A

ugust Wilson’
s Pulitzer 
Prize-winning drama 
Jitney, which won a 
Tony Award in 2017 for Best 
Revival of a Play, can be seen at 
the Music Hall in Detroit Nov. 
12-16 in a partnership between 
Broadway in Detroit and Detroit 
Public Theatre.
Set in the late 1970s in 
Pittsburgh (where Wilson grew 
up), it’
s the story of African 
American men trying to make 
a living by driving a jitney, an 
unlicensed cab. They provide 
this gypsy cab service for a com-
munity that probably wouldn’
t 
be able to hail a cab otherwise. 
The play is centered on a 
group of men whose business 
is in jeopardy because of gen-
trification, leaving no place for 
their home base. Meanwhile, 
explosive relationships and 
deep secrets are revealed. The 
show retains its director, Ruben 
Santiago-Hudson. Original 
Broadway cast members 

Anthony Chisholm, Harvy 
Blanks and Keith Randolph 
Smith are in Detroit as well. 
Eric Falkenstein, lead pro-
ducer of Jitney, saw the show 
performed years ago and was 
passionate about 
bringing it to New 
York and on tour. 
“It’
s a heartfelt, 
powerful show 
that strikes a chord 
with audiences,
” he 
says. “This touring 
production is almost identical to 
the Broadway run.
”
Jitney is one of many the-
ater sensations Falkenstein 
has produced. Among them, 
mega-hits Moulin Rouge, To Kill 
a Mockingbird and The Sound 
Inside, which just opened to 
rave reviews. 
And, he’
s the producer of 
Hello, Dolly, which will play the 
Fisher Theatre Nov. 19-Dec. 1. 
(Look for a story next week.)
Born and raised in Connec-

ticut, Falkenstein has always 
been interested in human rights 
and theater. He graduated Yale 
Law School and then worked on 
human rights issues. He joined 
a law firm and transitioned into 
entertainment law. He started 
to produce plays and films, and 
opened his own company, Spark 
Productions, in 2003. 
His first Broadway show, as 
associate producer, was Arthur 
Miller’
s The Crucible. Later, 
Falkenstein was lead producer 
for Miller’
s All My Sons. “The 
time I got to spend with Arthur 
was precious,
” he says. “I only 
wish I was around earlier to 
spend more time with him.
” 
Over the years, Falkenstein 
has produced dozens of 
Broadway shows including 
Network, The Lifespan of a Fact, 
The Iceman Cometh, Fiddler on 
the Roof, Ragtime, The Wavery 
Gallery, Present Laughter and 
The Color Purple. He also pro-
duced several films, including 

Butler, directed by Lee Daniels 
and starring Oprah. 
Always looking for the next 
big show to bring to New York, 
he travels broadly. “I look for 
a play I think will appeal to 
today’
s audience, has something 
to say and speaks to a social 
issue,
” says Falkenstein, who has 
won seven Tony Awards. 
His show The Visitor is com-
ing to Broadway in the spring, 
and the play Luna Gale, about a 
social worker deciding whether 
to take a child away, is in cast-
ing. He is also working hard on 
a sweeping two-part epic about 
Martin Luther King Jr. and the 
Civil Rights Movement. 
“It’
s a passion project of 
my career,
” he says, adding 
the working title of the show 
is MLK. “I have been work-
ing on this project with civil 
rights icons Andrew Young, 
who has become a dear friend, 
and John Lewis, who took me 
to Alabama. They are both 
extraordinary human beings.
”
On a personal front, 
Falkenstein, the father of three 
children ages 11, 10 and 5, 
enjoys exposing his kids to 
theater. About his Judaism, 
Falkenstein says he considers 
himself somewhere between 
Reform and Conservative. 
“I grew up in an appreciative 
if not particularly observant 
Jewish home, went to Hebrew 
school two afternoons a week, 
religious school on the week-
ends and attended three-hour 
Shabbat services.
”
Falkenstein is looking 
forward to Jitney playing in 
Detroit. “The audience reaction 
to this show has been spectacu-
lar,
” he says. “I love theater that 
stirs you, when people walk out 
moved and changed. I think this 
is the case with a masterpiece 
like Jitney.” 

46 | NOVEMBER 7 • 2019 

Arts&Life

theater

Drama 
Heartfelt 

Producer Eric 
Falkenstein brings 
Jitney’s moving 
message to Detroit.

JOAN MARCUS

Keith Randolph 
Smith and Harvy 
Blanks in Jitney 
on Broadway

Falkenstein

ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

details
Jitney runs Nov. 12-16, with 8 p.m. 
shows Tuesday-Saturday, and matinees 
at 1 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Saturday 
at the Detroit Music Hall. For tickets, visit 
broadwayindetroit.com, ticketmaster.
com or call (800) 982-2787.

