“Delilah,” a TV series for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN TV network now filming in Charlotte, stars Maahra Hill (“Black-ish,” “How To Get Away With Murder”) as the title character and Jill Marie Jones (“Girlfriends”) as her best friend.
But the biggest star might be Charlotte itself. The show is both filmed and set here.
Charlotte will be as central to “Delilah” as Boston was to “Cheers” or New York was to “Seinfeld.” Premiering in early 2021, the series focuses on a principled lawyer — a Black woman and single mom — living in the Queen City.
And York, S.C., native Charles Randolph-Wright serves as an executive producer of “Delilah,” the latest step in a long and varied career in show business.
He’s been on Broadway (“Dreamgirls” original cast), directed Broadway musicals (“Motown”), produced (“The Angela Davis Story”), acted (“Melrose Place”) and written for the stage (“Blue,” “Love in Afghanistan”).
While Randolph-Wright hasn’t lived in the region for years, he still has family and friends here, including Foundation For The Carolinas President and CEO Michael Marsicano, who was Randolph-Wright’s dorm adviser at Duke University. Both Marsicano and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center CEO Tom Gabbard have been instrumental in helping the production on the series, Randolph-Wright said.
“I don’t know how I would have done this project without (Marsicano.) I mean, he’s one of my dearest friends. He’s really opened every door to me in this city,” Randolph-Wright said.
He said Gabbard likewise introduced him to key people he needed to know that could be helpful for production. “I can’t imagine doing this show without them.”
The Charlotte Observer spoke with Randolph-Wright recently. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.