Black Theatre Troupe celebrates women with 'Respect: The Musical'

With songs like “Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend” to “Girl is on Fire,” Black Theatre Troupe is rounding out Women’s History month and its 2022-23 season with “Respect: The Musical,” a high-energy, empowering show on stage now through April 9.

Combining excerpts from over 60 songs with women’s personal stories about realizing dreams, loves won and lost and battering against glass ceilings, Respect features such period favorites as “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” “As Long As He Needs Me” and “Whatever Lola Wants,” along with such modern standards as “Girl is on Fire,” “Brave” and “The Greatest Love of All.”

Vanderbilt professor Dr. Dorothy Marcic created the show based on her book, “Respect: Women and Popular Music,” where she analyzed all Top-40 female song lyrics since 1900. 

The production is a lively and engaging look at music’s depiction of women, from codependence to independence. Interwoven between the music are monologues — real women’s stories, to give more meaning to the songs and show how women are portrayed differently in each era.

“Respect: The Musical” features Sabrina Custer as "Dorothy," Lotus Numari as "Samantha," Sarah Lee Mabry as "Eden" and Rico Burton as "Rosa." Accompanied by a live band, Respect is directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris with musical direction by Brenda Hankins.

Performances will be held at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, located at 1333 E. Washington St. in Phoenix. Tickets are $48 and are on sale at blacktheatretroupe.org or by calling 602-258-8128.

Recognized as one of the longest, continuously operating Black theatre companies in the United States, Black Theatre Troupe has become one of Phoenix’s major cultural attractions, providing training, employment and performance opportunities for multi-ethnic and underserved artists for over 50 years.

Black Theatre Troupe's productions and educational outreach programs broaden and enhance relationships within the community, from seniors and young adults to children, fostering understanding outside the Black community and bridging divisions which have too often separated people of color from the majority population.

Since its debut production in 1970, Black Theatre Troupe has gained a national reputation for producing powerful works with an emphasis on Black playwrights and is dedicated to delivering some of the country's most courageous theatre works. For more information, visit blacktheatretroupe.org.