‘Stick Fly’ play reportedly becoming an HBO movie

HBO has had much success turning such notable plays as “Wit,” “Dinner with Friends” and “Angels in America” into cable-movie events. Now the premium cable channel is reportedly setting its sight on another theatrical title, “Stick Fly.”

Lydia R. Diamond’s drama about a wealthy African American family staying on Martha’s Vineyard opened in 2009 at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles. The play eventually made its way to Broadway in 2011, with a roster of producers that included pop singer Alicia Keys.

Diamond will be adapting her play for the small screen, according to a Tuesday report in The Hollywood Reporter. The trade paper said that the hourlong drama will be executive produced by Diamond, Keys and Nelle Nugent.

“Stick Fly” ran at the Cort Theatre in New York with a cast that included Condola Rashad, Dulé Hill, Mekhi Phifer, Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Tracie Thoms. No casting for the HBO version has been announced.

Diamond may be hoping that “Stick Fly” will have an easier stage-to-screen journey that Lynn Nottage’s “Ruined.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama was in the works for an HBO adaptation, but the premium cable channel eventually withdrew form the project.

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Review: ‘Stick Fly’ at Matrix Theatre

HBO bows out of ‘Ruined’ screen adaptation

‘Stick Fly’ playwright has a feel for the nuances of race and class