New version of 'Seagull' to nest on B'way

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- "Drowning Crow," an all-black, updated version of Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull," is set to open on Broadway Thursday.

"The play itself is so loaded and full of the human condition," star Alfre Woodard told reporters in New York recently when asked what drew her to the project.

"There's pathos, struggle and longing," she added. "I also get to be bad. Nobody is pulling for me. That's the fun part."

Said Marion McClinton, the play's African-American director: "This is not your usual Broadway fare, and that's what makes it exciting to do. I commend the theater for having the guts to put it on Broadway."

Written by African-American actress/playwright Regina Taylor, "Drowning Crow" is a production of the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Taylor is working on the book to the musical version of "The Color Purple," which is expected to open on Broadway next year.