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“A clever, creative, and incisive take on race. An immensely talented cast.” — The Boston Globe
“Outrageous, bold & extremely funny!” — WGBH
“Hillarious and deliciously on-point!” — WBUR
“Outrageously well directed and outrageously well performed. Everything about this production is Broadway-ready!” — South Shore Critic

The Colored Museum presents 11 hilarious “exhibits” of African-American culture — from the depths of the Celebrity Slaveship to the spinning heights of Harlem. Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe’s groundbreaking comedy has electrified, discomforted, and delighted audiences of all colors, skewering stereotypes and redefining what it means to be black in contemporary America. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Billy Porter, it features a wonderful cast with terrific music and dancing, and is a great night out at the theatre.

Approximate run time: 1 hour, 45 minutes with no intermission.

"George Wolfe's sketches of black American life are both startling and hilarious. The play was ahead of its time in 1987 and is now ripe for a major revival. I'm thrilled that the incredible Billy Porter, fresh from his Tony Award-winning performance in Kinky Boots on Broadway, will direct. Bringing these two brilliant American theatre artists together is a dream."— Peter DuBois
"The Colored Museum came into my life at a very formative time. I was a teenager longing for more than just one type of 'Black' representation in the creative storytelling landscape. George Wolfe's unique and irreverent voice of inclusion ignited the fire of possibility inside of me and set me on a creative journey that included stretching myself beyond what, up until then, I thought was possible for a little black gay boy from the ghetto. I am forever grateful."— Billy Porter


Video

  • What audiences are saying about The Colored Museum

    "Spectacular! Thought-provoking and funny." Hear what audiences are saying about the uproarious and groundbreaking comedy THE COLORED MUSEUM at the Huntington, and get a sneak peek at the show.

    Watch


  • Behind the Scenes of The Colored Museum

    Learn more about this uproarious and groundbreaking comedy in this exclusive interview with director Billy Porter and cast members Nathan Lee Graham, Rema Webb, Shayna Small, Ken Robinson, and Capathia Jenkins.

    Watch


  • Peter DuBois on The Colored Museum

    Artistic Director Peter DuBois discusses the Huntington's production of George C. Wolfe's scathing comedy about the African-American experience, directed by Tony Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots). 

    Watch


Articles

  • Kinky Boots in Harlem: Billy Porter at Home

    For 13 years Billy Porter was a man without a home but a man with plenty of baggage: three suitcases, 26 boxes and a chaise longue.  And for 13 years, Mr. Porter, the Tony-winning star of the musical “Kinky Boots” carted his chair and chattel from sublet to sublet, from couch to couch, from coast to coast.

    More

  • George C. Wolfe: From 'The Colored Museum' to an Actual Museum

    “If I didn’t do theatre, I would be a historian,” George C. Wolfe confesses over a cup of tea on an unseasonably cool late August afternoon in Atlanta, Ga. The Tony-winning theatre director and playwright is wearing a sweater with shorts and speaking at breakneck speed, causing his sentences to crash into each other on their way to forming big ideas.

    More

Press Reviews

Jump to: Audience Buzz | Features
"Huntington's 'The Colored Museum' exhibits wit and punch." — The Boston Globe
"OUTRAGEOUS, BOLD & EXTREMELY FUNNY!" — WGBH, Morning Edition
"Extraordinary! Genius! A living, breathing exhibition worth the price of admission - and then some." — Joyce Kulhawik/JoycesChoices.com
"Outrageously well directed and outrageously well performed. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION IS BROADWAY-READY!" — South Shore Critic
"A RICHLY SEASONED THEATRICAL FEAST... 'The Colored Museum' provocatively confronts audiences by wit, satire, and irony." — Berkshire Fine Arts
"HILARIOUS AND DELICIOUSLY ON-POINT!" — WBUR
“Brilliantly directed! The cast is insanely talented. A roller coaster ride of searing satire the is alternately hilarious and insightful!” — Boston Events Insider
More Reviews

Audience Buzz

"Stupendous. The best show I've seen in years. Smart, funny, endlessly talented actors, brought the audience together in shared pondering while laughing at surprise after surprise." — Barbara T., via Facebook
"Absolutely LOVED this show! One of the most pitch perfect shows I have ever seen. The cast just brought and kept bringing it until curtain calls. And Billy: You NEED to be directing as much as you perform...you are true artist!" — Jeremy R., via Facebook
"Fabulous taste of the number with 'Cookin' with Aunt Ethel!'~ ought to be a really big show and huge success. Bravo, Huntington Theatre Company, on putting on show of shows. Hope it travels to Broadway!" — Pia O., via Facebook
"Ms. Capathia Jenkins always knows how to 'Serve It.' Rock. On. Sister!" — Terrence C., via Facebook
"Still 'dancing to the music of the madness in me' and still amazed by @theebillyporter's production of The Colored Museum in Boston." — @devika_ranjan
"#TheColoredMuseum is a fitting call to action & fun, rousing theatre all at once. Go see it if you can, #PorterBacks!" — @PorterBacks

Features

  • A skewering of racial stereotypes in ‘Colored Museum’

    From The Boston Globe, March 5, 2015: “In a second-floor rehearsal room next door to the BU Theatre on Huntington Avenue, a group of African-American actors is satirizing an icon of African-American literature. And it’s hilarious.”

  • Billy Porter on taking off his 'Kinky Boots' to visit 'The Colored Museum'

    From Metro Boston, March 12, 2015: “It’s not every day that the Tony winning star of a Broadway smash hit decides to take a leave of absence and come visit Boston, but that’s just what Billy Porter, star of 'Kinky Boots,' decided to do. He’s directing 'The Colored Museum,' by George C. Wolfe, at the Huntington Theatre. Just what drew Porter across state lines to a frigid, snowy Boston winter?

    One simple answer: “This is the play that changed my life,” says Porter.”

  • Billy Porter, Capathia Jenkins discuss The Colored Museum

    From The Bay State Banner, March 4, 2015: “Written by playwright and two-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe in 1986 (Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk and Angels in America: Millennium Approaches), The Colored Museum redefines what it means to be black in contemporary America through 11 humorous and often times biting satirical ‘exhibits.’”

Artists

Prices & Seating


 Section
Performance Day AA A B C D
PEAK: Friday & Saturday evening;
Sunday matinee		 $115 $95 $79 $65 $25
OFF PEAK: Sunday - Thursday evening;
Saturday matinee		 $99 $85 $69 $55 $25
FIRST LOOK: First Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Tuesday evening; Wednesday matinee $89 $75 $59 $49 $25
PEAK: Friday & Saturday evening; Sunday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$115
A
$95
B
$79
C
$65
D
$25
OFF PEAK: Sunday - Thursday evening; Saturday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$99
A
$85
B
$69
C
$55
D
$25
FIRST LOOK: First Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Tuesday evening; Wednesday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$89
A
$75
B
$59
C
$49
D
$25

Ticket price includes a $4.00 Capital Enhancement Fee. Prices may vary and are subject to change at any time.

View Seating Chart  |  Get Directions

Discount Ticket Prices

  Prices
Active Military and Veterans and Immediate Families
 $20 with promo code MILITARY
Student (25 years and younger)
(No AA or Zone 1)		 $20
Section D / Zone 4 (Huntington Avenue Theatre);
Last Row (Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA)
Additional discounts may not be applied to section D or Zone 4 seats at the Huntington Avenue Theatre and last row seats at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.		 $25
35 Below (35 years and younger)
(No AA or Zone 1)
Learn more about our 35 Below program		 $30

Learn more about our Discount Ticket Programs


 Section
Performance Day AA A B C D
PEAK: Friday & Saturday evening;
Sunday matinee		 $115 $95 $79 $65 $25
OFF PEAK: Sunday - Thursday evening;
Saturday matinee		 $99 $85 $69 $55 $25
FIRST LOOK: First Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Tuesday evening; Wednesday matinee $89 $75 $59 $49 $25
PEAK: Friday & Saturday evening; Sunday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$115
A
$95
B
$79
C
$65
D
$25
OFF PEAK: Sunday - Thursday evening; Saturday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$99
A
$85
B
$69
C
$55
D
$25
FIRST LOOK: First Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Tuesday evening; Wednesday matinee
Section
Price
AA
$89
A
$75
B
$59
C
$49
D
$25

Ticket price includes a $4.00 Capital Enhancement Fee. Prices may vary and are subject to change at any time.

View Seating Chart  |  Get Directions

Discount Ticket Prices

  Prices
Active Military and Veterans and Immediate Families
 $20 with promo code MILITARY
Student (25 years and younger)
(No AA or Zone 1)		 $20
Section D / Zone 4 (Huntington Avenue Theatre);
Last Row (Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA)
Additional discounts may not be applied to section D or Zone 4 seats at the Huntington Avenue Theatre and last row seats at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.		 $25
35 Below (35 years and younger)
(No AA or Zone 1)
Learn more about our 35 Below program		 $30

Learn more about our Discount Ticket Programs

Seatmap

Avenue of the Arts / Huntington Avenue Theatre: 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115
South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA: 527 Tremont Street, Boston MA 02116
Main: 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115 | 617 266 7900 |
TICKETING SERVICES 617 266 0800

Best of Boston 2019

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