© 2026 The Couch Critic
"In the songs of life, every note matters."
In a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he lives in 1960s Lackawanna, New York.
59 Cast Members
S. Epatha Merkerson
Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby
Marcus Carl Franklin
Ruben Santiago Jr.
Yasiin Bey
The Bandleader
Carmen Ejogo
Alean
Louis Gossett Jr.
Ol'lem Taylor
Macy Gray
Pauline
Terrence Howard
Bill Crosby
Ernie Hudson
Dick Barrymore
Rosie Perez
Bertha
Liev Schreiber
Ulysses Ford
Jimmy Smits
Ruben Santiago Sr.
Patricia Wettig
Laura's Mother
Jeffrey Wright
Mr. Paul
Adina Porter
Ricky
Bill Simms Jr.
Self
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Freddie Cobbs
Charlayne Woodard
Bill's Woman
Omar Benjamin
Ruben, Jr. (Toddler)
Julie Benz
Laura
Robert Bradley
Otis McClanahan
