EXCLUSIVE: The Nat Geo network is pulling out all the stops for a March 11 world premiere of Genius: Aretha, the latest installment of its anthology series.
The event will be marked by a pre-show of performances, multi-city drive-in screenings, and a finale of Cynthia Erivo performing Aretha Franklin songs taped at the Greek Theater.
The event will include:
- Spoken Word by Suzan-Lori Parks, showrunner of Genius: Aretha;
- Performances by trumpeter Marquis Hillon from the stage of the Apollo Theater, Bill Moss Jr. presents the Detroit Youth All-Star Choir, c-Live & AfroPunk Artists;
- Performances by Genius: Aretha actresses Antonique Smith, Patrice Covington & Rebecca Naomi Jones;
- Appearances by Brian Grazer and Courtney B. Vance;
- The World Premiere screening of Genius: Aretha:
- An exclusive performance of Aretha classics by Cynthia Erivo taped at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
The series will stage its regular network premiere on March 21 on Nat Geo.
The multi-city drive-in screenings will be held at four drive-in locations, including at the Monroe Street Drive-In in Detroit, the Springs Drive-In in Atlanta, the Skyline Theater in New York, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. There will also be a virtual screening of the premiere.
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