Luke Forbes, Denise Hunt lead cast of ‘McBee’

New York:

Luke Forbes, star of Amazon Prime’s popular comedy series, Harlem, and Denise Hunt, best known for her scene-stealing role in the film, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, will head the cast of the American première presentation of the late Alwin Bully’s Caribbean drama, McBee, on June 23 at The Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens.

A one-night-only staged reading in tribute to Dominica-born Bully, the play also forms part of the celebration of New York’s Caribbean American Heritage Month festivities. Broadway World Award winner David Heron is producer and director of the project.

Set on an unnamed Caribbean island in the recent past, McBee follows the story of respected husband-and-wife politicians, Allan and Alice McBee. On his way home on general election night, following his party’s victory at the polls, McBee encounters three mysterious Rastafarians who share with him a stunning prophecy – he is destined to become prime minister of the island.

When he shares the news with his ambitious spouse, she immediately begins to envision a future for them far beyond McBee’s wildest dreams, and starts to forge the bloody plan to make it all a reality. But in a world where nothing is quite what it seems, the choices that the McBees make may come at a price far too high to pay.

Forbes and Hunt will play the roles of Allan and Alice McBee.

Forbes, who has Jamaican roots, has appeared in television series such as Crown Heights, Chicago P.D., S.W.A.T. and the Emmy Award winning, This Is Us. He also appeared opposite Channing Tatum in the hit feature, Dog. He made his Broadway début in Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice,

Forbes has also appeared in The Winter’s Tale; Marley- The Musical, and T he Whipping Man.

Jamaica-born Hunt is an actress, model and television host who appeared opposite Academy Award nominee, Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. She was also the original host of Digicel Rising Stars, and hosted TVJ’s Entertainment Report for several years before migrating to the United States.

Her stage credits include popular Jamaican theatrical productions such as Against His Will and Dirty Diana. She has also toured regionally in the USA in the Broadway comedy Cheaters and throughout the United Kingdom in Heron’s comedy drama, Love and Marriage and New York City.

Heron has had long professional relationships with both performers and is delighted to be working with them again.

“Luke and I met as actors in Kwame Kwei Armah’s Marley-The Musical at Baltimore Centerstage several years ago. Denise and I go back over 20 years since she appeared in my play, Against His Will, and we toured together afterwards.”

In a remarkable full circle moment, upon contacting Hunt regarding the role of Alice McBee, Heron learnt that she had in fact played Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth in a high school production in Kingston.