Mary J. Blige Off-Broadway — The Exonerated (2004)

Mary J. Blige Off-Broadway — The Exonerated (2004)

Production: The Exonerated  |  Venue: Off-Broadway, New York  |  Year: 2004  |  Role: Sunny Jacobs

Can I tell you something? When I found out that Mary J. Blige did Off-Broadway theater I was not surprised. Because that is exactly the kind of woman she is. She does not take the easy path. She takes the path that stretches her. And in 2004 that path led her to a stage in New York City to play one of the most powerful roles in American theater at the time.

What Is The Exonerated?

The Exonerated is a play based on the real-life stories of six people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes and sentenced to death row before eventually being exonerated. The play weaves together their actual words and testimonies into a devastating and powerful piece of theater. It premiered Off-Broadway in 2002 and won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play.

The celebrity cast rotated throughout the run and included names like Susan Sarandon, Brian Dennehy, Mia Farrow, and Ossie Davis. The fact that Mary was invited to be part of that company tells you everything about how seriously the creative team took her as a performer.

Mary Plays Sunny Jacobs

Mary played Sunny Jacobs — a real woman who spent 17 years on death row for a murder she did not commit before being exonerated in 1992. Sunny's story is one of the most harrowing in the play. She was present when her common-law husband was executed. She survived in conditions that would have broken most people. And she came out the other side with her humanity intact.

Playing a real living person, someone who actually endured that level of suffering, is one of the most demanding things an actress can do. You owe that person truth. You owe them dignity. Mary delivered both.

Why This Was the Turning Point

I believe The Exonerated is the role that made everything else possible. It proved to the acting world that Mary J. Blige was not just a music star dabbling in performance. She was a serious actress who could hold a stage, carry real dramatic weight, and honor the story of a real human being who had been through unimaginable things. Without this role I do not think Mudbound happens the way it did. This is the foundation.

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