Maya Angelou's Life Story Is Being Adapted into a Solo Show for Broadway

The life story and written works of the late author and poet Maya Angelou are being made into a one-woman stage play, Deadline reports. David Michael Rich of Corstoria, LLC and J. Todd Harris of Branded Pictures Entertainment are developing the piece, to be titled Phenomenal Woman: An Evening With Maya Angelou. Produced with the support of Angelou's son, Guy Johnson, the play is aiming to arrive on Broadway in 2021.

"My mother lived an extraordinary life," said Johnson. "She brought a sense of passion to living and invested herself wholly in it. What she wanted most was justice for all human beings, and the freedom to experience joy and laughter. We hope to capture her joie de vivre. We're going to include some private anecdotes that will be a revelation to audiences. I'm pleased to be working with this team in bringing her story to life and can't wait for the public to experience it."

Angelou, who wrote the 1969 classic book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. As an actress, she appeared in Jerome Kilty's Broadway play Look Away, an adaptation of Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters, earning Angelou a 1973 Tony nomination for her performance as Elizabeth Keckley.