In 1921, a jazzy, all-black musical arrived on Broadway heavily in the red from its previous out of town engagements. It quickly became a game changer, running for a then unprecedented 504 performances and launching the careers of Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Paul Robeson, and Florence Mills. As the first African-American show to ever play Broadway, it introduced a sound and style as edgy and modern for its day as that of “Hamilton,” which has recently caused an orgasmic reaction from the critics.Just how revolutionary the Noble Sissle-Eubie Blake musical was will be explored this season in “Shuffle Along, Or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921,” which its producers are billing as a revival although its lengthened title suggests that it will be a contemporary deconstruction. This will be especially true in the hands of George C. Wolfe, a two-time Tony Award winner who will also write the libretto, and choreographer Savion Glover, who won a Tony for his radical hip-hop-tap fusion with “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk” in 1995.In fact, “Shuffle Along” boasts one of the most top-drawer creative teams ever assembled, including hot-shot producer Scott Rudin (“Book of Mormon”) and a stellar cast: Audra McDonald, Joshua Henry, Brandon Victor Dixon, Billy Porter, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The actors have collectively won eight Tony Awards and have been nominated for eight more.Opening on April 21, just before the Tony Awards eligibility cut-off, the show may also be in the position to steal some of the thunder of the acclaimed “Hamilton” as it continues on its march to glory. (Having bowed earlier this spring at the Public Theater, the show about the founding father has already won a plethora of honors, including the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.) As pointed out by the New York Times, the Tony Administration committee will ultimately decide whether the producers’ petition for “Shuffle Along” to be considered a revival rather than an original work will stand. There has been speculation that the bid was made in part so that it would not have to compete with “Hamilton” for Best Musical and would have a better chance at Best Revival.Whatever the outcome, “Shuffle Along” stands to win a number of Tony Awards, even against a juggernaut like “Hamilton.” At the 1996 ceremony, “Noise/Funk” — Wolfe’s previous collaboration with Glover — managed to win six Tonys competing against “Rent,” that season’s critical darling, which went home with a lesser four awards, including Best Musical.This new iteration of “Shuffle Along” will be a chance for the show to reclaim its position as a landmark in the annals of black entertainment. The show, which had all-too-brief previous revivals in 1933 and 1952, was also the first show to integrate white theaters across the country when it toured. The original libretto by Fournoy Miller and Aubrey Miles tells of a fixed mayoral race in the fictional setting of Jimtown, U.S.A., a somewhat flimsy excuse for the propulsive score, including the standards “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Love Will Find A Way.” Only time will tell whether or not Broadway will once again be wild about “Shuffle Along.” But with this cast and creative team, it may well shape up as the next super-hot ticket.
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