We’re Here for the All-Black Cast Live Reading of FRIENDS

Dara Gholston

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screen sho of all black live reading friends

They were on a break… and then they came back!

Zoom Where It Happens presented the second installment of an all-black cast live reading “remake” Tuesday night, based on another one of America’s favorite television sitcoms, Friends.

The all-black cast included Ryan Michelle Bathe as Rachel, Sterling K. Brown as Ross, three-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba as Phoebe, Aisha Hinds as Monica, Kendrick Sampson as Joey and Jeremy Pope as Chandler.

Host, narrator, and Friends guest star Gabrielle Union kicked off the event by thanking Warner Bros. Television and Universal Music Group. The live remake brought together the all-star cast with the intention of raising awareness about the act of voting and having a plan. In fact, viewers couldn’t even access the Zoom without answering a few important questions. Have you completed your Census?  Are you registered to vote, and do you have a plan? 

RELATED: NerdsVote Is Your Go-to for All Your Voter Registration Needs

After these vital questions were answered, viewers had access to watch a 20-minute live reading of the episode “The One Where No One’s Ready,” which is ironic considering Hinds pointing out later that everyone is more than ready to vote. Could she be any more right!?

register to vote at when we all vote

The incomparable Cynthia Erivo sang the song people sing no matter where they are or what they’re doing, The Rembrandts’ iconic song “I’ll Be There For You.” In the words of Sampson, “you better sang.”

Like the accomplished actors they are, the cast continued the dialogue in the midst of inevitable pandemic virtual hijinks when an accidental mute happened and a delayed re-entry to a scene caused a line to be repeated. My, how I’ve missed live shows! The rest of the live reading consisted of a Jordan Peele / Get Out reference, an Essence magazine being taken to the bathroom, an obsession over a mysterious message left on the answering machine, arguing that led to a hummus stain, commando lunges and the drinking of fat.

Once the episode was done, the actors briefly talked about what each of their plans are for voting. Bathe will be volunteering at a polling location, Aduba will be waiting in line on Election Day and Sampson revealed he will be marching to the polls.

If you haven’t started thinking of your plan yet, you can head to https://www.whenweallvote.org/ to get help with making one.

 

 

Dara Gholston
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