It’s Black History Month, which is a time when we reflect upon the contributions to society made by members in the black community, as well as raise awareness for the struggles of black people, both in the past and now. Since the inception of Broadway, black songwriters, musicians and performers have been trying to make it onto the Great White Way. In 1910, Bert Williams became the first black man to headline for the Ziegfeld Follies. However, even before then, the musical Clorindy––which was written by an all-black team––premiered on Broadway in 1898.
Today, I want to highlight some of the musicals that have been on Broadway that have been important to black history or feature stories of the African-American experience in America or other countries. I didn’t include shows that have mostly African-American casts (like Hamilton or The Lion King) that don’t deal directly with black issues or history. I also didn’t include Hairspray or Memphis because although they do focus of black history, they do it through the lens of a white protagonist and I wanted to focus on shows with a mostly black cast with black protagonists. Also, when I refer to the awards a production has won, I am referring to Tony awards. Hope you learn something and enjoy!
Porgy and Bess (1935)
Music: George Gershwin
Lyrics: DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin
Book: DuBose Heyward
Brief Summary: Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black beggar living in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina and deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin’ Life, the drug dealer.
Significance: This musical is significant for a lot of reasons, none the least because it was an all-black musical written by one of the biggest writing duos in Broadway history, the Gershwins. Although its initial Broadway run was disappointing, it has gone on to be a staple in Broadway history, and c’mon, queen Audra McDonald was in it (and of course, won a Tony award for it in 2012), so it has to be at least a little significant. This was also the last musical/opera George Gershwin wrote before he died, only writing a couple film scores after Porgy and Bess.
Number of performances: 124
Broadway revivals: 1942, 2012
Awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for McDonald (2012)
Purlie (1970)
Music: Gary Geld
Lyrics: Peter Udell
Book: Ossie Davis, Philip Rose and Peter Udell
Brief summary: Purlie is set in the American South during the Jim Crow era. The protagonist, Purlie, is a preacher who returns to his hometown in Georgia to save the church and to save the cotton pickers from a plantation.
Significance: The Black Theatre Troupe near me did this musical a few years ago, and it’s a really powerful picture of what America was like during the Jim Crow era. It’s definitely a little-done musical, but a very powerful one. The character of Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee––the plantation owner––brings to mind characters like Simon Legree.
Number of Performances: 668
Revival: 1972
Awards: Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Cleavon Little and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Melba Moore (1970)
The Wiz (1975)
Music: Charlie Smalls, Timothy Graphenreed, Harold Wheeler, George Faison, and Luther Vandross
Lyrics: Charlie Smalls, Zachary Walzer, and Luther Vandross
Book: William F. Brown
Brief Summary: Plot wise, the musical almost exactly mirrors that of The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of Dorothy Gale, who dreams of leaving her boring life in Kansas. After a tornado, her and her dog Toto end up in the magical land of Oz. She meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion and they travel together to have the Wizard grant their wishes. But first, they have to combat the Wicked Witch.
Significance: The Wiz is known as one of the most popular black musicals of all time. It uses the story of The Wizard of Oz, but it puts it in the context of African-American culture. It’s one of the examples used to describe Broadway’s acceptance of the all-black cast. It’s also famous for its adaptation into a movie musical which starred Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. (I would also argue that it’s the best live musical that’s been done so far, at least by NBC.)
Number of performances: 1672
Revivals: 1984
Awards: The original production won seven Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Ted Ross and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978)
Music: Fats Waller
Book: Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr.
Brief Summary: A traditional revue of Fats Waller’s music
Significance: This is probably the best known black revue from this era. It plays tribute to artists who played with Fats Waller during the Harlem Renaissance. It plays on themes of creativity, cultural awareness, and ethnic pride. In addition, the musical strives to show Fats Waller’s philosophy of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play.
Number of Performances: 1604
Revival: 1988
Awards: Best Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (1978)
Dreamgirls (1981)
Music: Henry Krieger
Lyrics and Book: Tom Eyen
Brief summary: Follows the story of a girl group from the 1960s, the Dreamettes, as they try to make it big as a group. After being discovered at a talent competition, the start singing backup for a popular R&B artist. The Dreamettes are renamed the Dreams and become a group independent of Jimmy, the man they were singing backup for. However, when Deena Jones becomes the “star” of the group, they really start to make it big. Conflict arises when one of the members, Effie, starts missing rehearsals and is replaced by another singer, Michelle Morris.
Significance: Dreamgirls is probably best know for the film adaptation of the musical, starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce and Jamie Foxx. However, it first gained success for being a composite story of black girl groups from like 1960s, like The Supremes, The Shirelles, and more. Jimmy is also seen as a play on James Brown. It’s also an example of another musical that gained commercial success with an all black cast.
Performances: 1521
Revival: 1987
Awards: The original Broadway production won six tony awards, including Best Actress in a Musical for Jennifer Holliday, Best Actor in a Musical for Ben Harney and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Cleavant Derricks.
Once on This Island (1990)
Music: Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics and Books: Lynn Ahrens
Brief summary: This musical is basically a retelling of the original Little Mermaid story, but set in the Caribbean on a French island. A young girl, Ti Moune, saves a wealthy man from the other side of the island by making a deal with the gods to spare him from death. They allow this, but the God of Death, Papa Ge, tells her she must get him to marry her or she will lose her life.
Significance: Using the lens of The Little Mermaid, Once on This Island makes a point about race and class issues on an island nation. Although everyone on the island is technically of African descent, the wealthier members of the island take pride in their half-French heritage and look down upon those who are fully black. It is a great musical that deals with class issues through the lens of race.
Performances: 469
Bring in Da Noise Bring In Da Funk (1996)
Music: Daryl Waters, Zane Mark, Ann Duquesnay
Lyrics: Reg E. Gaines, George C. Wolfe, Ann Duquesnay
Book: Reg E. Gaines
Brief summary: A musical revue that tells the story of black people in America, from slavery to present, through tap dancing.
Significance: Look back up again at the summary. This is a musical that tells the entire history of black people in America through tap dancing. It’s known as an innovative political statement, that not only shows the history of a group of people, but rallies them around a tradition of rap music and tap dancing. Savion Glover did the choreography for the show, who is a famous black dancer and has most recently been credited with the choreography for 2016’s Shuffle Along.
The Color Purple (2005)
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, and Allee Willis
Book: Marsha Norman
Brief Summary: The plot takes place in rural Georgia and focuses on the lives of African-Americans during the 1930s. The protagonist, Celie, has children who are fathered by her own father. Her father forces her to get rid of the children and marries her off to a man called Mister, who abuses her and her sister, Nettie. One day, Mister’s son brings home the strong-willed Sofia. Celie and Mister tell Harpo he will need to beat Sofia into submission, but she ends up beating him instead. Sofia then encourages Celie to stand up to Mister.
Significance: The Color Purple deals with a lot of themes having to do with race and feminism, primarily the status of black women at the bottom of American culture during this time period. This musical shook the Broadway scene this past year with Cynthia Erivo’s powerful portrayal of Celie. It’s one of the most notable black musicals written in this millennium.
Number of performances: 910
Awards: Best Actress in a Musical for LaChanze (2006); Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Cynthia Erivo (2016)
Motown (2013)
Music: The show is a revue of Motown artists.
Book: Berry Gordy
Brief Summary: The musical starts in 1983, as artists gather to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Motown Records. It then flashes back to 1957, with Berry Gordy working with many of the artists he helped to make famous.
Significance: This musical continues the tradition of jukebox musicals using the music of black artists. It’s a historical musical about Motown and Berry Gordy’s relationships (both personal and professional) with the artists he worked with on the label, including Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, and Marvin Gaye.
Number of performances: 738
Revival: There was a “Broadway remount” in 2016.
The Scottsboro Boys (2010)
Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Frank Ebb
Book: David Thompson
Brief summary: The musical follows the story of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American boys who were accused of raping two white women on a train in 1931. The boys go through numerous trials that feature a bevy of injustices, including a lynch mob, all-white juries, prejudiced judges, etc. In the end, all the boys are found guilty and remain in jail. Over time, the boys start to be let out of jail, but only if they plead guilty to their charges.
Significance: This musical combines the stories of the Scottsboro Boys and Rosa Park. It is done in a minstrel show style, which was once used to make fun of black people during the Jim Crow era. However, unlike minstrel shows that are done in black face, the cast is entirely black except for one white actor who plays all the white characters in the story. It’s another historical musical. It’s also significant for being the last collab of Kander and Ebb, who are most known for the musical Chicago.
Number of performances: 49
Shuffle Along (1921/2016)
Music: Eubie Blake
Lyrics: Noble Sissle
Book: F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles (1921); George C. Wolfe (2016)
Brief Summary: The original music in 1921 tells the story of two dishonest grocery store clerks who run for mayor of a small town. One wins and appoints the other as police chief, but they have many disagreements throughout the course of their terms. In the end, they are beat in the next election by an honorable man. The 2016 musical talks about the making of the musical, how it was made, and what happened as a result.
Significance: This is the first example of a Broadway musical that is presented as the history of another Broadway musical. The original Shuffle Along was the most successful black musical of its time and launched the careers of many members of the production team and the stars. The 2016 musical is a history of that musical and showed how the team struggled to get their show mounted on Broadway because of their skin color and the impact the show’s success had on Broadway as a whole.
Number of performances: 484 (1921); 100 (2016; I was there opening night!)
What we learn from the existence of these musicals, besides the history their plots involve, is that Broadway and the arts in general are a space for all people. (Which is why we shouldn’t get rid of the National Endowment for the Arts and why it should concern us that we are one of the few prominent world powers without a federal theatre endowment.) In a time where people are struggling to find where they belong and whether it’s okay to be themselves, these musicals remind us that we all have a place, we all have voice, and, no matter what we are, we are beautiful and important.