CHERCHEZ LA FEMME is a musical extravaganza that tells the story of one man’s loss and another man’s gain and the powerful women who make it all possible. It explores dark themes (abandonment, sibling rivalry, unrequited love) and light themes (sexual healing, the pursuit of happiness, the smell of success) but never without inviting you to shake your head and tap your toes to the infectious neo-urban-jungle grooves. The play is set in New York City and the Caribbean in the 1980’s. It’s reckless. It’s rhythmic. It’s romantic.
“Cherchez La Femme,” a new musical written by August Darnell and Vivien Goldman featuring the music of Grammy-nominated songwriters Stony Browder Jr. and August Darnell.
Synopsis: Set in Manhattan and Haiti, the play explores heavy themes and lightweight dreams.
It’s reckless, it’s rhythmic, it’s romantic.
In the Spring of 2015, a staged reading of that play (in its 7th re-write) was presented at the LaMama rehearsal space. It was now called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. The room was packed with fans of KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS and DR BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND and with music lovers of all ages.
The staged readings were very successful. They led directly to yet another re-write and an invitation to entertain the masses at the Ellen Stewart Theatre! Pow! A dream deferred became a dream deferred no longer.
Executive Producer / Co-Writer / Assistant Director
Music and Lyric by Browder and Darnell
August Darnell was born in the Bronx. That’s in New York City. When his brain developed he moved to Manhattan. He attended Stony Brook University and Hofstra University majoring in English Lit. His brother, Stony Browder Jr., convinced him to pursue
Executive Producer / Co-Writer / Assistant Director
Music and Lyric by Browder and Darnell
August Darnell was born in the Bronx. That’s in New York City. When his brain developed he moved to Manhattan. He attended Stony Brook University and Hofstra University majoring in English Lit. His brother, Stony Browder Jr., convinced him to pursue the arts instead of academia. Therefore, he joined his brother’s band and never looked back.
August encountered instant success in the Music Business Universe. The band was called Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band. His brother wrote the music and August wrote the lyrics. Their first hit single was recorded on RCA records. It was called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. Cory Daye was the lead vocalist. Tommy Mottola was their manager. The album went gold. The band was nominated for a Grammy – BEST NEW ARTIST! Sibling rivalry divided the brothers after the third album. August then formed his own band with the help of his wife, Adriana Kaegi and his friend Andy “Coati Mundi” Hernandez. The band was called Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Once again success came knocking at his door. But this time the landscape was European. The band toured the world and recorded 11 albums. Hit singles included Stool Pigeon, Annie I’m Not Your Daddy, I’m a Wonderful Thing Baby, Endicott and My Male Curiosity. August’s dream has always been to create a musical. Both bands were very theatrical in their presentation. The segue into the theatre world was therefore inevitable. 2016 finds August smiling like a cheshire cat because the dream deferred is deferred no longer. Where there’s a will, there’s a play!
Co-Writer / Associate Producer
Vivien Goldman hails from Hampstead, London and currently resides in Queens, NY. Soon after graduating from Warwick University, she worked closely with Bob Marley, very briefly as his PR, then as his trusted chronicler in the British music press. The association led to Goldman’s two Marley books, more recen
Co-Writer / Associate Producer
Vivien Goldman hails from Hampstead, London and currently resides in Queens, NY. Soon after graduating from Warwick University, she worked closely with Bob Marley, very briefly as his PR, then as his trusted chronicler in the British music press. The association led to Goldman’s two Marley books, more recently, “The Book of Marley’s Exodus” (Three Rivers Press/Random House.) Her affection for tropical music inevitably led the pioneering girl journalist to Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Through writing cover stories on the band, a rapport was formed which resulted in Indiscreet, Goldman’s book on the band – and now, the dream she and August have cherished since the early 1980s – Cherchez La Femme. In the post-punk era, Goldman was a singer-songwriter with The Flying Lizards and others; her music is being re-issued on a compilation LP, Resolutionary. Goldman has written many scripts for TV music documentaries, for the BBC, Channel 4, Vh1 and MTV. An Adjunct Professor, Goldman teaches about Marley, Fela Kuti, David Bowie and Kid Creole at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Tisch School of the Arts.
Co-Executive Producer
British-born, Swedish-resident Eva Tudor-Jones is the Lead ‘Mama’ Coconut in the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts (25 years to date), their choreographer and their Manager. Eva started her career in the arts at a very young age and after graduating The London Studio Centre in London in 1996 she worked very successfu
Co-Executive Producer
British-born, Swedish-resident Eva Tudor-Jones is the Lead ‘Mama’ Coconut in the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts (25 years to date), their choreographer and their Manager. Eva started her career in the arts at a very young age and after graduating The London Studio Centre in London in 1996 she worked very successfully as a professional dancer in theatre, TV, film and fashion throughout the UK and Europe.
In the last 13 years Eva decided to move towards the managing and production side of the business realizing her new found skills.
Eva is also the Chief Operating Officer of 2C2C Music, an indie record label she runs with husband August Darnell.
Eva also owned a fabulous bar called Ambrosia Martini Lounge in Maui, Hawaii before becoming a mother.
Having produced numerous live stage shows in the UK and the US, she knows what’s what.
Choreographer
Kyndra Reevey is a native New Yorker. She studied at the La Guardia School for the Performing Arts in NYC. As she trained and excelled in all facets of the performing arts, her love developed for the pulsating beat of the urban dance scene. She went on to dance and demonstrate her amazing prowess on tours with some of the t
Choreographer
Kyndra Reevey is a native New Yorker. She studied at the La Guardia School for the Performing Arts in NYC. As she trained and excelled in all facets of the performing arts, her love developed for the pulsating beat of the urban dance scene. She went on to dance and demonstrate her amazing prowess on tours with some of the top pop icons in today’s music: Whitney Houston, Usher, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson to name but a few.
After the tours, Kyndra turned her sights to a new horizon: choreography. She went on to choreograph for such blockbuster cinema hits as Pitch Perfect and the groundbreaking sequel, Pitch Perfect 2. She has also choreographed for icons such as Usher, JLo, and Beyoncé. She is extremely excited about joining the Cherchez la Femme team and making her mark in the Musical Theatre Universe.
Costume Designer / Archivist
Swiss-born Adriana Kaegi is a true visionary with a record of creative trendsetting dating back to the early 1980’s when she co-founded, together with August Darnell, the legendary band Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
Her singular contributions as choreographer/costume designer and “Mama Coconut” helped earn the
Costume Designer / Archivist
Swiss-born Adriana Kaegi is a true visionary with a record of creative trendsetting dating back to the early 1980’s when she co-founded, together with August Darnell, the legendary band Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
Her singular contributions as choreographer/costume designer and “Mama Coconut” helped earn the band “Best International Live Act” at the British Music Awards, as well as several gold records. Some of the A-list appearances and shows that stand out from the 15 years of touring the world, include “The Tonight Show” and Saturday Night Live, the movie “Against All Odds”, the concert at President Bush Sr.’s White House inauguration, the 40th anniversary benefit for the U.N., the memorable benefit hosted by Princess Diana in London and the unforgettable performances at Carnegie Hall.
After leaving the band, Adriana worked as costume designer/stylist for artists, music videos and ad campaigns.
Adriana Kaegi’s recent crossover success of music, style and technology, earned her the nick name “Queen of Stream”. She has been producing and publishing editorial fashion and events videos since 1998, working with Elle.com, Style.com, CNN.com and the United Nations. Her company ADDY.media is a featured channel partner on.aol.com Style Addytude.
Director
Nominated for Best Director (MIFT) “To Win A Crown Of Thorns” (Co-Prod/Queen Henrietta (NY/Paris, France) and “Your Name On My Lips”. She also directed/prod “Savage” (Davenport Theatre). “Madam”and “Day Of Wrath” (Emerging Artists Theatre) She directed/acted “Resting Place” (Margaret/ Workshop Theatre), “Peacocks & Hens”, NY/Pari
Director
Nominated for Best Director (MIFT) “To Win A Crown Of Thorns” (Co-Prod/Queen Henrietta (NY/Paris, France) and “Your Name On My Lips”. She also directed/prod “Savage” (Davenport Theatre). “Madam”and “Day Of Wrath” (Emerging Artists Theatre) She directed/acted “Resting Place” (Margaret/ Workshop Theatre), “Peacocks & Hens”, NY/Paris (co-wrote/played Elisabetta w/Marc Duret “La Femme Nikita”) “The Calculus of Love & Sex” (Beth/MIFT) “How Alfo Learned To Love Women” (Dr Patti/NY Italian Cultural Theatre), “Winner” (Players Club) “4 Play” (NY Playwright’s Fest) “Closer” (Anna) and “Deuce” (Luisa/Guild Hall). Assistant Director: Actor’s Studio Benefit Gala w/Paul Newman. Director/Film: “Katy”,”Dating Service” (Prod/Francesca) which premiered at Paramount Pictures. Artistic Director: KBO Theater Co/Acting Workshop (also UK teaching artist/acting coach/dramaturg). She has acted Off-Bway and on “Star Trek: Voyager”. She will be directing “The Megahype” and the film “Kings’s Cross”. A native Manhattanite, she trained w/Wynn Handman, RADA/Peter Hall, The Clinton School for Writers & Artists (NY Times Journalism Award) and Columbia University. Special thanks to August, Viv, Eva, CLF/Creative Team, JM, Rose, Geoff and the late Judith Seymour-Strawn.
30 years ago Vivien Goldman interviewed me in London for a magazine called NME. My alter ego, KID CREOLE, had just released an album entitled TROPICAL GANGSTERS on the Island Records label. It was a hit. The interview lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes. A friendship was formed. 12 years ago Vivien visited me in my home in the idyllic Swedish countryside. We joked about writing a musical. The joke became a reality. The first draft of the play was written in 6 days. At first it was called I’M A WONDERFUL THING, BABY.
A few years ago Vivien met an actor named Julius Hollingsworth. She spoke to him about the musical. Julius said “Hey, I have done some work with the La Mama group in downtown Manhattan. Perhaps they would be interested in this!” Behold! Fate rears its magnificent head out of the wilderness. In the Spring of 2015, a staged reading of that play (in its 7th re-write) was presented at the LaMama rehearsal space. It was now called CHERCHEZ LA FEMME. The room was packed with fans of KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS and DR BUZZARD’S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND and with music lovers of all ages.
The staged readings were very successful. They led directly to yet another re-write and an invitation to entertain the masses at the Ellen Stewart Theatre! Pow! A dream deferred becomes a dream deferred no longer.
A.D.
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