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The cast of Sing Sing will perform an off-Broadway rendition of the play Breaking the Mummy’s Code, a time-traveling musical comedy originally staged at Sing Sing correctional facility in 2005 and reenacted in the A24 film.
Hosted by Succession’s J. Smith-Cameron, the production will take place Feb. 3 at the New York Theatre Workshop. Attendees of the closed event will include cast and crew members, along with New York’s creative community members, Variety reports. The play revival will star original Sing Sing cast members and special guests including Clarence Maclin, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, John “Divine G” Whitfield, Dario Peña, James “Big E” Williams, David “Dap” Giraudy, Miguel Valentin, Cornell “Nate” Alston, Camillo “Carmine” Lovacco, Mosi Eagle, Pedro Cotto, Patrick “Preme” Griffin, and Cecily Lyn.
Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code served as the centerpiece of the A24 film. Sing Sing follows an incarcerated theater troupe of members from the Rehabilitation for the Arts (RTA) program, as they rehearse lines in the dining hall, run through acting drills, and attend dress rehearsals for their next production. The production, Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code, that featured an Egyptian prince, Western outlaws, deep sea pirates, and Hamlet, received rapturous applause by the film’s end. Maclin, who is an RTA founding member and stars in the film, spoke to Rolling Stone in August about the art program’s ability to transform lives. The recidivism rate for RTA alums is less than three percent. Although the film also stars Colman Domingo, more than 85 percent of the cast were formerly incarcerated at Sing Sing.
“It seemed like prison was on the other side of the door,” Maclin, 58, said about performing in RTA plays. “In here, we’re free. We’re free to express ourselves, we’re free to communicate. I can get in front of my brothers and cry right now and nobody will judge me.”
Since the film’s release last summer, Sing Sing has since garnered a Golden Globe for Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture Drama and five Critics Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Male Actor, and Best Male Actor.
