Those fortunate enough to realize that our city's cultural offerings reach beyond the boundaries of Downtown were seen making their way into the Grey Box Theatre in Lawrenceville on Thursday, where The New Horizon Theater was raising the curtain on the opening night performance of "Hi-Hat Hattie."

A musical biography starring Seattle-ite Shaunyce Omar, the story highlights the life of Hattie McDaniel, who blazed the trail as the first African-American woman to sing on the radio in America, the first to win an Academy Award for her portrayal as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind," to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one for radio, one for film), and appear in over 300 films during her career.

Backstage, a VIP reception hosted by Jackie Dixon brought together the likes of Dr. Joyce Meggerson-Moore, Marilyn Caye, musical director Henry L. Biggs, and director Eileen Morris, on loan from her duties as artistic director of the Ensemble Theatre in Houston.

"The beauty of this is that we're dealing with an African-American woman who broke the barrier," Morris said. "It tells a historic story, but is still important to who we are as African-Americans."

The play runs through Feb. 19.

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