| Brian McKnight and Vivica A. Fox Star In "Cheaper To Keep Her"
Je'Caryous Johnson's New Stage Play To Debut During Spring Tour
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Houston, TX (BlackNews.com) -- Executive Producers Je'Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry, founders of I'm Ready Productions, Inc., will debut Cheaper to Keep Her during a special limited engagement spring tour beginning in March 2010. The eleventh play in a series of box office breaking, critically acclaimed stage plays from NAACP Award-winning writer and director Je'Caryous Johnson, Cheaper to Keep Her will star R&B sensation Brian McKnight and multi-faceted actress Vivica A. Fox. Cheaper to Keep Her also stars actress Wendy Raquel Robinson ("When The Lights Go Out" and "The Game") and gospel comedian Jonathan Slocumb.
Known for his romantic comedies with a serious message, Johnson explores the all-too-often predicament couples face when the grass looks greener on the other side. In Cheaper to Keep Her, Raymond Mays (Brian McKnight) decides he's ready to call it quits when his wife Morgan Mays (Vivica A. Fox) no longer does it for him. When Raymond hires his best friend Joey to be his lawyer, and Morgan hires her catty cousin Koren (Wendy Raquel Robinson) as counsel, a legal boxing match explodes over their divorce. When the fed-up judge bangs her gavel, she decides Morgan doesn't deserve half; she deserves it all. Determined not to be defeated, Raymond and his best friend discover they have two options to prevent him from paying alimony: kill Morgan or get her married off to someone else. As ex-husband and ex-love face off with each other, broken hearts will get revenge, karma could kill, and infidelity can become infectious as hearts and marital matrimony collide only to discover whether it's cheaper to keep her.
Brian McKnight is no stranger to I'm Ready Productions. In 2005, McKnight toured with the I'm Ready play Cheaters. He has released 13 albums to date, seven of them have gone platinum, with several going two and three times platinum. McKnight has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. His achievements have landed him numerous awards including the Soul Train Award, NAACP Image Award, as well as 16 Grammy nominations. His newest album, "Evolution of a Man," was released in Oct. 2009.
Vivica A. Fox also has been tapped for a previous I'm Ready production. In 2008, Fox was honored at the NAACP Theater Awards where she received the prestigious Spirit Award for starring in the I'm Ready stage play Whatever She Wants, alongside Boris Kodjoe and Richard Roundtree. In 2005 and 2006, Fox won the NAACP Image Award and the Prism Award for Best Actress in a television series drama. She was also honored with a Trumpet Award for Outstanding Career Achievements in Film. In 2003, she was honored with the Lady of Soul Lena Horne Career Achievement Award.
Most recently, Fox has teamed up with TV Land Prime to host the reality series "The Cougar." In April of 2009, Fox returned to her crime-solving roots as an FBI Agent in pursuit of a serial killer in the suspense thriller "Junkyard Dogs." In 2007, Fox co-starred as Larry David’s new house guest in HBO’s hit comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She also co-starred with Jessica Simpson, Cheri Oteri and Steve Guttenberg in the upcoming feature comedy, "Major Movie Star." Switching to a dramatic role, Fox co-starred in "Cover," a film directed by Bill Duke and based on a true story about the effects of HIV and AIDS in the African-American community.
Je'Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry together are a formidable duo with unparalleled success. Founded when the two were just teens, I'm Ready Productions has transformed African-American theatre. Their soul-stirring plays have been attended by more than two million people in 50 U.S. cities, and have broken box office records. Their hit plays have included Love Overboard starring Avant and Khalil Kain, Men Cry in the Dark with Allen Payne, The Maintenance Man with Richard Roundtree, Friends and Lovers, Cheaters with Grammy Award winning singer Brian McKnight, Confessions with the late Gerald LeVert, Men, Money & Gold Diggers with actress Robin Givens, Whatever She Wants with Vivica A. Fox and 3 Ways To Get A Husband with legendary actor Billy Dee Williams.
In addition to being a recipient of the NAACP 2007 Trailblazer Award, I'm Ready Productions received three NAACP Theater Awards for its stage play Friends & Lovers; was the first touring company to adapt an African-American romance novel for the stage; produced ten national best-selling plays; are four-time national championship playwrights; is the youngest production company to garner national media; was the first company to produce a novel and a play at the same time; and secured an unprecedented DVD distribution arrangement with Universal/Codeblack Entertainment for Whatever She Wants and 3 Ways to Get a Husband. True to their never-quit spirit, I'm Ready is gearing up to shoot its first movie, “The Marrying Kind.”
Produced by I'm Ready Productions and Foxy Brown Productions in association with L. Richardson Entertainment, Cheaper to Keep Her tickets are available through Ticketmaster outlets. For group ticket sales, call 281.445.2300 or 1-800.745.3000. For tour updates and information, visit www.imreadyproductions.com.
Cheaper To Keep Her Tour Dates:
(As of Feb. 8, 2010)
Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium - March 14, 2010
Washington, DC - Warner Theater - March 16 - 21, 2010
Houston, TX - The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts - March 25 - 28, 2010
Dallas, TX - Naomi Bruton Theater - May 5-9, 2010
About I'm Ready Productions, Inc.
Founded in 1995, I'm Ready Productions ("I'm Ready") is a national, minority owned, theatre, television, feature film and music production company based in Houston. Owned by 2007 NAACP Trailblazer award winners Je’Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry, I’m Ready is known for its soul-stirring plays. Breaking box office records, more than two million people in over 50 cities have turned out for I'm Ready plays. From turning bestselling African-American novels into plays, to approaching Hollywood's hottest stars for its productions, I'm Ready's approach is fearless and outside-of-the-box, changing the face of American touring theatre. Visit www.imreadyproductions.com for more information.
PRESS CONTACT:
Margo Williams Handy
MWH Public Relations
281-213-9554, 832-492-2407
margo@mwhpublicrelations.com
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