Scott Joplin is known as the “King of Ragtime,” and his legendary “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) is believed to have sold a million copies of sheet music during the composer’s lifetime.
In 1904, W.E.B. DuBois, eventual co-founder of the NAACP, dreamed of an African-American theater that was “by us, for us, near us, and about us.” After the 1915 release of the racist film Birth of a Nation, DuBois’ plea for socially significant black drama grew more insistent.
Although now often overlooked because of his political beliefs, Paul Robeson was a twentieth-century Renaissance man, excelling as a scholar, athlete, actor, and singer. His stage credits included 1924’s All God’s Chillun Got Wings, the 1925 revival of The Emperor Jones, the 1928 British production of Show Boat, and the long-running 1943 Broadway production of Othello. In 1930, on the stage of London’s Savoy Theatre, Paul Robeson became the first black actor to portray Othello since Ira Aldridge took the part in 1825. In 1943, when Robeson played the Moor of Venice on Broadway, the production had a record-breaking run followed by a lengthy North American tour.
Beginning in 1927, Duke Ellington and his musicians formed the Cotton Club’s resident band, and frequent radio broadcasts brought the Duke’s brand of jazz into American homes. Here, the Duke is seated at the piano, surrounded by members of his orchestra. PHOTO PERMISSION:
Cab Calloway’s talent and personality were as big as his smile and his outsized foot suit, It’s easy to understand why the “Hi De ho Man” drew theatergoers to Broadway when he appeared in the 1953 revival of Porgy and Bess and in 1967’s all -black production of Hello, Dolly!
In the 1920s, Langston Hughes emerged as a major figure of the artistic and social movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. But Mulatto—Hughes’ most successful play—did not reach the Broadway stage until 1935.
When A Raisin in the Sun opened in 1959, Sidney Poitier had already appeared in the plays Lysistrata (1946) and Anna Lucasta (1947), and his performance in the 1950 film "No Way Out" had garnered him both notice and further movie offers. With audiences eager to see more of the actor, Poitier could now choose among leading roles on the stage and screen.
Worlds apart from the relatively lightweight musicals of the season, Golden Boy tackled tough issues such as racial discrimination. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who saw the show soon after it opened, praised the production’s unflinching picture of black life in America…. At the height of the civil rights movement—and despite death threats, from which producer Hillard Elkins tried to shield star Sammy Davis, Jr.—Golden Boy opened in October 1964 at the Majestic Theatre. It was a hit, running for 569 performances and receiving four Tony Award nominations.
When preparing for the role of boxer Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope, James Earl Jones was able to learn from the experiences of his father, ex-boxer Robert Earl Jones. The actor must have done his homework well, because after Muhammad Ali saw the play, the World Heavyweight Champion had high praise for Jones’ performance.
Influenced by literary greats like Langston Hughes and by the injustice around him, playwright August Wilson wrote the Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of plays that chronicle the experience of African Americans during the twentieth century.
"Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way" is available for purchase from the Playbill Store.
