Wayne Brady has withdrawn from the Off Broadway production of *Ms. Blakk For President* on his doctor’s orders, after developing a vocal polyp and needing vocal rest. Ato Blankson-Wood will take over Brady’s role as Terence Alan Smith/Joan Jett Blakk; Brady said he expects to return to the stage next year after treatment and recovery.

The play, co-written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau, is the first production in Vineyard Theatre’s 2026–27 season, with Landau directing. Performances are now due to start on 22 October, a week later than previously planned, with opening night on 8 November; the story follows a Black drag performer and Queer Nation Chicago campaigning during the early 1990s AIDS epidemic.