Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Patti Labelle Head to Broadway in ‘After Midnight’

Musical legends Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, and Patti LaBelle are all joining the roster of special guest star vocalists in Broadway’s After Midnight. LaBelle is scheduled to perform June 10 through 29, Knight is scheduled for July 8 to August 3, and Cole is set to perform August 5 through 31.

The three women combined have earned a total of 22 platinum records, 18 Grammy Awards, and sold approximately 300 million albums worldwide. After Midnight will mark Cole’s Broadway debut. Knight and LaBelle have previously starred on the stage with Knight performing in Smokey Joe’s Café and LaBelle performing in Fela! and Patti LaBelle on Broadway.

The production, which currently stars Vanessa Williams, Dule Hill, and Adriane Lenox,  is a celebration of Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements. Producers describe the show as “[Taking] the sexy, smoky glamour of the original Jazz Age and catapult[ing] it into a whole new era of heart-pounding, mind-blowing entertainment for modern Broadway audiences. Musical arrangements will be performed by a band of 17 musicians each hand picked by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.”

The show is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and is produced by Scott Sanders Productions, and Wynton Marsalis in association with Marks-Turnbull Group; Stephen and Ruth Hendel; Tom Kirdahy. The show marks the Broadway debut of fashion designer Isabel Toledo as well who is popularly known for designing First Lady Michelle Obama’s first inauguration dress. Other members of the creative team include Tony Award winner John Lee Beatty with set design, Tony Award winner Howell Binkley with lighting design, and Peter Hylenski with sound.