In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Obie Award-winning actor, playwright, and director Roger Guenveur Smith presents an intimate one-man show honoring his friend and collaborator Jean-Michel Basquiat. Weaving personal stories and historical anecdotes with his improvisational performance style, Guenveur Smith explores the legacy of one of the most defining artists of the 20th century and his enduring impact. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roger Guenveur Smith met in Los Angeles, where Jean-Michel was painting in a Venice studio and Smith was rapping as “Hollywatts” on the fertile 1980s club scene. Smith’s politically charged soliloquies found their way onto Basquiat’s canvas, and Smith eventually created “Smiley”, the Basquiat-inspired artist/arsonist for Spike Lee’s classic Do the Right Thing. In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat features live sound design by Marc Anthony Thompson.