BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Black performers have a long and proud tradition on Broadway

With a wide scope of entertaining productions to take from, theatre audiences are having a expansive clip connected Broadway these days. Among myriad offerings are Broadway shows that bespeak and correspond the generations-old traditions of Black performers and theatre professionals moving successful New York theater.

In February, that brotherhood and sisterhood of historical Black theatrical achievers adhd 2 caller members — veteran movie and signifier histrion Denzel Washington successful Shakespeare’s “Othello,” and award-winning histrion Phylicia Rashad making her directorial debut successful the signifier play “Purpose.”

She’s directed before, but shaper and seasoned histrion Phylicia Rashad volition marque her directorial debut connected Broadway with “Purpose.” (John Nacion/Getty Images)

“A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical,” the jukebox musical chronicling the interaction of the pioneering Black musician’s artistry and deed songs, has been connected Broadway since November. Veteran histrion Vanessa Williams is 1 of its producers.

These 21st-century contributions to theatre are linked to the earliest instances of Blacks connected Broadway that began successful July 1898 with the premiere of  “Clorindy: The Origin of the Cakewalk” astatine the Casino Theatre Roof Garden. Known arsenic the “first Broadway philharmonic to diagnostic an all-Black cast,” the one-act amusement was produced by Edward Rice, the achromatic manager of the venue. 

Black composer Will Marion Cook wrote the euphony for the show, and respected Black writer and writer Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote the production’s lyrics and libretto (the substance successful the musical). The amusement starred entertainer Ernest Hogan, who became the archetypal Black idiosyncratic to nutrient and prima successful a Broadway amusement — 1907’s “The Oyster Man.”

Dunbar and Cook returned to Broadway successful 1903 with Jesse A. Shipp to nutrient “In Dahomey,” the archetypal all-Black philharmonic drama connected Broadway. The publication for “In Dahomey” was written by Shipp, and Dunbar wrote the musical’s lyrics. The Black performing duo Williams and Walker (Bert Williams and George Walker), celebrated for their enactment successful vaudeville theater, starred successful the three-act amusement that was performed astatine the New York Theatre successful 1903. The philharmonic reopened astatine New York’s Grand Opera House successful 1904 pursuing a palmy circuit of Great Britain. 

Sheet euphony for “I’m a Jonah Man,” a fashionable opus from the 1903 Broadway philharmonic “In Dahomey,” sung by the palmy duo of Bert Williams and George Walker (seen connected the flyer successful ceremonial portraits and successful “stage costumes wearing blackface.”
(M. Witmark & Sons)

Actor Charles S. Gilpin — the archetypal Black antheral to pb an integrated formed connected Broadway by starring successful 1919’s “Abraham Lincoln” — and different individuals besides broke crushed successful Broadway theater. But aboriginal successful the Harlem Renaissance, the all-Black philharmonic “Shuffle Along” opened astatine the 63rd Street Music Hall successful 1921, becoming the archetypal deed Black Broadway show.

The publication was written by the drama squad of Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, and the euphony and lyrics were created by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle. 

“The occurrence of ‘Shuffle Along’ ended much than a decennary of systemic exclusion of Blacks from the Broadway stage,” wrote Philip Furia and Michael Lasser successful their 2006 publication “America’s Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley.”

M. Witmark & Sons, the nation’s starring expanse euphony steadfast selling tunes from the Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake “Broadway philharmonic Shuffle Along.
(M. Witmark & Sons)

The Blake and Sissle opus “I’m Just Wild About Harry” — the astir fashionable tune successful “Shuffle Along” — was produced for a grounds label, was utilized successful respective Hollywood movies successful the 1930s and besides appeared successful cartoons. It was revived successful 1948 arsenic the catchy run opus for Democratic statesmanlike campaigner Harry Truman.

Close to a decennary aft “Shuffle Along,” “The Green Pastures” debuted successful 1930 arsenic the archetypal Broadway play with an all-black cast. Both Black and achromatic critics enjoyed the signifier production, and the consequent film. Both versions showed parts of the Bible’s Old Testament from the constituent of presumption of a Southern Black younker during the Great Depression.

Actor Richard B. Harrison’s Green Pasture’s 1931 relation of the “De Lawd” (God) gained him fame and a Time mag screen successful 1935. (Getty Images)

“The Green Pastures” playwright Marc Connelly won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the play successful 1931. In the Connelly signifier mentation of “The Green Pastures,” histrion Richard B. Harrison’s relation of the “De Lawd” (God) was expanded, and Harrison gained notoriety — performing successful much than 1,650 performances and acting successful a circuit that included theaters successful the U.S. and Canada. Five years later, successful 1935, Harrison was featured connected the screen of TIME magazine.

For much accusation connected the aboriginal days of Blacks connected Broadway, sojourn bit.ly/NPR_ShuffleAlong,  bit.ly/NMAAHC_ShuffleAlong and bit.ly/Playbill_InDahomey.