Nominated for ten tony awards - closes July 24!
Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald makes her Broadway return in this behind-the-scenes peek into one of the most important musicals of all time. Shuffle Along, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed examines the turbulent drama that surrounded the staging of 1921's Shuffle Along, an all-black cast musical that was instrumental in breaking down racial barriers on The Great White Way.
McDonald last trod New York's boards in 2014's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, the critically adored Billie Holiday play that bagged the singer her sixth Tony. Her previous wins were for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin' in the Sun and Porgy and Bess. Also among the all star cast are Tony winners Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate)
Two-time Tony winner George C. Wolfe (Angels in America, Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk) is in the director's chair, while choreography comes courtesy of Savion Glover, who also won a Tony for his work on Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk. This will also be the first musical shepherded by heavyweight producer Scott Rudin since The Book of Mormon.
What is Shuffle Along About?
The year is 1921, and the jazzy musical Shuffle Along limps its way into New York. Its pre-Broadway run had been a financial disaster, leaving the show thousands of dollars in the red and it doesn't seem that Depression struck Broadway audiences will have either the money or the inclination to seek out this all-black cast musical. All in all, the creators expectations are not high...But remarkably, they are proved very wrong!
This is the story of how Shuffle Along defied the odds to become a blockbuster hit and rewrote the rulebook when it came to black musical theatre in the process. The show centers on 1920's singer Lottie Gee (McDonald), who starred alongside future icons Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson.