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12 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 16-22, 2022 FAYETTEVILLE More About Josephine Tymisha Harris is back as Baker in 'Josie & Grace' APRIL WALLACE NWA Democrat-Gazette I f someone says the name Josephine Baker, what springs to mind? The famous singer of the jazz age? The spy in World War II, celebrated for her part in aiding the French Resistance? Most people probably don't know much more than that, artistic director Michael Marinaccio and actress Tymisha Harris agree. That's a big part of the reason they created "Josie & Grace," a production that explores the life of Josephine Baker and her friendship with Grace Kelly. "It's a musical, it's history, and it'll make you laugh and cry, these incredible performances by remarkable women," Marinaccio says. "Josie & Grace" was originally scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the University of Arkansas campus, but due to covid-19 surges is being rescheduled for a later date in March. Marinaccio started directing and producing in 1997 as a way to create the roles he wanted to play himself. Once he started working with Harris in 2015, he says he wanted to give her a starring role, something that would highlight her talents. Harris stars as Josephine in the musical. "Her life was so remarkable and extraordinary at the time that she became famous," she says. "It's a chunk of history that wasn't talked about." Harris was a singer and dancer first. Acting on stage came later, after puppetry, circus performance and a couple of movie roles. Marinaccio's first thought was to cast her as Tina Turner, until a friend mentioned Josephine Baker. Marinaccio found Baker's story compelling to craft for the stage because "she did so much throughout her life … it was groundbreaking in so many ways but wasn't acknowledged, didn't get the respect it deserved." Baker was born in St. Louis but rose to fame as an entertainer mostly in Europe. She married French industrialist Jean Lion and renounced her American citizenship in the mid-1930s. Her status as a performer at nightclubs gave her an unassuming excuse to travel the country and be privy to crucial conversations among German soldiers. She collected information on airfields and troop concentrations for French military intelligence and housed people helping the Free French effort, according to "Jazz Age Cleopatra." "She was a huge star who (became) a World War II hero, the wealthiest Black woman in the world, and the most famous woman in France," Marinaccio says. "It's incredible that people haven't heard all this." When Baker returned to the U.S. in 1951, she refused to perform at segregated venues and, though she wasn't an official leader of the movement, she gave civil rights speeches. That year, she was denied service at the Stork Club in New York City and once she spoke out against the New York elite, Marinaccio says, her visa was not reinstated for more than 10 years. In November 2021, Baker became the first Black woman granted a tomb at the Pantheon, France's monument to its heroes. Marinaccio and Harris' collaboration first started with the creation of the play "Josephine," a one woman off-Broadway show, which was part cabaret and part dance to tell Baker's story. For Harris, "Josephine" came along at just the right moment. See Josie & Grace Page 38 Tymisha Harris (left) returns to the role of Josephine Baker in "Josie & Grace," a look at Baker's friendship with Grace Kelly. The show was originally scheduled to stop Jan. 20 at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville, but due to covid-19 concerns, it will be moved to a March date. (Courtesy Photo/Swamp Witch Photography) FAQ Josie & Grace WHEN — Originally scheduled for Jan. 20, it will be rescheduled for March WHERE — Faulkner Performing Arts Center, 453 N. Garland Ave. in Fayetteville COST — $20 INFO — 575-5387, faulkner.uark. edu