THEATRE + COMEDY

I'm Ready Productions and the Hobby Center present Je'Caryous Johnson's Marriage Material.  Running Tuesday-Sunday, November 2-7, in Hobby Center - Sarofim Hall.

Marriage Material was inspired by the popularity of character "Koren" the feisty lawyer in "Je'Caryous Johnson's Cheaper to Keep Her" stage play, now touring. Marriage Material is the comedic remedy to solve the age-old predicament of wondering whether "Mr. or Ms. Right" is really the perfect mate.

Esteemed lawyer Koren Lyles has been known to slay hearts, but what happens when each of her past romantic casualties, end up at a premarital weekend retreat all together? It's a date with disaster!

Koren has it all and unfortunately far more than she bargained for. Life was good, she was up for partner, and her loving boyfriend, Joey Harris, proposes marriage. Then her life changes when her old flame, Cameron, who is also her boss, professes he wants to leave his wife for her. Not knowing how to deal with him, she let Joey persuade her into going to a couples' retreat to see if they are ready for marriage.

Everything comes tumbling down when her ex fiance', Michael, and her best friend, Jackie, are there too... Engaged! The retreat gets heated when she is forced to deal with her past, Cameron coming to claim her, and skeletons that come out of the closet between her and Joey. The weekend turns into a whirlwind as emotions erupt, perceived friendships become fake, secrets are shouted, and old love goes to war with new love!

There is only one person who can deal with these issues, he has a black belt in Karate, a PhD in romance, and he's an ordained minister - introducing Bishop Luther Lance Love Jones. Bishop Jones is known for his words of wisdom and his advice for sexual healing. He has a technique that checks attitudes at the door, breaks you down to build your relationships back up better than before.

When his own marital woes start to interfere with the retreat and tears down his own life, the weekend falls completely apart. Couples are forced to examine the strength of their love and ability to survive the "happily ever after," and if anybody at all is Marriage Material?

Co-written and directed by Je'Caryous Johnson, Marriage Material is a romantic comedy stage play and will star:

• Allen Payne (TV sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne)
• Tank (R&B platinum recording artist)
• Jill Marie Jones (TV sitcom Girlfriends)
• T-Boz (R&B Grammy Award-winning girl group (TLC)
• Michael Colyar (actor/comedian)
• Patrice Lovely (UniverSoul Circus)

In Marriage Material, when couples are deciding whether they should or should not get married, there is only one retreat and two people who can deal with any issue. Armed with the Word of God, a black belt in karate and a PhD in romance, Bishop Love Jones (Michael Colyar) and his wife Beulah Mae-Bullet (Patrice Lovely) have a technique that checks attitudes at the door, and breaks you down to build your relationships back up better than before.

Lawyer Koren Lyles (Jill Marie Jones) has been known to slay hearts. When her loving boyfriend Joey Harris (Allen Payne) proposes marriage and persuades her to go to Bishop and Beulah's pre-marital retreat to see if they are Marriage Material, she never expected to run into her best friend Shauna (T-Boz) there, engaged to Michael (Tank), the one man that slayed Koren's heart. The weekend turns into a whirlwind as emotions erupt, perceived friendships become tested, secrets are shouted, and old love goes to war with new love! Will they make it through this retreat or will they discover that marriage may never materialize for them?

"Being in love is something we all want, men and women. We see it in movies, TV shows, and read about it in books," shared I'm Ready Productions Executive Producer and CEO Je'Caryous Johnson. "Marriage Material is based on real-life experiences and is rooted in the biblical principles of being equally yoked and dwelling in understanding of our loved one, treating her or him as you would like to be treated, and having love and respect for one another. In these days of high divorce rates, Marriage Material encourages some old-fashioned wisdom such as never stop dating your spouse and have fun in your relationship. We're looking forward to the tour and hope everyone is blessed by the play."