NJUN Spotlight: Cherine E. Anderson

It was over forty years ago that Cherine E. Anderson, a young, impressionable ten-year-old girl from Jamaica, West Indies, was introduced to her first Broadway play, The Wiz. The all-star cast included Stephanie Mills as Dorothy and Andre DeShields as The Wizard, along with other distinguished cast members. 

At the urging of her Caribbean mother, a wise and astute singer in her own right, it was important to impart fine arts and culture at an early age to her daughter – not realizing the ultimate impact it would have on Anderson’s career decades later. “I never could have imagined that this little girl who came to the United States with a speech impediment would be a Tony-nominated producer. If you had said that to me then, I would say, ‘Yeah, right!” she expressed sarcastically. 

But it’s true. This Cherine Anderson, not to be confused with another same-name-bearing Jamaican reggae vocalist and actress, is indeed a Broadway Co-Producer of the rebranded The Wiz and Hell’s Kitchen – the Alicia Keys musical which received a total of thirteen Tony nominations. 

Although Anderson and co-producing team Score 3 Partners did not win the coveted Best Musical honors at the 77th Tony Awards ceremony last month, Hell’s Kitchen managed to scoop two Tonys for Maleah Joi Moon, Best Actress in a Musical and Kecia Lewis,  Best Featured Actress in a Musical.  “Both ladies gave phenomenal speeches, and we were so proud of them,” Anderson triumphed enthusiastically. 

Yet she laments the lack of nominations The Wiz revival did not receive.  “We thought the show would at least be nominated for scenic design or costumes.”  As one colleague so aptly described the omission – “We’ll take ticket sales over trophies!” To date, Hell’s Kitchen is consistently packing the Shubert Theatre while The Wiz continues to thrive during its limited engagement, which ends in August before resuming a national tour. 

The road to co-producing Broadway and Off-Broadway shows came innately after Anderson spent years as a marketing and media relations executive with emphasis on production management, consumer and promotions marketing, and partnership development for such media conglomerates as MTV Networks/Nickelodeon, DC Comics,  Apel Inc./Spero Media and Push Creative. 

Her passion for theatre grew first as an aficionado before the realization of providing support in financial investment became more opportunistic.  “Three things need to happen,” explained Anderson. “First, someone needs to invite you to the table to be on the co-producing team. Second, there’s a certain threshold in terms of dollars that need to be raised for the capitalization of a show. Then, you go out and secure investments from individuals. But it’s not just money.”  She adds, “You must love theatre, invest in the arts or the talent on or off stage.  But of course, the hope is that the show will succeed and investors will recoup their investment.”  Plus, the perks aren’t too shabby, either.  Investors and co-producers get to attend opening night and the after-party, which can provide networking incentives to pursue potential investors.

Before co-producing her current list of Broadway productions, Anderson was actively engaged in marketing and promoting such shows as The Color Purple, Hadestown, Once on this Island, A Raisin in the Sun, Trip to Bountiful, Streetcar Named Desire, Driving Miss Daisy, Ragtime, MJ the Musical, For Colored Girls and many more.  But she credits the original The Color Purple musical for igniting the fire of her theatrical experience following an unplanned meeting with media executives who commanded her involvement.  “They told me they were promoting a Broadway show, which they never revealed, and wanted to bring someone in with representation to an African-American cast and ties to the African-American community.”  Anderson energetically pursued the venture and admitted, “The Color Purple will always hold a special place in my heart.”  Also, she gets excited upon seeing her name credited in the Playbill. “It just gives me a tingle,” Anderson replied gleefully. 

The 2023-2024 Broadway season has witnessed an unprecedented number of producers of color, which Anderson attributes to the aftermath of the George Floyd protests of May 2020.  With hope, the numbers will increase to widen the conventional landscape.  “This has been a year where a number of people of color have entered into the co-producing space, and that’s what Broadway needs.  One woman even thanked me for helping open doors and giving access to new opportunities,” encouraged Anderson.  “So I just want to give other people that same opportunity and access.”  Equally important is “having a voice to influence what gets created and honored and thereby using that capability, at the producing level, to vote for shows that resonate with the community.” 

With support from organizations like Black Theatre United, Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), and The Broadway League, the Great White Way can cultivate a more robust array of talented African-American producers and co-producers, like Anderson, to generate equity, equality, and inclusion.  

Until that likelihood occurs, theatergoers can anticipate  Anderson to collaborate with Score 3 Partners in co-producing a host of impending Broadway productions for the 2024-2025 season, including  Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald and directed by George C. Wolfe; Our Town with Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes; and Othello with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.  And do not rule out the prospect that Cherine E. Anderson’s name will appear in future Playbills as a credible lead producer – fulfilling a deep-rooted passion that will not be denied.