an Afrobeat musical about the life of Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (ah-knee-coo-LAH'-po coo-TEE'). Now producers say he and the Smiths are in, though there's no word on how much of a financial investment the three have made in the show.

"Fela!" is now in previews at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and opens next Monday. It's directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

[Get Copyright Permissions]Click here for copyright permissions!
Copyright 2008 Associated Press

Subscribe to the Times
Click here for daily delivery
of the St. Petersburg Times.

Email Newsletters

ADVERTISEMENT