How would you like to see Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Bob Marley all on the same stage? That’s easy if you live in London, England!

They’re about to be treated with the return of that spectacular Black history on stage show Black Heroes 2 (or Black Heroes In The Hall of Fame) at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Surrey, on Saturday & Sunday September 6th and 7th. This follows hot on the heels of its successful return to the London stage during last month’s Destination Brixton exposition.

The brainchild of former Voice Editor Flip Fraser in collaboration with Khareem Jamal (music), and JD Douglas (dialogue), Black Heroes 2, often described as a “live Madame Taussaud’s”, is an explosion of information, drama, music, song and dance.

It is a kaleidoscope of cultural expressions, designed to educate, stimulate, motivate and entertain audiences. It brings to life over 5,000 years of Black history and achievements, paying tribute to The Kings & Queens of Africa, The Freedom Fighters, The Great Achievers, The Great Entertainers as well as contemporary figures like Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Dr Martin Luther King and Marcus Garvey.

It fuses theatre, drama and music into a highly entertaining, never-boring Black history lesson that leaves you with a feeling of great pride and mental elevation. It brim with all the enthusiasm and gusto one would expect of any West End production, only it’s ours, about us and featuring us! And it’s a pride that goes back a long way…

In fact it’s been 16 years since the production was first staged in London at the Shaw Theatre in July 1987, before moving to the Astoria Theatre in the West End where it created history as the first British Black musical to play in the West End.

Since then it has gone on to become the most acclaimed Black production in British theatre, creating a whole new generation of theatre audience wherever it played both in the UK and abroad.

In the USA, in cities like Chicago, Washington DC and Detroit, the production has become a ‘must see’ event, and boasts the highest ‘returning audience ratio’ for any major theatrical production, with many patrons seeing the show on three or more occasions.

The outstanding achievements of Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame in the USA during successful tours in 1992 & 1994 have never been reported in the UK media, but in Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Miami, the production has been showered with numerous Honours & Awards, including the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award, Keys to the County of Dade (Florida) and a Proclamation Declaration from the Mayor of Washington DC establishing Feb 5 as “Black Heroes Day” for nation’s capital.

I myself even saw the production at the Ward Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica and was mesmerized by it’s awesome quality and presence! I can personally recommend it if you haven’t yet seen it and see it again even if you’ve already seen it as it’s like sweetie: its sticky!