Labelle is officially headed to the stage.
A new rock opera inspired by the trailblazing R&B/funk group — known for their Afrofuturist style, powerhouse vocals, and the chart-topping classic “Lady Marmalade” — is now in development. The production is being written by original member Nona Hendryx alongside two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony Award recipient Lynn Nottage, marking a major creative partnership centered on one of music’s most innovative groups.
Hendryx shared that working with Nottage feels like “the universe conspiring in the most beautiful way,” noting that the production aims to be an immersive celebration of liberation, defiance, and the women who refused to fit into anyone’s box.
A Legacy That Started as a Quartet — and Became a Trio That Changed Music
Labelle didn’t begin as the iconic trio most people recognize today. The group first formed in the early 1960s as Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles, a four-member vocal group featuring Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, and Cindy Birdsong. They performed doo-wop, gospel, and R&B ballads, gaining a reputation for their harmonies and live performances. Everything shifted in 1967 when Birdsong left to join The Supremes, leaving LaBelle, Hendryx, and Dash to continue as a trio. That change became the turning point in their evolution; the remaining members reinvented themselves in the early 1970s, dropping the Bluebelles name, adopting bold Afrofuturist fashion, and embracing a fusion of rock, funk, soul, and glam that pushed Black women into sonic and visual spaces the industry wasn’t used to seeing. This reinvention birthed the Labelle that made history with their groundbreaking sound and their 1974 hit “Lady Marmalade,” which went to number one and cemented their legacy. Because that era — the trio era — became their most daring, influential, and widely documented period, most photos and archival images highlight Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash rather than the original four-member lineup.
A Sound That Redefined Genre
Labelle’s 1970s reinvention positioned them as musical futurists. Their genre-blending approach challenged expectations placed on Black women in music, making them the first Black vocal group ever to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. Songs like “Lady Marmalade,” “What Can I Do for You?,” and “Nightbirds” remain foundational to their legacy, with “Lady Marmalade” later inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2021.
The rock opera is being developed by Nightbird Music, with ShowTown Productions’ Nathan Gehan and Jamison Scott attached as executive producers. Additional creative team members and production timelines will be announced soon.