“Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” is one of the most significant, sensational, stirring musicals to come to Broadway in some time. It gives an endearing, historical record of “Shuffle Along,” the first Black musical staged on Broadway in 1921.
The audience gets to learn about who created the show and who made it happen. Giving credit to those theatrical innovators, this musical serves as a tribute.
“Shuffle Along” was conceived by vaudeville duo F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles and featured music and lyrics by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. The musical was dynamic and had its large all-Black cast tapping and singing, and it dared to have a Black woman and man touch on stage while singing a love song—considered taboo in those racist times. Blacks were supposed to be viewed as wild buffoons rather than gentle human beings.
A constant message in the musical is about honoring those who paved the way for Black performers to be on the Broadway stage. “Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed” has music and lyrics by Sissle and Blake, an original book by Miller and Lyles and a book by George C. Wolfe. Wolfe is also the production’s director. There is music supervision, arrangements and orchestration by Daryl Waters, and if you are choreographing tap dancing for Broadway, why not have one of the most daring, energized tap dancers handle it—Savion Glover.
It is so appropriate that the production features Broadway’s best. Record-breaking, six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald plays Lottie Gee, the star of the show. Tony winners Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter take on the roles of the duo Miller and Lyles. Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry take on the roles of Blake and Sissle. Adrienne Warren and Amber Iman take on multiple roles of performers from the show. How marvelous and phenomenal it is to experience these incredibly gifted performers all on one stage! What’s so moving about watching this musical is to know it really happened—these creative people and performers are not made-up characters. To further prove this point, each playbill contains a recreated playbill from the 1921 production of “Shuffle Along,” with the names and backgrounds of the key player, where they were from and how long they lived. The playbill alone is history in your hand.
Bravo to the entire cast of more than 30 Black actors. You are making your ancestors proud! And thank you for bringing their accomplishments to the attention of a new generation of theatergoers. Everything about this musical comes together superbly, including the reunion collaboration between Wolfe and Glover, who were on Broadway together with “Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk.”
You need to shuffle, walk, ride the train, bus or cab, but make your way down to the Music Box Theatre on West 45th Street and see this awesome, thrilling piece of history.
For more info, visit shufflealongbroadway.com.
