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ACT I: ATLANTA

BY ALLISON WEISS ENTREKIN

Acclaimed director Kenny Leon lifts the curtain to reveal his favorite local spots.

He’s directed plays on more than 20 stages, including five on Broadway. His best-known theatrical venture, A Raisin in the Sun (starring Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad), took home two Tony Awards and evolved into a film that was recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival. And, he is the artistic director for Atlanta’s True Colors Theatre Company, where sold-out performances have garnered national acclaim.

Ask Kenny Leon to recall the most rewarding moment in his career, though, and he’ll say it’s hard to top directing an ad campaign for the city of Atlanta.

“This is the city of potential, and I really wanted that to come across,” he says of his involvement with the ongoing Brand Atlanta campaign. “Atlanta has been very good to me, and it was great to have a chance to give back.”

Here, Leon offers a behind-the-scenes look at the activities and places that make his stomping ground so special.

You’ve been in Atlanta since your days as a Clark Atlanta University student. What is your favorite thing to do in the city during the spring?
“I love to golf here when it’s warm. My buddy Samuel L. Jackson and I recently joined Canongate Golf Club (www.canongategolf.com). The club offers access to [19 golf clubs] all over Atlanta, and we thought that was a pretty good deal. Where else can you be a member of that many courses? If it’s raining in south Atlanta, we’ll just go up north, and vice versa.”

Where do you like to take your out-of-town guests to eat?
“I don’t think any city can beat our restaurants; the variety just can’t be topped. I take friends to Rathbun’s (www.rathbunsrestaurant.com; 404-524-8280) a lot; [Executive Chef/Co-Owner] Kevin Rathbun is the man.

He has that Southern touch. He talks about his passion and his care for his restaurant, and the environment and food are great. Even though it’s located in an area that isn’t traditionally thought of as a ‘restaurant area,’ it’s always packed.

I also like The Beautiful Restaurant (www.beautifulrestaurant-atlanta.com; 404-752-5931) on Cascade Road. They have great soul food and wonderful grits.”

Whether you’re giving motivational speeches at local schools or attending theater premieres, you always wear sneakers. Why is that, and where do you find them all?
“I always wear sneakers because it reminds me of what my grandmother taught me—stay grounded. I may make 100 films and direct 1,000 plays, but my sneakers remind me, ‘You are who you are.’ Plus, when I’m with kids at schools, it’s easier to start a conversation with them if I’m wearing Air Jordans. It helps them trust me; from there, I’m able to talk with them about their education and career goals. I buy almost all of my shoes at Niketown Atlanta in Phipps Plaza (www.phippsplaza.com). They have an extensive variety; since I wear sneakers with tuxedos and suits, I want my shoes to match my bowties. At Niketown, they have patent-leather sneakers that don’t look like sneakers at all.”

You travel a lot for work; when you’re away from Atlanta, what do you miss most?
“The main thing I miss is the way people speak to you here. You don’t have to have an agenda to say hello. In other cities, I can’t go around calling politicians by their first names, but here, I’m friends with the mayor and Congressman John Lewis. That makes the city feel homey to me. Atlanta is the one-name capital of the world.”

If you could write your own advertising slogan for the city, what would it be?
“‘Atlanta: You’ve got to come back. Because you just can’t see it in a day!’ If you come here for business and stay downtown, you don’t really have a feel for the city. Come back and ride out to The King Center (www.thekingcenter.org), see the Georgia Aquarium (www.georgiaaquarium.org) or go golfing. There’s so much to see across such a wide area of land. You just can’t get a feel for Atlanta in one trip.”