Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed 2016
Ages: 6+
Opened: April 28, 2016Closing: July 24, 2016
Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed - 2016 Broadway History , Info & More
Music Box Theatre (Broadway)
239 West 45th St. New York, NY
In May 1921, the new musical Shuffle Along became the unlikeliest of hits, significantly altering the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. By the time Shuffle Along stumbled into town after a back-breaking pre-Broadway tour, it was deeply in debt and set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. In a season full of spectacles, such as Sally - a Ziegfeld musical - and another edition of George White's Scandals, Shuffle Along's failure was almost a foregone conclusion. New York City was still in the throes of the Depression of 1920. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical. But with an infectious jazz score and exuberant dancing, Shuffle Along ignited not just Broadway but all of New York City. George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, Langston Hughes, and famed critic George Jean Nathan were among the many fans who repeatedly flocked to West 63rd Street to see a cast which - during its run of 504 performances - featured such incipient luminaries as Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington, and Adelaide Hall. Because of Shuffle Along, Uptown and Downtown met and became one.
Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Joshua Henry will star in SHUFFLE ALONG Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, a striking new production that presents both the 1921 musical itself, and additionally details the events that catalyzed the songwriting team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, and librettists F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles to create this ground-breaking work.
SHUFFLE ALONG will have a new book by George C. Wolfe, will be choreographed by Savion Glover, and directed by Mr. Wolfe. SHUFFLE ALONG marks the first time that the writer/director and choreographer will have worked together since their 1996 hit Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk.
Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed - 2016 - Broadway Cast
PREVIEW Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed - 2016 - Broadway
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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR 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
8 / 10
The first half is sensational; the second is difficult, in terms of our heroes' postsuccess fates and how engagingly their narratives play out. But with a cast this incandescent (I haven't even mentioned Audra McDonald's tender, guarded brilliance as diva Lottie Gee) and Wolfe staging a constant flow of miracles, there's an overflow of joy and style that smooths over stylistic rough edges and knotty stitching of history to myth...Above all, we can luxuriate in a breathtaking piece of showmanship, featuring more talent crowding a stage than pretty much any other Broadway show at present (and yes, that includes Hamilton)...Oh, and there's dance-miles and miles of ecstatic, syncopated genius courtesy of Savion Glover.
Theater Review: Shuffle Along Is a Gorgeously Staged, Life-Changing Show
10 / 10
This review might have begun 'Audra Smiles!' -- so unusual and uplifting is it to see our leading vocal tragedienne in a part that (until Act Two) is essentially as light as a soubrette's. McDonald sings beautifully, of course; the role sits mostly in the thrilling upper part of her range. But you may not have remembered...what she can do with comic phrasing...As if that weren't enough, she taps (as everyone else does) with a nearly reckless vigor, despite the impossibly subdivided counts of Glover's syncopations. By the time she brings Act One to a rousing climax with the huge success of the show-within-a-show, you may feel that the outer show too is one of the best old-fashioned entertainments -- tunes, dances, comedy, costumes, the whole hotcha package -- to hit Broadway in years.
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Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed History
Other Productions of Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
| 2016 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed - 2016 Broadway Awards and Nominations
Note: Award winners will appear on a background
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Savion Glover |
| 2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Ann Roth |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Savion Glover |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Ann Roth |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Peggy Eisenhauer |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Jules Fisher |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Scott Lehrer |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Mia M. Neal |
| 2016 | New York Drama Critics Circle Awards | Best Musical | Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and all that Followed |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | George C. Wolfe |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Savion Glover |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Ann Roth |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | George C. Wolfe |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Jules Fisher |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Peggy Eisenhauer |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Daryl Waters |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Brandon Victor Dixon |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Adrienne Warren |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Santo Loquasto |
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