Alicia Keys’ ‘Stick Fly’ Heads to HBO in Adaptation

HBO is set to present a television adaptation of the Broadway play “Stick Fly,” which is written by Lydia Diamond and presented by Alicia Keys.

Diamond will write the television adaptation, and also will executive produce along with Keys and Broadway veteran Nelle Nugent. The latter has earned five Tony Awards for her work on “Dracula,” “Amadeus,” “Nicholas Nickeby,” “The Elephant Man” and “Mornings at Seven.” Though a script commitment has been made by HBO for an hour-long adaptation, no timing or casting has yet been announced.

The play was the Broadway debut for Diamond and ran from November 2011 – February 2012. The play starred Dule Hill (“Psych,” “The West Wing”), Tracie Thoms (“Rent”), Mekhi Phifer (“ER”), Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Rosie Benton and Condola Rashad. The latter’s performance has been called “scene-stealing” and resulted in a Tony nomination.

Here’s how producers describe the story:

It was a relaxing weekend on Martha’s Vineyard… until the baggage got unpacked.

Meet the LeVays. When two adult sons independently choose to introduce their girlfriends to the parents on the same weekend, sibling rivalries flare, opinions clash, class distinctions divide and family secrets unravel.

Keys, who composed original music for the play, also spoke about her thoughts on the production.

“This is a story that everybody can relate to,” she said. “I’m passionate about this play because it is so beautifully written and portrays Black America in a way that we don’t often to get to see in entertainment. I know it will touch audiences who will find a piece of themselves somewhere inside this house.”

The play was directed by Kenny Leon, who was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Director in 2010 for his work on August Wilson’s “Fences,” which starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

Lydia Diamond’s other plays include “Voyeurs de Venus,” “The Bluest Eye,” “The Gift Horse” and “Stage Black.”