Tony Winner Tonya Pinkins Mysteriously Exits Mother Courage and Her Children Off-Broadway

Tony winner Tonya Pinkins is set to quit Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children off-Broadway after the January 5, 2016 performance. No reason was given for the departure; the Classic Stage Company production had been set to officially open on January 7. CSC has now postponed the opening with replacement casting to be announced later. Directed by Brian Kulick and featuring original music by Tony winner Duncan Sheik, the show is scheduled to play a limited engagement through January 24.

Pinkins won the Tony for her performance in Jelly’s Last Jam. According to The New York Times, the actress penned a statement revealing why she was departing the show, but her lawyer advised her not to share it.

The indomitable Mother Courage (Pinkins) follows one luckless army after another across a war-torn world in her canteen wagon. She’ll do anything to hold onto her money-making wagon, even if it means the loss of her children, in this timeless tale of war and big business updated to the modern-day conflagration in the Congo.

The cast also includes Joshua Boone, Curtiss Cook Jr., Kevin Mambo, Jacob Ming-Trent, Geoffrey Owens, Michael Potts, Deandre Sevon, Mirirai Sithole and Zenzi Williams.