Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
| Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | |
|---|---|
 Playbill cover of the original Broadway production | |
| Music | Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle |
| Lyrics | Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle |
| Book | George C. Wolfe, Flournoy Miller, Aubrey Lyles |
| Basis | Shuffle Along |
| Premiere | April 28, 2016: Music Box Theatre |
| Productions | 2016 Broadway |
Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed is a musical with a score by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle and a libretto by George C. Wolfe, based on the original book of the 1921 musical revue Shuffle Along, by Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey Lyles. The story focuses on the challenges of mounting the original production of Shuffle Along and its effect on Broadway and race relations.
The musical began previews on Broadway in March 2016 and stars Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter. The initial critical response has been mostly positive, with especial praise from many critics for McDonald's performance.
Background
When Blake, Sissle, Miller and Lyles decided to collaborate on Shuffle Along, they were all Vaudeville veterans, but none of them had ever written a musical or appeared on Broadway.[1] After finding a small source of funding, Shuffle Along toured through New Jersey and Pennsylvania. However, with little funding, it was difficult to meet travel and production expenses, and the cast rarely got paid. The show came back to New York about a year later, during the Depression of 1920–21. The production owed $18,000 and faced strong competition in a Broadway season full of spectacles, such as Sally – a Ziegfeld musical – and another edition of George White's Scandals. It was only able to book a remote theater on West 63rd Street.[1][2]
Nevertheless, Shuffle Along was a surprise hit, running for 504 performances, turning a substantial profit and spawning tours and spin-offs.[1][2][3] The show launched or greatly boosted the career of cast members including Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington and Adelaide Hall, and the song "I'm Just Wild About Harry" became a popular standard.[4] The show's energetic dancing and catchy jazz score drew enthusiastic repeat audiences of all races, and celebrities such as George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, Langston Hughes and critic George Jean Nathan, helping to unite the white Broadway and black jazz communities and improve race relations in America.[1][2][5]
Wolfe's book adds a white character who embodies the comments by white critics and other outsiders on Shuffle Along.[3]
Synopsis
F. E. Miller and his vaudeville partner Aubrey Lyles conceive the show that was to become Shuffle Along with the help of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. Arriving in New York during the Depression of 1920–21 after a difficult pre-Broadway tour, Shuffle Along is deep in debt and faces stiff competition on Broadway in a season that includes surefire hits from Ziegfield and George White, and it was relegated to a remote theater on West 63rd Street. A romance develops between between Eubie Blake and Lottie Gee, the star of Shuffle Along.
Shuffle Along becomes a hit with popular songs like "I'm Just Wild About Harry".[6][4] The partners do not have the same success during the following years and eventually go their separate ways. The romance between Blake and Gee ends.
Musical numbers
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Production
The production began previews on Broadway on March 15 and opened officially on April 28, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre. The director is Wolfe, and the choreographer is Savion Glover.[8] The two worked together two decades earlier, with great success, on Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk.[3]
After two workshops in the fall 2015, the production opened in New York, without an out-of-town tryout, which is unusual.[9]
Characters and original cast
| Character | Cast[10][11] |
|---|---|
| Lottie Gee | Audra McDonald |
| F. E. Miller | Brian Stokes Mitchell |
| Aubrey Lyles | Billy Porter |
| Eubie Blake | Brandon Victor Dixon |
| Noble Sissle | Joshua Henry |
| Al, Izzy, Mr. Broadway, Carlo | Brooks Ashmanskas |
| Gertrude Saunders, Florence Mills | Adrienne Warren |
McDonald will not appear in the show from June 20 through September 25, 2016, when she will make her West End London debut reprising her Broadway role as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.[12]
Critical response
Opening night reviews were mostly positive, especially with respect to the songs and dancing, with nearly all reviewers giving Audra McDonald rave notices. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls it an "intoxicating and sobering concoction", writing: "Often you sense that Mr. Wolfe has a checklist of historic points he must, but must, cover. ... The clunky, shoehorned-in exposition doesn't overwhelm the sweeping grace of "Shuffle Along" whenever it sings or dances."[13]
Terry Teachout, reviewing for The Wall Street Journal, wrote: "The first half of ... Shuffle Along is to 2016 what Hamilton was to 2015: It's the musical you’ve got to see. ... The cast, led by Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter, is as charismatic as you’d expect, and Savion Glover's near-nonstop choreography explodes off the stage with the unrelenting impact of a flamethrower. But then comes intermission, and what had looked like a masterpiece goes flat and stays that way."[14]
In her review for Variety, Marilyn Stasio wrote that the show "is to die for" and is "ebullient", and that an "incoherent book" is a "small price to pay for the joy of watching Audra McDonald cut loose."[15]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Drama Desk Award[16] | Outstanding Musical | Pending | |
| Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Ann Roth | Pending | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer | Pending | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Scott Lehrer | Pending | ||
| Outstanding Wigs and Hair | Mia M. Neal | Pending | ||
| Outstanding Choreography | Savion Glover | Pending | ||
| Tony Award[17] | Best Musical | Pending | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | George C. Wolfe | Pending | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Brandon Victor Dixon | Pending | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Adrienne Warren | Pending | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Santo Loquasto | Pending | ||
| Best Costume Design of a Musical | Ann Roth | Pending | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer | Pending | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | George C. Wolfe | Pending | ||
| Best Choreography | Savion Glover | Pending | ||
| Best Orchestrations | Daryl Waters | Pending | ||
| New York Drama Critics Circle Award[18] | Best Musical | Won | ||
References
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 "Stage Tube: Shuffle Along Songwriter Eubie Blake Sings Title Song on Original LP", BroadwayWorld.com, February 7, 2016
- 1 2 3 Glass, pp. 176–179
- 1 2 3 Sullivan, John Jeremiah. "Shuffle Along and the Lost History of Black Performance in America", The New York Times Magazine, March 24, 2016
- 1 2 McBride, Walter. "Up on the Marquee: Shuffle Along", BroadwayWorld, February 4, 2016
- ↑ Chary, EllaRose. "Black History Month – Innovative Musical Contributions: Eubie Blake", Music Theatre International, February 27, 2012, accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ Cox, Gordon. "Audra McDonald to Star in Broadway Musical Produced by Scott Rudin", Variety, March 12, 2015
- 1 2 Opening night theatre program, Music Box Theatre, March 15, 2016
- ↑ Ali, Rahim. "Audra McDonald to Star in New Broadway Musical With Savion Glover", bet.com, March 13, 2015, accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑ Viagas, Robert. "The Verdict: Critics Review Broadway’s Shuffle Along", Playbill, April 28, 2016
- ↑ "Onstage", ShuffleAlongBroadway.com, accessed March 14, 2016
- ↑ Purcell, Carey. "Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald Will Reunite on Broadway in Shuffle Along, Billy Porter Joins Them", Playbill.com, August 9, 2015
- ↑ Lloyd Webber, Imogen. "Audra McDonald Will Take Break From Shuffle Along to Make West End Debut in Lady Day", Broadway.com, January 14, 2016
- ↑ "Review Roundup: Shuffle Along Opens on Broadway – All the Reviews!", BroadwayWorld.com, April 28, 2016
- ↑ Teachout, Terry. "Shuffle Along Review: Half of Perfection", The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2016
- ↑ Stasio, Marilyn. "Broadway Review: Shuffle Along", Variety, April 28, 2016
- ↑ Viagas, Robert. "'She Loves Me' Leads Drama Desk Nominations", Playbill, April 28, 2016
- ↑ "See Full List of 2016 Tony Award Nominations", Playbill, May 3, 2016
- ↑ "Shuffle Along and The Humans Win NY Drama Critics’ Circle Awards", Playbill, May 5, 2016
Sources
- Glass, Barbara S. (2012). African American Dance, an Illustrated History. Jefferson, North Carolina: MacFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-7157-7.
- Williams, Iain Cameron (2003). Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall. Continuum. ISBN 0826458939.
- Wintz, Cary D., ed. (2007). Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance. Naperville: Sourcebooks. ISBN 978-1-4022-0436-4.