Photo Courtesy of Apollo Theater’s Instagram

As we approach the one-year anniversary of quarantine in NYC and Broadway shows being shut down for an unforeseeable future, Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State officials have just given a little bit of hope. Through a new initiative called NY PopsUp, some performing arts venues in New York City and New York State will open its doors for spontaneous and curated performances (mostly free for the public) as part of a festival. A new series, that the governor’s office states is “intended to revitalize the spirit and emotional well-being of New York citizens with the energy of live performance while jumpstarting New York’s struggling live entertainment sector…”, will open up opportunities for a safe and gradual transition to a full Broadway reopening. This pilot program will set the standards and expectations for the future of Broadway. The initiative is also co-led by Scott Rudin and Jane Rosenthal. 

Theater venues with flexible seating that can allow for appropriate social distancing, will allow visitors the chance to relive the days of in-person theatre entertainment. Some of those performing arts venues include The Apollo Theater in Harlem, St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, National Black Theatre, and the Music Box on 45th street; right in the heart of the theatre district. Audiences up to 33% of the usual capacity, with a maximum of 100 individuals indoors and 200 outdoors are the guidelines set and approved by the New York State Department of Health, in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and Empire State Development. 

Artists from all walks of life will participate in this ongoing festival with special performances and appearances from Tony-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), Chris Rock (The Motherf**ker with the Hat), Drama Desk-winner Larry Owens (A Strange Loop), Tony-winner Savion Glover (Shuffle Along), opera singer J’Nai Bridges (Carmen) and Tony-nominee Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple).

All those who work in the arts have been devastated by the pandemic.

Today we announce NY PopsUp—a nation-leading initiative to accelerate the revival of the arts: the creative energy that defines NY.

It will feature 300+ pop-up arts events across NYS. Watch for one near you. pic.twitter.com/LB0PO5OvzE

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) February 8, 2021

Even though the program started in February, performances in venues like the Music Box will welcome guests beginning in April. Programming updates will occur on a rolling basis.

The post Curtains Rise On Some NYC Theatre Venues in April as Part of NY PopsUp Initiative appeared first on Broadway Black.

Later, McDonald sat down to talk about the highly-anticipated new musical Shuffle Along, and explained the historical significance of the show (it broke many barriers including being first to feature jazz in musicals, feature black actors, and even have black audience members in the orchestra seats). She also talked about what it’s like learning choreography from tap phenomenon  Savion Glover (she swears she’ll have it together by the first preview).

As a bonus, The Tonight Show blessed us with another clip where McDonald recalls some of her tales from backstage while doing Porgy and Bess and 110 In The Shade, which includes dog poop and ladybug tattoos.

Check out the videos below and if you haven’t already, get your Shuffle Along tickets here. Previews start at The Music Box on March 15th, and officially opens April 28th. Trust us, it’s a show you definitely don’t want to miss.

The post Audra McDonald Sings Yahoo! Answers On Jimmy Fallon + Talks Shuffle Along Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

In this divine union of Black Broadway brilliance, Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed is the reimagining of the classic 1921 musical.  The star-studded cast, including Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter, chatted with “Sunday Morning” about the process and the progress.

“I actually threw some tap shoes on a few months back just to see what would happen, and my timing was very awful, you know,” joked Mitchell.  “But it came back after a while!”

Now, Shuffle Along is back, nearly 100 years after becoming one of the first hit musical comedies starring, written and directed by African Americans.  For all of the strides and successes it made in its time, its significance remained unearthed for decades following its closing.

“And then history stepped in and said, ‘Thank you — and maybe we’ll remember you, and maybe we won’t,” said Tony Award-winning director George C. Wolfe.

The all-star team is lead by Wolfe and his Jelly’s Last Jam protegé, famed choreographer Savion Glover. By all accounts, Glover’s unique tap style is less than old hat for the Broadway Vets.

“I learned how to tap traditionally… I can say this: I learned how to tap from the white folks!” Porter cackled.  “I was at a ballet bar. It was very technical. Now, it’s like learning a whole ‘nother language.”

Even the seemingly flawless Ms. McDonald is still trying to find her groove.

“Because Savion doesn’t necessarily say, ‘This step is a left flap-ball-change-shuffle.’ He goes, Ba-da-da ba-da-da … it’s just call-and-response with him. That’s how he teaches.”

But in true professional fashion, each of the players are up to the challenge.

“I’ll say, like, ‘Oh, I can simplify that for you.’ And they say, ‘No, give me the harder one. I wanna learn that,'” Glover said. “That makes me feel great!”

Glover and Wolfe have been successfully working together for 23 years, since Glover was a teenager.  Wolfe directed the piece in which Glover earned his first Tony award for choreography, Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.  

“In our early years of working together, I was there, I was present, but the need to want to learn more wasn’t there,” Glover said of his younger experiences. “Versus this time, I’m learning as we’re working.”

Now, the duo is working together to retell this backstage story about the making of one of the first all-Black Broadway musical hits.  The original production, which launched the careers of greats including Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson, made fans of then New York City shakers George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, and Langston Hughes.

The large cast of 30, which also includes Brandon Victor Dixon, Joshua Henry, Felicia Boswell, Amber Iman and Adrienne Warren, begins official rehearsals in January and we’re not sure who’s more excited, them or us!

“It is such an honor and such a gift to be able to actually exist inside of your dreams,” Porter told DuBois. “This is actually the dream. I am living the dream. It’s extraordinary; it really is.”

The post Shuffle Along Gets Behind-the-Scenes Treatment on CBS appeared first on Broadway Black.

“Leave that humdrum place of glum behind
Once you walk inside these doors, you’re mine
Now let me blow your mind.”

And for two years, audience members who’ve seen Tony Award winner Billy Porter excel as “Lola” have been captivated and had their minds blown by his performance. Unfortunately, Porter soon will put “Lola’s” stilettos on the shelf as he embarks upon his next Broadway venture in the upcoming musical revival Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

Porter, who also won a Drama Desk Award for this role, has starred in Kinky Boots since the musical had its 2012 pre-Broadway premiere in Chicago. In addition to awards, he has received resounding critical acclaim for his performance. Thom Geier from “Entertainment Weekly” once wrote that Porter “portrays drag queen Lola with enough sequined swagger to make RuPaul look like a wallflower. Thanks to Porter’s star-making turn, Kinky Boots delivers some pumps-up kicks.”

His final performance as “Lola” will be November 20. We’ll miss Porter’s electrifying performances but we’re tremendously excited about his next role.

Thank you @PorterBacks. It's been a helluva journey!! pic.twitter.com/s4sSxMLBiU

— Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) November 1, 2015

For those who are wondering who can possibly fill “Lola’s” stilettos, don’t fret. Porter is handing over Lola’s heels to someone who’s equally capable of sashaying around the stage. Funny man and all-around performer Wayne Brady is set to take on the role beginning November 21. If you want to see him strut his stuff, tickets can be purchased here.

Wayne Brady as Lola in Kinky Boots.

Everybody say FABULOUS! @WayneBrady struts into Lola's sparkly red boots 11/21! https://t.co/DflgFobJDu pic.twitter.com/wXcT07E4eN

— Kinky Boots the Musical (@KinkyBootsBway) November 6, 2015

The post Billy Porter Hangs Up Lola’s Kinky Boots & Welcomes Wayne Brady appeared first on Broadway Black.

The six-time Tony winner will be absent from the production for three months starting Tuesday, June 21, 2016 through Sunday, September 25. It’s been announced that her absence is to fulfill a prior commitment. However, there have been no details released on what that commitment is or who will fulfill the role in her absence. McDonald is scheduled to return to the show on September 27.

Shuffle Along will present the landmark 1921 African-American musical revue Shuffle Along alongside the behind-the-scenes details that led the songwriting team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake and librettists F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles to create this groundbreaking work. In what has been billed as a revival, McDonald will take on the role of “Lottie Gee” and Brian Stokes Mitchell will appear in the the role of “F.E. Miller.” Porter takes on the role of “Aubrey Lyles,” with Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry as “Blake” and “Sissle.”

Other cast members include Adrienne Warren from Bring It On: The Musical, Darius de Haas (Rent, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Felicia Boswell (Motown: The Musical, Memphis), and Christian Dante White, c0-creator of Broadway Legacy.

George C. Wolfe will write the book and direct and Savion Glover will choreograph the highly anticipated production. As previously announced, the rest of the creative team includes Orchestrator Daryl Waters (musical supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations), Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Ann Roth (costume design), Scott Lehrer (sound design), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design), and Shelton Becton (musical director).

In 2014, the extraordinarily talented McDonald made Broadway history with a record-setting sixth Tony Award, for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. She also has the distinction of being the first person to receive awards in all four actress acting categories. She has also won Tonys for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, and Porgy and Bess.

Shuffle Along begins previews at the Music Box Theatre on March 14, 2016. For more information on tickets, click HERE.

The post Audra McDonald to Take Shuffle Along Hiatus appeared first on Broadway Black.

It was a time that was “roaring,” right? World War I and the depression following it was over, and an economic boom was in the works. The emancipation of slavery had 56 years under its belt. The Great White Way was abuzz with as many as 50 new musicals that would open in a single season. Enthusiastic patrons were willing to shell out top dollar for a seat.

Shuffle Along became an instantaneous hit as the first major production to be produced, written and performed entirely by African Americans since the George Walker–Bert Williams Bandanna Land (1908). Before that it was the 1902 In Dahomey, also featuring Walker and Williams. Shuffle Along, however, served as a hallmark to the Harlem Renaissance, contributed to the desegregation of theatres (with Black patrons allowed in orchestra seats rather than restricted to the balcony), and set the stage for nine more African-American musicals by 1924.

The Noble Sissle–Eubie Blake musical – so popular that police created a one-way thoroughfare to the 63rd Street Music Hall to ease the traffic jams – ran for an unprecedented 504 performances through July 1922. Poet Langston Hughes, whose first poem was the 1921 “A Negro Speaks of Rivers,” was among the many repeat attendees. He was so enthralled with the “honey of a show” that he wrote:

“The 1920s were the years of Manhattan’s Black Renaissance…. Certainly it was the musical revue, Shuffle Along, that gave a scintillating send-off to that Negro vogue in Manhattan…. People came back to see it innumerable times. It was always packed…. When I saw it, I was thrilled and delighted…. It gave just the proper push – a pre-Charleston kick – to that Negro vogue of the ‘20s, that spread to books, African sculpture, music and dancing.”

So, when the vintage graphics were revealed for the Shuffle Along website, liken my excitement to all the above for what will mark a 95th anniversary of the pioneering work.

To see the colorfully billed star-quality names – Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Brandon Victor Dixon and Joshua Henry (in an alternating palette of lemon, orange, red and sea green) – my heart did a Charleston flutter reminiscent of when the actors were announced they would share the stage. I grinned looking at “Savion Glover” and “George C. Wolfe” next to the words “choreographed by” and “directed by,” respectively. The duo meet again for the first time since Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk.

Full Cast: Adrienne Warren, Darius de Haas, Felicia Boswell, Christian Dante White, Brooks Ashmanskas, Amber Iman, Phillip Attmore, C.K. Edwards, Afra Hines,Curtis Holland, Adrienne Howard, Kendrick Jones, Lisa LaTouche, Alicia Lundgren, J.C. Montgomery, Erin N. Moore, Janelle Neal, Brittany Parks,Arbender Robinson, Karissa Royster, Britton Smith, Zurin Villanueva, J.L. Williams, Pamela Yasutake, and Richard Riaz Yoder, as previously reported

The 2016 revival of Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed isn’t set to showcase its “glamour” and “hotcha” until April at the Music Box Theatre. April 21 to be exact, with previews to begin March 14. But people are ready.

The Tony-winning Wolfe, who offers up a new book from the original vaudeville comedians F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles, has called Shuffle Along, “the real juice… the real spark, not Black performers performing White people’s vision of Black people.” However, the original show has been critiqued as relying on minstrel stereotypes (Miller and Lyles would even perform in burnt-cork blackface). In fact, a character’s line went something to the effect that the lighter the skin, the more desirable an African American woman.

The musical launched the careers of Josephine Baker, Florence Mills and Adelaide Louise Hall; it featured an impressive 16-woman chorus line; and obliterated taboos with a Black love story being front and center.

For 2015-2016, Broadway will have perhaps its most diverse season (Amazing Grace; Hamilton; The Gin Game; The Color Purple; and Children of a Lesser God) and chances to establish the ever-evasive but always needed renaissance. Whatever you must do to be part of it, don’t drag your feet.

Visit shufflealongbroadway.com to enter your email for news and updates. Tickets go on sale Sept. 12.

The post Shuffle Along Is Getting Ready To Go Into Full Swing! appeared first on Broadway Black.

The production, with a new book and direction by George C. Wolfe and choreography by Savion Glover, will present the landmark 1921 African-American musical revue Shuffle Along alongside the behind-the-scenes details that led the songwriting team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake and librettists F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles to create this groundbreaking work. We were previously unsure about what role Mitchell would be playing but now we know that he will take on the role of F.E. Miller and Porter takes on the role of Aubrey Lyles, with Dixon and Henry as Blake and Sissle, and, as previously announced, McDonald as performer Lottie Gee. This actually might be the first time Dixon & Henry are in the same show together and not actually replacing each other. Also, both actors played the role of Heywood Patterson in major mountings of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical The Scottsboro Boys.

Shuffle Along marks a reunion for several different cast members including Glover and Wolfe, both of whom won Tony Awards for the 1996 hit Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk. It will also be the first time that McDonald and Mitchell have worked together since the original Broadway production of Ragtime.

JUST IN!!! @brandonvdixon @theebillyporter & @joshuahenry20 join @AudraEqualityMc & @BstokesMitchell in #ShuffleAlong

A photo posted by BroadwayBlack (@broadwayblack) on Aug 9, 2015 at 7:46am PDT

Previews for Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed begin on March 14, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre, with official opening set for April 21.

The new production traces the path to unexpected success and the creative legacy of the 1921 all-Black revueShuffle Along, which was conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles and featured music by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, four celebrated vaudeville performers who met at a 1920 NAACP benefit. As one of the first all-Black Broadway musical hits that was also written by Blacks, Shuffle Along significantly altered the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. The show opened the door for Black performers and writers on the stage during the period in the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Notwithstanding its success, Shuffle Along was not without its challenges. By contemporary standards, it remains problematic: some actors performed in blackface and the score included a song about how lighter-skinned Black women are more attractive than women with darker skin. Shuffle Along arrived in Depression-era New York mired in debt from a pre-Broadway tour, set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical.

However, Shuffle Alongimmediately caught on with its jazzy score and exuberant song-and-dance styles. “It was a groundbreaking moment – they were creating these dances in the streets,” Mr. Glover said. “I’m hoping to reignite that sense of exuberance – that sense of joy through expression.” The plot involved two old friends who run against one another for the office of mayor of their town, each promising to hire the other if elected. Once in office, however, the two find themselves at odds. “I’m in love with these characters, and I’m in love with their bravery – brilliant, astonishing, extraordinary artists created a show that redefined rhythm and entertainment and vitality on Broadway,” Mr. Wolfe said.Shuffle Along ran for over 480 performances, helping to launch the careers of such artists as Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington and Paul Robeson.

Creative team includes Daryl Waters (musical supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations), Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Ann Roth (costume design), Scott Lehrer (sound design), Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design), and Shelton Becton (musical director).

The post Billy Porter, Joshua Henry, & Brandon Victor Dixon Join Audra McDonald & Brian Stokes Mitchell For Shuffle Along appeared first on Broadway Black.

It has not been officially announced of what character Mitchell will portray. It hasn’t been officially announced that he will be a part of this show at all. However, it is listed on his website calendar and we sort of knew this cast list anyway so we feel confident in reporting this collabration and are very excited to see it come into fruition.

The new production traces the path to unexpected success and the creative legacy of the 1921 all-Black revueShuffle Along, which was conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lylesand featured music by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, four celebrated vaudeville performers who met at a 1920 NAACP benefit. As one of the first all-Black Broadway musical hits that was also written by Blacks, Shuffle Along significantly altered the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. The show opened the door for Black performers and writers on the stage during the period in the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Notwithstanding its success, Shuffle Along was not without its challenges. By contemporary standards, it remains problematic: some actors performed in blackface and the score included a song about how lighter-skinned Black women are more attractive than women with darker skin. Shuffle Along arrived in Depression-era New York mired in debt from a pre-Broadway tour, set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical.

However, Shuffle Along immediately caught on with its jazzy score and exuberant song-and-dance styles. “It was a groundbreaking moment – they were creating these dances in the streets,” Mr. Glover said. “I’m hoping to reignite that sense of exuberance – that sense of joy through expression.” The plot involved two old friends who run against one another for the office of mayor of their town, each promising to hire the other if elected. Once in office, however, the two find themselves at odds. “I’m in love with these characters, and I’m in love with their bravery – brilliant, astonishing, extraordinary artists created a show that redefined rhythm and entertainment and vitality on Broadway,” Mr. Wolfe said.Shuffle Along ran for over 480 performances, helping to launch the careers of such artists as Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington and Paul Robeson.

Previews for Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed begin on March 14, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre, with official opening set for April 21.

The post Brian Stokes Mitchell Will Reunite With Audra McDonald On Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

“The language of music is rhythm. Rhythm is the language of life”

These are the first words spoken in the brilliant new documentary, Tap World. This film explores the vast and varied world of tap dance and highlights the stories of different tap dancers (such as Ted Louis Levy who spoke the quote above) who are shaping this world and continuing a grand legacy of passion, skill, and artistry.

Tap World delves into the history of tap dance as a means of communication rooted in African cultures. Ivery Wheeler explains the importance of rhythm to convey information and warning in the days of American slavery and in South Africa among the mine workers. Both have grown into rich styles of movement: tap and gumboot dancing. These physical forms of artistic expression have a foundation in survival which is why they are filled with so much life.

The focus of the film is the connectivity of tap dance and how it transcends race, background, gender, and words. It showcases the diverse lives of some dancers around the world who are at the forefront of this art form. Jason Samuels Smith has been dancing for over 25 years and worked on Broadway’s Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk. With the love and support of his family, he has become one of the world’s most prolific tap dancers. On the other side of the planet, Pandit Chitresh Das had been using the North Indian form of storytelling, Kathak, for decades before meeting Smith and the two realized they could dance in perfect harmony without knowing a thing about each other. This beautiful collaboration is seen in their piece India Jazz Suites.

Another artist featured in Tap World is Chloe Arnold. As a child, Arnold was part of a Savion Glover workshop in DC and from that, her interest turned into a passion. She has been dancing and teaching around the world ever since. When abroad, at times there are interpreters but she has found that in the dance studio, they are not always needed. Arnold fully believes, “The simple things: rhythm and love, transcend differences.”

Tap World introduces us to artists around the globe who are not only loving what they do and love sharing it, but who are using tap for social change and sometimes saving lives. These dancers are taking something very important to them and bringing the world together one step at a time. Tap World premieres in select theaters in New York City, D.C., and Virginia July 10th, Dallas on July 17th, and Los Angeles on August 7th. For theaters and ticket information, visit www.tapworldfilm.com

The post Welcome To TAP WORLD! New Docu-Film Shows Tap Love & History appeared first on Broadway Black.

The new production traces the path to unexpected success and the creative legacy of the 1921 all-Black revue Shuffle Along, which was conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles and featured music by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, four celebrated vaudeville performers who met at a 1920 NAACP benefit. As one of the first all-Black Broadway musical hits that was also written by Blacks, Shuffle Along significantly altered the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. The show opened the door for Black performers and writers on the stage during the period in the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Notwithstanding its success, Shuffle Along was not without its challenges. By contemporary standards, it remains problematic: some actors performed in blackface and the score included a song about how lighter-skinned Black women are more attractive than women with darker skin. Shuffle Along arrived in Depression-era New York mired in debt from a pre-Broadway tour, set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical.

However, Shuffle Along immediately caught on with its jazzy score and exuberant song-and-dance styles. “It was a groundbreaking moment – they were creating these dances in the streets,” Mr. Glover said. “I’m hoping to reignite that sense of exuberance – that sense of joy through expression.” The plot involved two old friends who run against one another for the office of mayor of their town, each promising to hire the other if elected. Once in office, however, the two find themselves at odds. “I’m in love with these characters, and I’m in love with their bravery – brilliant, astonishing, extraordinary artists created a show that redefined rhythm and entertainment and vitality on Broadway,” Mr. Wolfe said. Shuffle Along ran for over 480 performances, helping to launch the careers of such artists as Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington and Paul Robeson.

Audra McDonald made Tony Awards history in 2014 with her sixth win, becoming the first performer to have taken home Broadway’s highest honor in all four acting categories in which she is eligible. She has won twice as featured actress in a musical, for Carousel in 1994 and Ragtime in 1998; twice for featured actress in a play, in Master Class in 1996 and A Raisin in the Sun in 2004; and for lead actress in a musical in 2012 for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. McDonald completed the grand slam last year, winning for lead actress in a play with her transformative portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Wolfe and Glover both won Tonys for their work on Bring in ‘da Noise, and Wolfe had previously won directing honors for the two-part Angels in America.

Previews for Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed begin on March 14, 2016, at the Music Box Theatre, with official opening set for April 21.

The post Audra McDonald Will Shuffle Along With Savion Glover & George C. Wolfe appeared first on Broadway Black.