John was thrilled to join the cast of Yemandja, a new musical co-conceived and starring the Beninese global pop legend Angelique Kidjo. Three years in development, with music co-created by Angelique and her husband Jean Hebrail, and book and lyrics by their daughter Naima Hebrail Kidjo, it tells a story of unity and healing through the troubled history of the West African slave trade in the 1800s. Developed with and directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, choreography by Beatrice Capote, costumes by Mary Jane Marcasiano, and music directed by John Samorian. Produced by The Office performing arts and film. John played the principal role of Mr. DeSalta, a Portuguese slave trader (based upon an actual historical figure, who was the subject of Bruce Chatwin's debut novel, The Viceroy Of Ouidah). Yemandja had its triumphant world premiere at MassMOCA Mar 4-5, and performances at The Broad Theater in Santa Monica, CA (Apr 14-16), Cal Performances in Berkeley, CA (Apr 21), The Kennedy Center in DC (May 6-7), and finally Amsterdam, The Netherlands (June 14-18). John has been a fan of Angelique Kidjo since seeing her first US performance in NYC back in 1992.