Posted by | Ray Cornelius
First look images of award winning-singer and actress, Deborah Cox as Josephine Baker have emerged and she actually nails it. The Broadway star looks absolutely amazing as LaBaker, the famed singer and dancer who left America and went on to become the toast of Paris during the 1920s & 30s. Cox will play the legendary diva in “JOSEPHINE” at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, FL beginning April 2016.
As previously reported, “JOSEPHINE” is based on Stephen Papich’s book “Remembering Josephine,” and chronicles Baker’s stint as the star of the Folies Bergere in Paris between 1939-45, her scandalous affair with Swedish Crown Prince Gustav VI, and her heroic service in the French Resistance during World War II.
“Child, it’s a whole lot in the story, but really, really compelling theater,” said Cox to NBCNews.com. “It’s very, very complex and deep and I have to really conjure up a lot of personal stuff in order to get to the ugly stuff that we don’t necessarily want to face, a lot of the fears, a lot of the stuff from the past that we don’t necessarily want to get into but as an actor you have to visit those dark places in order to get the story told.”
Baker was the first Black global female superstar and sex symbol. She rose to fame from humble beginnings and became an international sensation. She was also dubbed the “Nefertiti of Now” by Picasso and Ernest Hemingway called her “the most sensational woman anyone ever saw.” Acclaimed actress, Lynn Whitfield, won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Baker in the classic HBO biopic, “The Josephine Baker Story.”
Check out Cox’s photos below and tell us what you think.
Photo Credits: Mike Ruiz