MARION J. CAFFEY (Conceiver, Director, and Choreographer)

Born in Hempstead, Texas and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Marion is the son of two generations of proud Florida educators. In 1981, after studies at Florida A & M University and three years of service in the Army, Marion began his career as a song and dance man in New York City, eventually performing on Broadway and around the world. On November 13, 2006, Mr. Caffey became a part of American history by working as Creative Producer/Director of the Ceremonial Groundbreaking for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.


In 1996, he made a career choice to stop performing and dedicate his time and talent to conception, directing and writing. 3 Mo’ Divas (A Musical Celebration of Class, Sass & Style) is his latest and fifth successful commercial production; following Blackbirds of Broadway, Cookin’ at the Cookery, Street Corner Symphony and Three Mo’ Tenors. The theatrically staged concert opened to critical and audience acclaim in 2004 at San Diego Repertory Theatre. In 2006 it ran at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, NY and The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for over 128 performances and to 100% standing ovations and critical acclaim.


In 1997 he wrote, directed and choreographed the world premiere of the musical Cookin’ at the Cookery: The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter. Cookin’… has been produced in over 31 North American theaters. Cookin’… has garnered many awards and nominations including The Drama Desk, The Dora Mavor, NAACP, The Drama League and The New York Times Critics’ Choice as Best Musical of 2003. With the 1998 Broadway opening of Street Corner Symphony at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, he has now performed, written, directed and choreographed on / for the Broadway stage!


In August 2000, Mr. Caffey presented the first in his Mo’ Music franchise, the unprecedented Three Mo’ Tenors, to critical and audience acclaim in New York City. Three Mo’ Tenors is a concert celebration of the African-American tenor voice, crossing 8 musical forms and spanning 400 years of music in one evening. These forms include opera, Broadway, jazz, blues, soul, R&B, spiritual and gospel. Three Mo’ Tenors has appeared on CNN, UPN, NBC’s Today; at The Kennedy Center; on The Mark Twain Awards, and has recorded a cast album CD and DVD for RCA. The concert was awarded a Great Performances debut for PBS and was featured at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival and is now touring America.


He has also served as director and/or choreographer on Bowfire, Blackbirds of Broadway, Chicago, Forever Plaid, Jelly Roll: The Music and the Man, Little Shop of Horrors, Tintypes, The All Night Strut, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Purlie Victorious, Ruthless, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Spunk, The Colored Museum and 1940’s Radio Hour. Future projects include: Mo’ Music (Tenors & Divas Together), Yass! Yass! Yass! (A Fats Waller Musical) and Win Place or Showbiz.

JOSEPH JOUBERT (Music Supervisor / Arranger / Orchestrator) Currently Mr. Joubert is the pianist / associate conductor for Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple on Broadway and has credits for additional orchestrations. His Broadway and regional credits include serving as musical director (New York's Shakespeare Festival Gala), orchestrator (Caroline or Change), orchestrator, musical director and pianist (3 Mo' Divas world premiere), conductor/ arranger/pianist (Three Mo' Tenors PBS special, and CD on BMG), staff pianist (Porgy and Bess, Metropolitan Opera Company), assistant musical director (Five Guys Named Moe) and assistant conductor/pianist (Big River).

Joseph Joubert began playing the piano at the age of eight; he then studied with Dora Zaslavsky and finally graduated with a Masters Degree in Music from the Manhattan School of Music. He won the piano competition of the National Association of Negro Musicians, received Drama Desk Award nominations for Violet at Playwrights Horizons, and multiple Grammy Awards nominations for Best Classical Cross-Over Album and Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalists.

As a solo artist, Joubert has performed with the Manhattan Symphony, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, the New Philharmonia; the West Palm Beach, Mobile, Marin, Lancaster and Colonial Symphonies; and appeared in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. As Musical Director for Judy Collins, he performed with the London, Atlanta, Charleston, Chicago, Dallas, Dayton, Houston, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon Symphonies. International performances include the International Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy; the Pushkin Museum Of Arts in Moscow, Russia; and an appearance in Nice, France. In Kobe, Japan, he was Musical Director for Harlem Kids Symphony.

WILLETTE MURPHY KLAUSNER (Producer) has devoted the last six years to producing Three Mo' Tenors. Her earlier credits include: Kat and the Kings on Broadway (co-producer) and Twist, (produced at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia and at the George Street Playhouse). Other producing credits include: To Take Arms starring Hattie Winston and Sanaa Lathan and For You written and performed by Iona Morris. Co-producing credits include: The Man in Room 304 (Vineyard Theater, New York); Hurlyburly starring Sean Penn and Danny Aiello, and Fully Committed, both in Los Angeles.

Formerly Vice President of Marketing and Marketing Research at MCA Universal Studios, Ms. Klausner serves on the Board of Directors of the American Cinema Foundation, and has served on the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles Music Center and the Women in Film Foundation. She is a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women and the National Women’s Forum.

Ms. Klausner has been married to attorney Manuel S. Klausner for 38 years. They share a passion for food and wine and are co-founding members of the American Institute of Wine and Food.