To James Earl Jones Memorial, Denzel Washington and Whoopi Goldberg share stories

Denzel Washington called him his “North Star”. Whoopi Goldberg said “seeing him on stage was paradise”. Some of the most important names in the show sector gathered in Times Square on Monday afternoon for a starry mandate, and sometimes emotional, for James Earl Jones, who died last year at the age of 93. He was remembered for his thunderous voice and his enviable acting ribs, as well as to be a delicate presence of the life of young actors.

For more than 90 minutes, at the Broadway Theater which now bears its name on the West 48th Street in Manhattan, a full house has laughed, she cried and shared numerous personal stories that not only have painted a light picture of Jones, but launched him as an important figure who inspired the actors to reach their best personal.

In a short speech, Denzel Washington described Jones such as grace, power and personified dignity. Washington, who is currently the protagonist in a “Otello” Broadway revival, a role that Jones had made Broadway More than six decades agoHe said he hoped to be a good theatrical actor like Jones. “It was powerful, it was present, it was intentional, it was humble,” Washington said. “It is not only the largest African American actor; in my opinion it is one of the greatest actors who have ever been on a Broadway phase.”

Actress Linda Powell recalled with Jones in a Broadway revival of “On Golden Pond”, open 20 years ago this week. He said Jones had pushed to be launched in the role of his daughter. “It was one of the best jobs in my life, one of the best experiences of my life and his faith in me was a gift,” he said.

Phylician Rashad remembered that he saw Jones perform when he was a young adult, and later he performed as a great mother for his great dad in the 2008 Broadway revival of “Cat on a hot tin roof”.

Frankie Faison, Candice Bergen, Glynn Turman and Kelsey Grammer also participated and shared similar stories of generosity of Jones, while Laurence Fishburne and Mark Hamill have delivered short video messages.

Whoopi Goldberg, who worked with Jones in the film “The Lion King”, said he had never offered a “bad” performance. “When you think of Broadway,” he added, “when you think about color people, when you think of black men who do extraordinary things, you think of him.”

There were also reminiscences from some of the people who were closest to Jones, including his two of his first cousins, Terry Connolly and Tracy Connley Johnson. Jones, they said, had presented them to poetry, black literature and even helped them build houses for other family members.

Jones’ son, Flynn Earl Jones, 42, who held his observations at the end of the relatively short memorial, had more to say during an interview that afternoon. He described his father as “frustratingly humble”, adding that fighting with his modesty was difficult. “People think of him as a king, a president, the leader of a criminal organization, an ancient dictator of the Atlantic witch, a father from all over the world,” said Flynn. “He was just one of the simplest, most humble, smarter and curious guys. “

Jones, whose illustrious career has crossed television, the film and the stage, died in September. His way to success and fame were far from fluid. His parents abandoned him at a young age and was raised by his grandparents on a farm in Dublin, in Mich. As a child, he stammered so much that he stopped talking about everything, lost years of insulation because of his silence. He later learned to control his impediment of language with the help of an English teacher who encouraged him to write and recite poetry. Jones said that being able to manage his stuttering led to his acting career.

Jones has become a fixed appointment at Broadway during his career, leaving his mark in classics, experimental theater and shows of contemporary writers. He worked for the first time in Broadway in 1957, as a substitute in a short -lived comedy called “The Egghead” and the following year he obtained a role in “Sunrise at Campobello”, who worked for 16 months in the same theater of the commemorative service on Monday. (James Earl Jones Theater, previously known as Cort Theater, was Renamed in honor of Jones in 2022 After the black artists pressed a greater recognition after the death of George Floyd in police custody two years earlier.)

Overall, it appeared in 21 Broadway productions and won two competitive Tony Awards for the best actor: in 1969 for “The Great White Hope” and in 1987 for having originated the role of Troy Maxson in “Fences” by August Wilson. He also won a special Tony to achieve life in 2017.

Jones was a regular presence in the world of theater that not only drew the public, but also raised with a generation of younger black actors who enjoyed seeing male actors of color in main roles. Among these was Courtney B. Vance, who played the son of Jones’ character in “Fences” in Broadway in 1987. Monday, Vance recited the lines of that August Wilson sounds in an emotional tribute that drew applause.

Before the memorial – while the guests crowded in the theater hall, exchanging greetings and hugs – Vance recalled how Jones and the cast of “Fences” had dealt with him and were patient with him “until I got up”.

“I did not literally know Upstage from Downstage,” he said, adding, “I really have to all a debt to teach me the strings of how this thing calls” The Business “.

Vance remained a friend of Jones and the last time he saw him at his house in the state of New York during the pandemic, when Jones joked about the fact that his family had kept him in a bubble and that he thought he would live to be 100 years old. “We just chuckled and said,” Yes, you will do it, “” said Vance.