Before Beyond the Gates' drama, Tamara Tunie has the blues

Beyond the Gates premieres on CBS in February, but until then, star Tamara Tunie, who will play Anita Dupree, is keeping busy. The actress returned to New York City to be involved in her other passion: Music.

Beyond the Gates’ Tamara Tunie’s musical roots

Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree, Beyond the Gates) is no stranger to soap operas, appearing in As the World Turns for over 1300 episodes from 1987 to 2009 as Jessica Griffin, as well as a couple of episodes of Days of our Lives as Judge Weston. But before (and during) her illustrious acting career in front of the camera, she was performing and producing on the Broadway stage.

Tunie was in an Instagram video to announce a new musical and a sneak peek she is hosting next week in the Big Apple. The post was an invitation to go to The Green Room 42 on Tuesday, January 21st, to preview the musical Delta Blue.

Tamara Tunie and Delta Blue

The Instagram post was captioned, “TAMARA TUNIE is part of the creative team - which also includes Masi Asare and Jimmy Vivino as songwriters/composers, Trey Ellis as writer, and Matt Williams also as writer and producer - behind DELTA BLUE, a sweeping new musical currently in development. On TUESDAY JANUARY 21st Tamara will be hosting a NIGHT OF SONGS from the musical at @thegreenroom42 in New York City!”

The post also pointed out “fun facts” that “Tunie is a Tony Award-winning producer (Spring Awakening), Tony-nominated actress (Radio Golf), and a founder of Black Theatre United. She brings her unmatched vision and experience to the production!”

“Hello, friends and family. I am so excited to invite you to join me on January 21st at the Green Room in New York City for a sneak peek of the new musical Delta Blue. This new musical has all original gospel tunes, blues tunes, and beautiful love ballads, and you can be the first to hear this beautiful music,” Tunie said in the video.

Tunie teased that in addition to hosting, she might even sing a little bit. “This show journeys from Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago, and the music is on the same train,” Tunie added.

Tunie has been promoting and educating her followers about the musical background and culture of the genre. In a recent Instagram post, she captioned, “Juke joints served as crucial spaces for blues musicians and their audiences to congregate. These venues, often filled with the sounds of local and traveling musicians, acted as incubators for blues music. Particularly prevalent between the World Wars, juke joints became a necessity in less populated areas. They provided a place for working-class individuals to socialize, drink, and gamble. #facts #youshouldknow.” Tickets are now on sale at deltabluemusical.com

Watch Tamara Tunie as Anita Dupree when Beyond the Gates premieres on February 24, 2025, on CBS and Paramount Plus.