“That’s Love!,” a new musical about singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge, will premiere at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center in February and March.
“That’s Love!,” a new musical about singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge — the first African-American to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar (for “Carmen Jones,” in 1954) — will premiere at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center in February and March, as part of the theater’s 2026 season.
Broadway veterans N’Kenge (“Caroline, or Change,” “Motown the Musical”) and Christina Sajous (“A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical) will co-direct the show, which was conceived by N’Kenge, and will star her. The book is by Trey Ellis, and the music and lyrics are by Shelton L. Becton.
Dandridge started performing as a child, in the 1920s, and died in 1965 at the age of 42. Her life was previously explored in the 1999 film “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” starring Halle Berry.
Here is the schedule for the season, which includes shows at both The Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal, and The Bell Theater at Bell Works in Holmdel.
Feb. 19-March 8: “That’s Love! The Dorothy Dandridge Musical” (Axelrod)
April 10-26: “Sexy Laundry” (Bell)
May 1-17: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (Axelrod)
June 18-28: “We’ll Meet Again” (Bell)
Aug. 7-23: “Driving Miss Daisy” (Bell)
Nov. 6-29: “The Wizard of Oz” (Axelrod)
Sept. 11-Oct. 4: “An award-winning beloved contemporary musical!” to be announced in March, according to a press release (Bell)
“We’ll Meet Again” is described as “A patriotic and life-affirming story inspired by the life of Heinz ‘Henry’ Stern, his family’s narrow escape from Nazi Germany, and their ultimate discovery of a new home and community in Opelika, Alabama. This new musical incorporates several beloved Jewish traditional songs as well as popular standards from the 1930s and 1940s.”
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