Still More Theater Saturday - Beverly Johnson: In Vogue

We were given complimentary tickets to Beverly Johnson: In Vogue for review purposes, Any and all opinions expressed here are our own 

What: Beverly Johnson: In Vogue

Where: 59E59 Theatres

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 13 and Up

When: Through February 4, 2024

Beverly Johnson has been many things including an actress, a singer, and a businesswoman, but she is best known for her modeling career. She is probably most well-known for being the first Black model to appear on the cover of Vogue US, an honor she received several times. She was also the only Black woman among the first wave of supermodels who were at that time mostly blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Now, she is sharing her life story in a solo show eight times a week at 59E59Theatres through early February.

The show is a really heartfelt soul-baring performance. Johnson is extremely candid about both her career and personal life. She shares the highs of her life and career including that Vogue cover, the birth of her daughter, and more. She shares the lows too including facing racism, being forced to diet excessively to remain model-thin, and a troubled marriage to a mobster as well as the loss of custody of her daughter. She even shares her degrading experience as one of Bill Cosby's many victims. 

She has dealt with all that and more in her life and come through it with courage, fortitude, and a healthy appreciation for having survived it all and gotten to where she is today. She is clearly a trailblazer but, she doesn't let that go to her head. She has a worthy admiration and respect for the Black women trailblazers who came before her and led the way as well as the Black women trailblazers who came after her and continued the trajectory. Whether she sees herself as a role model or not, she definitely is one in many ways not just for Black girls or for aspiring models but for any girl. In fact, the lessons she teaches about perseverance and standing up for one's self are something anyone could learn from.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop. 

Photo credits: 

All Beverly Johnson: In Vogue production photos by Richard Termine.

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.