July 3, 2016 – The show about the first all Black musical on Broadway and the history before and after, now at the shubert’s “Music Box” Theatre starring the incomparable Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry. The music and lyrics by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, based on the Original Vaudville sketch by Flournoy E Miller and Aubrey Lyles (The Mayo of Jimtown and The Mayor of Dixieland) and the book by George C. Wolfe, Choreographed by Savion Glover and Directed by George C. Wolfe. It opened in previews at the Music Box Theatre on March 15, 2106 with Opening night on April 28, 2016 and scheduled to close on July 24, 2016. The original version opened on May 23, 1921 and played for 484 performances closing July 15, 1922. It was revived over year end 1932/33 for 17 performances and in May 1952 for 4 performances.
The show follows the birth of a performance set on Election Day in Jimtown in Dixieland destined to take black performed from the minstrel show era to legitimate Broadway and follows the rags to riches progress and eventual dissolution of the successful partnership of the 4 creators – Noble Sissle (played by Joshua Henry) and Eubie Blake (played by Brandon Victor Dixon), F.E Miller (played by Brian Stokes Mitchell) and Aubrey Lyles (played by Billy Porter). They assembled a company around the famous Lottie Gee (played by the very pregnant Audra McDonald) and with virtually no funds and a lot of promises, made it to New York and the decrepid 63rd Street Music Hall – not quite Broadway, but close enough to make the show a great success. The Musi and Lyrics team then took up obligations on their own leaving the book team to work separately. A love interest between the  married  lyricist and primma Donna lead to their also going separate ways. All seemed to flounder although some had fleeting success, eventually the built up animosity and legal action was brought to a head when all the parties were at the same function and had to confront one another. Brief vignettes of their lives and ultimate years of their deaths of principals and chorus rounded out the performance.

The actors were, as to be expected, an outstanding group of professionals, performing at their best. The choreography and tap dancing / singing by the chorus was well done. Now comes the big “BUT” – Why do we need over 2 1/2 hours to tell the story. while the principals did an amazing job to keep up the spirit and the chorus worked their tails off, many of the scenes did not really advance the plat and could be reduced in length without affecting the story. The very pregnant Audra McDonald, who was set from the start and announced, to take off for maternity leave, the producers decided to close the scheduled “open run” allowing her to have her child without a replacement. The house was packed and she did an absolutely amazing job taping and singing.