A BOY AND HIS SOUL – Colman Domingo’s acclaimed play about his life growing up in Philadelphia in the 70’s and 80’s amid the cool, smooth sounds of soul, R&B and disco – is anticipated to return to an Off-Broadway stage in New York this season following its run at The Vineyard, it has been announced by The Vineyard Theatre and producer Elizabeth Ireland McCann.

Produced by The Vineyard Theatre as its first production of the 2009-10 season, A BOY AND HIS SOUL concludes its run at The Vineyard on Sunday, November 1; the play began previews on September 9 and opened on September 24. A two-week extension of the play – through November 1 – was recently announced.

Due to Mr. Domingo’s prior commitments, date and theatre for a commercial transfer of A BOY AND HIS SOUL will be announced at a later time.

A BOY AND HIS SOUL will mark the third time that the Tony Award-winning producer Elizabeth McCann has produced a show featuring the inimitable Mr. Domingo: previously on Broadway in Lisa Kron’s WELL and in the musical PASSING STRANGE. It will also mark the second time that she has worked with The Vineyard Theatre, having successfully transferred The Vineyard’s production of Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning THREE TALL WOMEN.

Written and performed by Colman Domingo and directed by Tony Kelly, A BOY AND HIS SOUL is a moving and hilarious play that explores the life-experiences of a young African-American man in 1970s and 80s Philadelphia, propelled by the beat of classic soul, smooth R&B, and disco.

The play’s depiction of a family of vibrant children and their parents along with its celebration of city life and the music that underscores it has become a popular hit with audiences and critics alike:

“DOMINGO IS BLAZINGLY CHARISMATIC!” – NY Times
“WONDERFUL! THEATRICAL GOLD!” -NY1
“SO ENGAGING AND SO MUCH FUN!” -Variety
“A KNOCKOUT!” -New York Magazine
“EXHILARATING! I WAS HOOKED!” -NY Post
“COMMANDING AND ENDEARING,” – New York Daily News
“A MARVELOUS 90 MINUTES, TOLD BY ONE ASTONISHING
ACTOR/DANCER/ SINGER” — Newsday

Colman Domingo was seen on Broadway last season in the Tony Award-winning musical PASSING STRANGE – a performance which also earned him rave reviews, including having Charles Isherwood of The New York Times proclaim him “charismatic” and David Rooney of Variety state that he “delivers scene-stealing comic turns!”

Mr. Domingo reprised his PASSING STRANGE roles for the film version, directed by Spike Lee; he is also a regular on the hit Logo Network series “The Big Gay Sketch Show,” produced by Rosie O’Donnell. He appeared in the acclaimed world-premiere productions of Athol Fugard’s COMING HOME at Long Wharf Theatre and Leigh Fondakowski’s THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and was also in the acting company of Lisa Kron’s WELL on Broadway. In addition to a 2008 Obie Award for his work in PASSING STRANGE, Mr. Domingo received a San Francisco Bay Guardian Best Solo Performance Award for A BOY AND HIS SOUL at the Thick House in San Francisco. As a director, he helmed the Off-Broadway premieres of Lisa Ramirez’s EXIT CUCKOO and Lisa B. Thompson’s SINGLE BLACK FEMALE.

Tony Kelly directed the world premiere of A BOY AND HIS SOUL at the Thick House in San Francisco. Mr. Kelly is a co-founder of the Thick Description Theatre Company, which originated in New York before relocating to San Francisco in 1989. Notable productions Mr. Kelly has directed for Thick Description include the world and/or west coast premieres of Han Ong’s BACHELOR RAT, Karen Hartman’s ALICE: TALES OF A CURIOUS GIRL, David Greenspan’s JACK and 2 SAMUEL 11, ETC, Octavio Solis’ SANTOS &SANTOS and among many others, Suzan Lori-Parks’ THE AMERICAN PLAY.

A BOY AND HIS SOUL is the first production of the 2009-2010 season for The Vineyard, a non-profit theatre company. The Vineyard Theatre is under the guidance of Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, Executive Director.

Scheduled through November 1, performances of A BOY AND HIS SOUL run Tuesdays at 7:00pm; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm &8:00pm (there will be no 3:00pm performance 10/31); and Sundays at 3:00pm at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street). Tickets are $55. For reservations and more information about The Vineyard Theatre, call 212-353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.