Division Street (Oct 08, 1980 - Oct 25, 1980) Performer: Theresa Merritt [Mrs. Bruchinski] PlayComedyOriginal. ''A singing actress of both wit and power, she finds bitter humor in the character's distorted sense of self: when she barks her outrageous demands to her lackeys, we see a show business monster who's come a long way from her roots.''. Beginning in 1974, she starred in ''That's My Mama,'' an ABC situation comedy set in a Washington barbershop where a widowed mother knows best what her hapless son (played by Clifton Davis) should do. Photo is dated 12-21-1993. Merritt was in the original Broadway cast of Carmen Jones in 1943, moving from ensemble to the featured role of Carmen's friend Frankie in two more forties mountings. [2], Merritt's other Broadway credits included Mule Bone (1991), Division Street (1980), Don't Play Us Cheap! '', See the article in its original context from. The movie is based on August Wilson's play that premiered on Broadway in 1984 and starred Theresa Merritt … In the last year, she played guest roles on ''N.Y.P.D. A scanner may interpret colors and contrast differently than human eyes will, so it is possible that the actual photograph may be slightly darker or lighter in person. She then starred in the television sitcom That's My Mama. Her most notable film roles were Aunt Em in the 1978 film version of The Wiz, Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film adaptation of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, and Juanita in the Adam Sandler comedy Billy Madison. Theresa Merritt (September 24, 1922 – June 12, 1998) was an actress and singer who played Aunt Em in the 1978 movie verison of The Wiz (movie). Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a 1982 play by August Wilson, is a fictionalized account of a recording of her song of the same title set in 1927. As a Tony-nominated Broadway star, a former background singer for Harry Belafonte, ... with a starring role in Billy Rose's musical Carmen (1943). Ma Rainey (1886-1939) was among the first black singers to get a recording contract - albeit with a white company's ''race'' division. "Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theresa_Merritt&oldid=1016491949, American theatre actor, 20th-century birth stubs, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 April 2021, at 13:27. A scanner may interpret colors and contrast differently than human eyes will, so it is possible that the actual photograph may be slightly darker or lighter in person. Ms. Merritt is survived by her husband of 52 years, Benjamin Hines, and by four children, Norman, Benjamin Jr. and Denise, all of Hollis, and Dennis, of St. Louis. She was an actress, known for Billy Madison (1995), The Wiz (1978) and All That Jazz (1979). Photo is dated -11-1984. However, as we'll explain below, most of the plot is fictional. Actress. Theresa Merritt, 75, Praised In Role of Ma Rainey, Is Dead, https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/nyregion/theresa-merritt-75-praised-in-role-of-ma-rainey-is-dead.html. Blue,'' died on June 12 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. Nor is it a reverential, solemn approach to Wilson’s breakthrough success, first staged on Broadway in 1984 with Charles S. Dutton as Levee and Theresa Merritt as Ma Rainey. Richards and Wilson worked together for almost two years on the play. It may contain wrinkles, cracks, and possibly even tears due to its age and how it was handled before it got to us. In 1985, she returned to Broadway to play the title role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and won a Tony nomination. It opened at the Yale Repertory Theater in April 1984, and then moved to Broadway 's Cort Theatre. Yearning for a career as an opera singer, she studied at the Settlement School of Music in Philadelphia, and at Temple University and New York University. Merritt was married to Benjamin Hines, and they had four children. La pièce è il secondo capitolo del Ciclo di Pittsburgh, una raccolta di dieci opere teatrali scritte da Wilson sulle vite degli afroamericani in ogni decennio del XX secolo, ed è l'unica delle dieci a non essere ambientata a Pittsburgh, bensì a Chicago. She also appeared on numerous television series, including ''Beekman Place,'' ''Another World,'' ''Police Story'' and ''The Love Boat.'' She also appeared in the Broadway production of The Wiz. Theresa Merritt on IMDb: Movies, Tv, Celebrities, and more... Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This is an original press photo. This article about a United States singer is a stub. Ms. Merritt acted in several films, including ''They Might Be Giants'' (1972), ''The Goodbye Girl'' (1977), ''All That Jazz'' (1979), ''The Great Santini'' (1979), ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (1982) and ''The Serpent and the Rainbow'' (1988). Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the play of the same name by August Wilson.The film, and its source play, focus on Ma Rainey, an influential blues singer, and dramatize a … Theresa Merritt and Whoopi Goldberg starred as Rainey in the Original and Revival Broadway productions, respectively. She earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the Broadway play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Ms. Merritt was born in Emporia, Va., but moved to Philadelphia while a toddler to be reared by an aunt and uncle after her mother died. In the 1980s, Ma was front and center in pop culture once again thanks to the Broadway staging of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, starring Theresa Merritt as … The University Library System (ULS) at the University of Pittsburgh has acquired the archive of the late playwright and Pittsburgh native son August Wilson, best known for his unprecedented American Century Cycle —ten plays that convey the Black experience in each decade of the 20th century. Theresa Merritt was an actress who was no stranger to being featured in numerous film roles throughout her Hollywood career. At his best, as in Seven Guitars (1996), he specialized in the contrapuntal interplay of down-home versus urban ideologies. And on Broadway in 1984 she originated the title role of a domineering, manipulative blues singer in August Wilson's ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,'' earning a Tony nomination. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1985 CD release of "Original Broadway Cast Recording Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" on Discogs. Blue,'' ''Cosby'' and ''Law and Order.''. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. She left The Wiz, citing the role's harmful effect on … [3] She also toured with road companies of Funny Girl, Show Boat, and South Pacific.[4]. When Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was revived on Broadway in 2003, the production was dedicated to the memory of Theresa Merritt, Joe Seneca, and Robert Judd. Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination, and The Wiz, in which she replaced Mabel King as Evelline. Theresa Merritt was born on September 24, 1922 in Newport News, Virginia, USA as Theresa Irene Merritt. It may contain wrinkles, cracks, and possibly even tears due to its age and how it was handled before it got to us. IN August Wilson's ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,'' now at the Yale Repertory Theater, ... As portrayed by the author - and embodied by the actress Theresa Merritt - Ma … She was ''Ma Rainey incarnate,'' wrote Frank Rich in his review in The New York Times. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922  – June 12, 1998) was an American stage, film, and television actress and singer. She's known for her role in That's My Mama (1974-1975) and for her film roles in The Wiz (1978) and Billy Madison (1995). Actress Theresa Merritt, who starred in the TV series "That's My Mama," died June 12 of skin cancer in Calvary Hospital, New York. In 1985, she returned to Broadway to play the title role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and won a Tony nomination. This is an original press photo. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. That can all go in seconds. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom è un'opera teatrale del drammaturgo statunitense August Wilson, portata al debutto a New Haven nel 1984. She portrayed the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey in August Wilson's award-winning "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." Performer: Theresa Merritt [Ma Rainey] PlayDramaOriginal. August Wilson Archive. This article about a United States film and television actor born in the 1920s is a stub. 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