FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI

A Celebration of the Legendary Afrobeat Pioneer

RESCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, MARCH 2nd!

Monday, March 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $20 General Admission

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003
Directions

Special Treat: Complimentary Banana Puddin’ for all attendees 🍌

ABOUT FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI
Legendary Nigerian musician, political firebrand, and creator of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti (1938–1997) revolutionized global music by blending African rhythms, jazz, funk, and highlife. His home, the Kalakuta Republic, and nightclub, the African Shrine, became epicenters of artistic expression and political resistance. Despite arrests and persecution, Fela’s music challenged corruption and social injustice. In 2026, he became the first African to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

FEATURING: THE DOMINIC JAMES BAND
Dominic James, award-winning guitarist, composer, and educator, has toured globally for over 30 years.

Awards: 2009 Drama Desk Award for Original Music (Ruined, Lynn Nottage)

Collaborations: Paul Simon, Pharoah Sanders, Michael Brecker, Chris Botti, Bill Laswell

Highlights: Guitar/bass on Shakira’s “Waka Waka” (2010 World Cup), collaborations with Harry Belafonte & Lee “Scratch” Perry

World Tour: Performed with five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo, including PBS DVD/CD Spirits Rising with Christian McBride, Branford Marsalis, Josh Groban, Dianne Reeves, Ezra Koenig, and Broadway Fela performers

Special Performances: 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Concert (Oslo), Cyndi Lauper & Cassandra Wilson at Home for the Holidays (Beacon Theatre), Clinton Foundation Gala with Eric Clapton & Jon Bon Jovi

ABOUT ROME NEAL
Rome Neal is a celebrated actor, director, jazz vocalist, and cultural producer. For over 30 years, he served as Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café Theater Program and Chairman of the Board, now Chairman Emeritus.

Awards & Honors: Obie Grant, 5 AUDELCO Awards (directing & acting, including Monk by Laurence Holder), National Black Theatre Festival Lloyd Richards Director’s Award, Triumph Award, Monarch Merit Award, B Free Public Access Legend Award, Grace Jones Audelco Lifetime Achievement Award, President Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and proclamations from NYC & NY State.

Directing Credits: Shango de Ima, Don’t Explain, Prism, adaptations of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar set in Africa, Amiri Baraka works, Sekou Sundiata, Ishmael Reed, national and European festivals.

Acting Credits: Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam, She’s Gotta Have It (Netflix), Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet, Leon Ichaso’s Piñero.

Jazz Performances: Founder and curator of Rome Neal’s twenty-three-year-old Banana Puddin’ Jazz series. As a Jazz vocalist, he has performed at The Metropolitan Room, The Museum of the City of New York, Lenox Lounge, Saint Nick’s Pub, Joe’s Pub, Minton’s Playhouse, Town Hall, Carnegie Hall, 966Jazz, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and The Jazz Spot. Lead vocalist for the Bill Lee Mo’ Better Quintet (Spike Lee’s father).

Recordings: A Brighter Crooner, DVDs All in the Puddin’ & Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz Jam… A Night to Remember.

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field

FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
Executive Director, Crystal Field