Bob Marley was born in February 06, 1945 in Nine Mile, Jamaica. By this time, every year, celebrations start to pop up all over the world.
You can check the Marley Family website for announcements or follow music news sites like Billboard. But if you live in NYC or are planning to visit, you can come to Duane Forrest’s show at SoHo Playhouse until February 1st, 2026.
Duane Forrest’s soulful solo show “Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World” starts with a song and an invitation to sing along.
Forrest transformed the stage into an intimate sanctuary: a space where the echoes of melody and the weight of memoir collide.
With a palette of vibrant prose, he reveals the tapestry of his youth: tracing his school days in Toronto, the silhouette of his mother as a hairdresser, the textures and colors of his hair, and the quiet, aching hunger to belong.
And then, Forrest dives deep: plunging into the wellspring of his West African origins, the rhythm of Marley’s anthems, and the sacred pulse of Rasta Spiritual Culture.
He moves with the crowd, weaving a constant dialogue with the audience, encouraging sing along, always breathing life into Marley’s songs. He unearths the raw marrow of resistance and protest, yet he moves with reverence—honoring the profound weight of the words and the poetry etched into every line of Bob Marley’s music.
Far from a standard tribute act, the show is a masterclass in storytelling that weaves the history of Jamaica and the evolution of reggae into Forrest’s own journey of cultural reclamation.
Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a magnetic stage presence, Forrest guides the audience through his tracks—including a poignant, stripped-back rendition of “No Woman, No Cry”—stripping away the commercial gloss to reveal the raw protest and spiritual yearning at the heart of Marley’s lyrics.
Duane Forrest’s performance is structured as a “historical lesson and a love letter,” dismantling common misconceptions about reggae while highlighting its role as a global force for unity.
Duane Forrest’s set list:
Jammin’ (The traditional show opener)
To illustrate the “roots of reggae” and the musical evolution Forrest describes, the show also includes:
Do the Reggay (Toots and the Maytals)
Zion’s Blood (The Upsetters)
I Can’t Help Falling in Love (Hugo Peretti/Elvis Presley cover, often associated with reggae versions)
Don’t Worry Be Happy (A Harry Belafonte reference)
The Bluffs (An original song by Duane Forrest himself)
No Woman, No Cry
Three Little Birds
Could You Be Loved
Buffalo Soldier
Get Up, Stand Up
I Shot the Sheriff
One Love
Redemption Song
SoHo Playhouse
(212) 691-1555
15 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013
Tickets: $45.50 – $45.50 including fees
Run time: 75 minutes
Age: 8 years old and up.
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