Orlando actress brings to life the first international black superstar, World War II spy

ORLANDO, Florida. – The woman who inspired musical legends like Beyoncé and Billie Holiday, spied against the Nazis during World War II, adopted 12 children, and became the first black actress to star in a movie, comes to Orlando.

Timisha Harris will bring Josephine Baker to life at the Renaissance Theater this March. Billed as a burlesque, cabaret, dream performance and biographical musical, Josephine was created in 2015 as a tribute to the woman who paved the way for Beyoncé, Ellas, Tinas and Billy in the industry.

Harris, who came up with the part, wrote a 90-minute show with Michael Marinaccio and Todd Kimbrough, which brought the local actress from the ensemble to the fore.

Timisha Harris will play Josephine Baker at the Renaissance Theatre. (Roberto Gonzalez)

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“It was perfect, especially in our political climate at the time, (which) could really use some emphasis on a powerful woman of color,” Harris said, choosing Baker as the subject of his production in 2015. “Once we started doing research, it just became this whirlwind of stuff, life, you know, she lived 10 lives. And so it was really perfect for us to bring her on stage and make her front and center for people.”

Although the production has been in production for many years—off-Broadway, internationally, and locally—the version coming to Wren is even more special, featuring new information unearthed by government officials about Baker’s work as a spy for French resistance.

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“There’s been so much information from the French government about her that it’s just like, ‘We have more. I feel like I’m constantly learning about her,” Harris said.

Her Josephine Baker education began early at 17, when she was introduced to the first international black superstar through HBO’s The Josephine Baker Story starring Lynn Whitfield at home and a tiny paragraph in the Encyclopædia Britannica at school.

What she saw in the activist superstar spy extraordinaire set off her own creative path for a lifetime.

“(It) influenced me enough to start a career that was completely my own. I knew Josephine had said yes to many things to keep her career going, and to a number of people to keep her interests, and to a number of situations to keep her life going. I knew she was a black woman. I knew she did it all herself and I thought I could do it too,” Harris said.

Timisha Harris, who had a hand in creating the play in 2015, brings Josephine Baker to life on the stage of the Renaissance Theatre. (Lindsey Taylor)

As a true renaissance woman and adventurer, Baker was a muse to many. Baker not only introduced African themes and dance styles to a white audience in Paris and starred in several major films throughout the 30s, but she also passed on Nazi secrets as a spy for the French Resistance, opposed US home segregation, and adopted 12 children whom she called her “rainbow tribe”.

“She paved her way in acting, singing, dancing… She was a unifier. She was a mistress. Maybe a fighter,” Harris said. “She was born at a time that was not always good for black people in America. And she was determined to fill in the gaps to get people talking about it.”

She said she was honored to express herself through such an icon and bring it to life on the Wren Stage for people who may not be familiar with Baker’s story.

Timisha Harris created Josephine with Michael Marinaccio and Todd Kimbrough in 2015. (Eleanor Briscoe)

“I could see (this show) at Ren because of the way they can manipulate the space and the way they support their local artists,” Harris said.

Theater co-founder Donald Roop added that the company is “very proud to bring this work to our stage.”

“At the Renaissance Theater Company, we protect original works created by local artists,” Rupe said in a statement. “Josephine is written, directed and performed by some of Orlando’s most talented artists and she tells a beautiful story about one of the most iconic performers in history.”

For more information, visit the show’s website. To buy tickets for Ren’s performance, click here.

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