In Dahomey


Ms. Parks appeared in the musical In Dahomey in New York in the summer of 1999. Shauneille Perry wrote and directed this recreation of the 1903 ragtime musical with music by Will Marion Cook and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Alex Rogers and Bert Williams, the first "Black" musical presented on Broadway. This time around, Sabrina Elayne Carton starred, with Cedric D. Cannon, LaTrice Verrett, Brian Chandler, Keith Lee Grant, Jim Jacobson, Tanya Alexander, Charles Reese, Kim Sullivan and Lucio Fernandez. Performances were presented at the New Federal Theatre at the Harry De Jur Playhouse, Henry Street Settlement, 466 Grand St.

Trina played the dual role of Minnie, an inhabitant of Gatorsville, Florida, and of Mandisa, a native of the African Kingdom of Dahomey. Reviewer David Lipfert stated:



Trina Parks shows off a nifty exotic dance for the two American visitors in Act II.


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