Allen Payne, Eva Marcille bring cult classic 'Jason's Lyric' film to the stage

Fans of the cult classic film “Jason’s Lyric” can catch the stage production in a city near them.

Produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, the play stars Allen Payne reprising his role as Jason, along with “All the Queen’s Men” star Eva Marcille. Premiering in 1994, the original role of Lyric was played by Jada Pinkett.

“A lot has happened to me, for me. In those years, I made many films after that. I shot a TV series with Tyler (Perry) for 20 years. And I was on stage for 20 years with Je'Caryous (Johnson),” said Payne. “So, the whole time that I was shooting ‘House of Payne,’ which I have to shoot another season when we get done with this, I was on stage with Je’Caryous.”

The Perry-produced “House of Payne” is gearing up for its 20th season soon, with Payne again at the helm of the cast. But when he’s not on Perry’s set, he’s in theatre. He recently starred in the stage version of “New Jack City.” He says because these movies find a dedicated fanbase, those same fans turn out for the stage plays.

“If you have a film that speaks to the traditional Black experience, then it's a broad audience. If it's niche, a little group, then it’s not going to speak to everyone,” said Payne. “Everyone resonates with the story already as a film, then what happens when you do the play, it's almost like ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ right? They're giving you your lines.”

Marcille said she appreciated seeing the various representations of Black life portrayed in the film – and now on the stage.

“One thing that I love more than anything is to see myself on screen. And I don't mean Eva – I mean someone that is me: my aunt, my mom, my sister, my stories, my life, my brothers. And ‘Jason's Lyric’ is that movie. It's a movie that let us, as Black people, see ourselves on screen, see that our stories were not thrown away,” said the former “America’s Next Top Model” winner.

The play also stars Treach who was in the original film, as well as R&B star K. Michelle, Tyirin Turner, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Victoria Rowell.