Tupac Shakur stage production to open in Chicago in January

A new biographical stage production about the late rapper Tupac Shakur is expected to premiere in January at the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago. The show, written by Lyle Miller, is titled “Amaru (The History of Tupac Amaru Shakur).”

A spokeswoman for the theater company said the show is still in the works and that casting hasn’t been announced. She said the production will most likely be a play with sequences featuring Shakur’s music.

Miller is a member of the Black Ensemble Theater who has appeared in a number of its productions. The company has mounted several musically themed stage biographies, including its current production of “The Marvin Gaye Story.”

News of the Shakur production was first reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996. His death at the age of 25 helped to elevate his status as one of the world’s top rap artists.

A planned biopic of Shakur has been in the works for many years, but has been delayed by legal matters.

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