''I Know I've Been Changed'' was the first successful play from playwright

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...

. The play focuses on issues including

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

and

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

and how they can be overcome by a strong belief in

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. Soul musician Ryan Shaw got his start performing in this play in 1998. The play received its first staging in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

in 1992. The play toured from 1998 to 2000.Play synopsis on Tyler Perry website
/ref> Grammy award winning vocalist Ann Nesby of the musical and instrumental group Sounds of Blackness played a supporting role in this play/production. Saycon Sengbloh would later become the first Black stand-by and then principle lead for the role of Elphaba in the Broadway musical WICKED.

Plot

This hard-hitting play used comedy and drama to tell a story of two adult survivors of child abuse who became the people that their abusive mother said they would be. It is also the story of how they overcame, by the power of God, with a shocking twist at the end. Mary, the lead character, married and had two children before she had the opportunity to become an adult herself. Emotionally and spiritually irresponsible, she sought the succor of drugs to alleviate the pressure of rearing her children. This drug abuse manifests itself in verbal, emotional and physical abuse toward her children. She is unable to see the beauty of her own children, and, while addicted to drugs, is unable to alter the destructive path she has embarked upon. Compounding an already dysfunctional family situation, the husband is abusive to his wife and children as well, molesting his older son, which results in a dramatic plot twist later in the play. Fanny, is a mother divorcing her husband after becoming a famous singer. In a bold move to pursue her dreams she had to leave her daughter Ellen, to be raised by her husband, Joe.

1998/1999 Cast

as Joe * Shirley Marie Graham as Mary **Sheila Stroud (1998) * Ann Nesby as Fanny * LaShun Pace as Sister Lewis * Jamecia Bennett as Ellen **Saycon Sengbloh (1998) * Chandra Currelly as Millie ** Latrice Pace ** Bernadette Grant * Ryan Shaw as Sam **Darnell Harris (1998) * Carl Pertile as Mitch * Jasmine Ross as Lequita **Sylvia Cannon * Quan Howell as Reverend

Shows

The Band:

* Elvin Ross - Musical Director/Keybaords * John Forbes - Keyboards * Mike Frazier - Bass * Marcus Green - Drums

Musical Numbers

''All songs written and/or arranged by

and Elvin D. Ross.'' * "Overture" - Band * "I Know I've Been Changed" - Mary * "Just Because God Said It" or "Don't Be Discouraged" - Sister Lewis * "More Than Just a Sin" - Ellen * "I Should Have Been There" - Mary * "If I Knew What To Do" - Mitch * "I'm Still Wearing Your Name" - Fanny * "Gotta Move Blues" - Joe * "Old Time Mix" - Millie, Mary, Ellen * "She's Gonna Live" - Ellen and Johnny "He Will Take Away All Your Pain / I Know I've Been Changed" (Reprise) - Company

Trivia

*This is the debut play of

. *In this play, Tyler Perry portrays Joe, a character still being portrayed by Perry in his movies (as the brother of fan-favorite character,

Madea Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. She is portrayed as a tough, street-smart elderly African-American woman. Madea is based on Perry's mother and his aunt. In Perry's own words, Madea is "exactly ...

). *While existing as one of Perry's first plays, it is one of the very least few that is not available on DVD. **The show was later supposed to be taped in 2002, and then in 2003. The plans wouldn't follow through for unknown reasons. *"More Than Just A Sin" would later be included as part of the filmed version of " Why Did I Get Married? in 2005. *This arrangement of the "Old Time Mix" would later be reused in 2002's " Madea's Family Reunion. *Chandra Currelly, Ms. Millie in the show, subs in for the voice of Sister Lewis on the play's soundtrack recording, performing the show original "Don't Be Discouraged" in place of LaShun's "Just Because God Said It."

References

External links

Program: Tyler Perry's I Know I've Been Changed - UNT Digital Library
{{Authority control Plays by Tyler Perry African-American plays 1992 plays Fiction about rape