A “heartbroken” Wayne Brady has withdrawn from the upcoming Off Broadway production of Ms. Blakk For President due to a vocal polyp and the need for vocal rest as ordered by his doctor, producers said today.
His role of Terence Alan Smith/Joan Jett Blakk will now be assumed by Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (Slave Play).
“I couldn’t have imagined when I began this journey with Ms. Blakk For President two years ago that I would have to step away before we finished it together,” Brady said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to vocal strain and a polyp on my vocal cords, I need to step away from the production immediately. I’ll be having a procedure very shortly, and I’m looking forward to healing and returning to the stage next year at 100%.
“I’m heartbroken to leave a show and a family that I love so deeply,” he continued. “Tina, Tarell, this incredible cast and creative team, and everyone at Vineyard Theatre have given me so much love, grace and support. It has been an honor to help tell this beautiful, joyful, defiant story of Black Queerness, and I’m deeply saddened that I won’t be able to continue telling it alongside this extraordinary company. I believe in this show, I love these people, and I’ll be cheering them on with my whole heart.”
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The play, set to be the first Vineyard Theatre production of the 2026-2027 season, is co-written by Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, Choir Boy) and Tony Award nominee Tina Landau (Floyd Collins). Landau also directs.
Performances will now begin a five-week engagement on October 22 at the Vineyard, with an opening night on November 8. The play had previously been scheduled to begin October 15.
“We are deeply grateful to Wayne for the extraordinary generosity, artistry, and commitment he has brought to Ms. Blakk For President,” said Vineyard Artistic Director Sarah Stern in a statement. “We are sending him love and wishing him a very speedy recovery. We are equally thrilled to welcome Ato Blankson-Wood into the role of Terence Alan Smith/Joan Jett Blakk. Ato is an extraordinary artist who brings remarkable range, intelligence, imagination, and presence to his work—from his unforgettable performances in Broadway’s Cabaret and Slave Play to his Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park. Ato is also an artist-in-residence at the Vineyard this season, which makes having him join this incredible cast and creative team particularly meaningful. We are so fortunate to have an actor of his caliber in this role, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience his performance.”
In addition to Blankson-Wood, the cast includes Nic Ashe (Queen Sugar), Tony Award nominee Gideon Glick (To Kill a Mockingbird), Kelvin Moon Loh (Beetlejuice), Sawyer Smith (The Devil Wears Prada) and Adina Verson (Indecent, Liberation).
The synopsis: “Introducing Joan Jett Blakk – the first (and only) Black Drag Queen Candidate for President of the United States of America. It’s the early 90s, the height of the AIDS epidemic, and Joan and the newly formed Queer Nation Chicago set off on an exhilarating and dangerous journey to drag queer politics out of the closet—and onto the floor of the DNC. Inspired—but not bound—by the true story of drag performer and activist Terence Alan Smith, Ms. Blakk For President is a joyous stampede through urgent and unfinished business.”
