‘Syncopated Stages’ — a magnificent tribute to Black Broadway

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If ever there was a man who loved, supported and championed Black Theater and the contributions of Black artists on Broadway, it was the late Michael D. Dinwiddie, the curator of an absolutely breathtaking exhibition which recently opened at Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library, “Syncopated Stages: Black Disruptions to the Great White Way.” Dinwiddie was a playwright, a NYU Theater professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and composer, and his exhibit traces the roots of Black theater contributions from as early as The African Grove Theatre, which opened in 1821. As the curator, Dinwiddie shares the history of the theater in a video and shows on a map exactly where the historic theater was located in Manhattan.

This brilliant, dazzling exhibition traces African American creativity on Broadway across all time periods up to the present, marvelously highlighting the syncopated rhythms of Black composers, writers, performers, and other creatives. It was a project Dinwiddie was invited to curate five years ago by Lincoln Center Performing Arts curator Doug Reside, and one they developed closely together.

The timeline of Dinwiddie’s exhibition is meticulously crafted and inclusive. It includes Minstrelsy, 1900-1920, with posters from productions including “Shuffle Along” that adorn the wall. Every decade is covered, through videos from performances, production shots and reproduced posters. There are pictures of creatives like Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle. There are 1930 “blackface” photos of Josephine Baker in “Bamville.” The 1940s exhibit shows the Nicholas Brothers performing in black and white films. There are interviews with current and past theater makers. In the 1950 exhibit, there are posters from “House of Flowers” starring Pearl Bailey, along with production shots. 1960s: Poster of Sammy Davis Jr. in “Golden Boy.” 1970s: a Leslie Uggams poster for “Hallelujah Baby.”

Linda Armstrong photos

Videos play with scenes from “Bring In Da Noise/Bring In Da Funk,” “The Wiz,” and “Timbuktu” with Eartha Kitt. There are posters from “Raisin.” In the 1980s: a poster from “The Tap Dance Kid,” scene shots from the original “Dreamgirls” and “Sarafina.” 1990s: “Jelly’s Last Jam” scenes on video. 2000s: a “Passing Strange” scene. 2010s: a “Hamilton” scene, “The Color Purple” musical revival (2015) scene. There are scenes from “Holler If You Hear Me,” and Audra in “Gypsy” Poster. Alton Fitzgerald White has an interview running on the scene. There is memorabilia like the jacket from “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and posters from many Black Broadway shows.

Another section of the exhibit features a large screen showing scenes from six Black Broadway musicals simultaneously, with the shows rotating throughout. Visitors can also interact with a jukebox to play music. One area is dedicated to the history, talent, and energy of George C. Wolfe’s Public Theatre, with videos from productions such as “The Wild Party,” “Caroline, or Change,” and “Bring in ‘Da Noise/Bring in ‘Da Funk,” alongside posters. Original costumes from productions including “A Strange Loop” are on display, and honoring “The Wiz,” there are posters, scene photos, and the original costume Andre De Shields wore as The Wizard. Walking through the exhibit, which draws on hundreds of items from the Library’s Billy Rose Theatre Division archives, is both empowering and life-affirming.

Throughout the planning stages, Dinwiddie worked closely with an advisory panel that included Caseen Gaines, Michael McElroy, A.J. Muhammad, Arminda Thomas, and Ben West, with assistance from Britt Dixon. McElroy shared, “Michael, about a year ago, invited a group of us to come together and be both eyes and ears and bounce ideas off of, to see where the gaps were, where were the things we should consider putting in. So we came together. My major contribution was the interview section, choosing the different artists to interview and the questions to ask, to make sure that in the end you get this idea, that what the title ‘Syncopated Stages: Black Disruptions to the Great White Way,’ what it meant to each of these artists of different generations, with different performance backgrounds — actors, directors, stage managers, choreographers — so that was my main contribution. Also just looking at things and saying we’re missing that person. And Doug, the curator here, was really great about saying, ‘okay, let’s get that. We all kind of worked to support what Michael’s vision was, but to also say who’s going to write this, who’s going to take over this, who’s going to take the lead on that — it was wonderful. I interviewed seven people, among them Kecia Lewis, Alton Fitzgerald White, Aisha Jackson, Ayodele Casel, Lisa Dawn Cave, and Lizan Mitchell.”

What I have mentioned here is only a small fraction of what this exhibition contains. It will probably take several visits to the exhibition to realize the magnitude of what is on display — the incredible, much needed acknowledgment of Black creativity and its contribution to Broadway. I can’t try to name all of the people in the industry who are interviewed for this exhibition, I’ll just mention two: Andre De Shields and Woodie King Jr.

It’s worth making many trips to this exhibition before it concludes Feb. 21, 2026. This is an exhibition to visit to make sure that our history on Broadway is not underplayed. For more information about the exhibition visit The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Explores the History of Black Musical Theater in a Large-Scale Exhibition at nypl.org. This exhibit is a vividly moving tribute to the legacy of the late, wonderful, brilliant, Michael Dinwiddie.