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John Henry
Broadway
Original
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John Henry Playbill - Jan 1940
John Henry
Broadway
Original
44th Street Theatre
216 W. 44th St., New York, NY, New York, NY
SYNOPSIS:
lyrics:
Roark Bradford
book:
Roark Bradford
music:
Jacques Wolfe
People (67)
Paul Robeson
John Henry
(Original)
Minto Cato
Old Aunt Dinah
(Original)
J. De Witt Spencer
Mink Eye
(Original)
Nud
(Original)
Ruby Elzy
Julie Anne
(Original)
Alexander Gray
Billie Bob Russell
(Original)
Mate
(Original)
Robert Harvey
Hell Buster
(Original)
Myra Johnson
Poor Selma
(Original)
Henrietta Lovelace
Julie Anne's Mamma
(Original)
Benveneta Washington
Carrie
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Josh White
Blind Lemon
(Original)
Musa Williams
Ruby
(Original)
Samuel A. Floyd
Ensemble
(Original)
James Armstrong
Ensemble
(Original)
Joseph Attles
Bad Stacker Lee
(Original)
Man Named Sam
(Original)
Leona Avery
Ensemble
(Original)
James B. Gordon
Ensemble
(Original)
Ernest Baskette
Ensemble
(Original)
Ella Belle Davis
Ensemble
(Original)
Jonathan Brice
Ensemble
(Original)
Oscar Brooks
Ensemble
(Original)
Maudine Brown
Ensemble
(Original)
Alyce Carter
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
George Dickson
Ensemble
(Original)
Rucker
(Original)
John Diggs
Ensemble
(Original)
Nora Evans
Ensemble
(Original)
Marie Fraser
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Samuel Gary
Ensemble
(Original)
Ruth Gibbs
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Louis Gilbert
Ensemble
(Original)
First Caller
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Claudia Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Katherine Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Edgar Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Lloyd Howlett
Ensemble
(Original)
Floyd
(Original)
George Jones, Jr.
Julie Anne's Papa
(Original)
George Kennedy
Ensemble
(Original)
Mildred Lassiter
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
James E. Lightfoot
Deaf Man
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
John Henry's Papa
(Original)
Sadie McGill
Ensemble
(Original)
Rucker's Wife
(Original)
Wyer Owens Handy
Ensemble
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Massie Patterson
Ensemble
(Original)
Bayard Rustin
Ensemble
(Original)
C.W. Scott
Ensemble
(Original)
Roustabout
(Original)
Ernest Shaw
Ensemble
(Original)
Anne Simmons
Ensemble
(Original)
Maude Simmons
Ensemble
(Original)
John Henry's Mamma
(Original)
Merritt Smith
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Reader
(Original)
Kenneth Spencer
Walking Boss
(Original)
Randall Steplight
Ensemble
(Original)
Eva Vaughan
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Mattie Washington
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Charles Welch
Ensemble
(Original)
Alice White
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Frederick Wilkerson
Ensemble
(Original)
William Woolfolk
Ensemble
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Second Caller
(Original)
Ray Yeates
A Rouster
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
Lead Heaver
(Original)
View All Current Cast
Paul Robeson
John Henry
(Original)
Minto Cato
Old Aunt Dinah
(Original)
J. De Witt Spencer
Mink Eye
(Original)
Nud
(Original)
Ruby Elzy
Julie Anne
(Original)
Alexander Gray
Billie Bob Russell
(Original)
Mate
(Original)
Robert Harvey
Hell Buster
(Original)
Myra Johnson
Poor Selma
(Original)
Henrietta Lovelace
Julie Anne's Mamma
(Original)
Benveneta Washington
Carrie
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Josh White
Blind Lemon
(Original)
Musa Williams
Ruby
(Original)
Samuel A. Floyd
Ensemble
(Original)
James Armstrong
Ensemble
(Original)
Joseph Attles
Bad Stacker Lee
(Original)
Man Named Sam
(Original)
Leona Avery
Ensemble
(Original)
James B. Gordon
Ensemble
(Original)
Ernest Baskette
Ensemble
(Original)
Ella Belle Davis
Ensemble
(Original)
Jonathan Brice
Ensemble
(Original)
Oscar Brooks
Ensemble
(Original)
Maudine Brown
Ensemble
(Original)
Alyce Carter
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
George Dickson
Ensemble
(Original)
Rucker
(Original)
John Diggs
Ensemble
(Original)
Nora Evans
Ensemble
(Original)
Marie Fraser
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Samuel Gary
Ensemble
(Original)
Ruth Gibbs
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Louis Gilbert
Ensemble
(Original)
First Caller
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Claudia Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Katherine Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Edgar Hall
Ensemble
(Original)
Lloyd Howlett
Ensemble
(Original)
Floyd
(Original)
George Jones, Jr.
Julie Anne's Papa
(Original)
George Kennedy
Ensemble
(Original)
Mildred Lassiter
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
James E. Lightfoot
Deaf Man
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
John Henry's Papa
(Original)
Sadie McGill
Ensemble
(Original)
Rucker's Wife
(Original)
Wyer Owens Handy
Ensemble
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Massie Patterson
Ensemble
(Original)
Bayard Rustin
Ensemble
(Original)
C.W. Scott
Ensemble
(Original)
Roustabout
(Original)
Ernest Shaw
Ensemble
(Original)
Anne Simmons
Ensemble
(Original)
Maude Simmons
Ensemble
(Original)
John Henry's Mamma
(Original)
Merritt Smith
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Reader
(Original)
Kenneth Spencer
Walking Boss
(Original)
Randall Steplight
Ensemble
(Original)
Eva Vaughan
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Mattie Washington
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Charles Welch
Ensemble
(Original)
Alice White
Ensemble
(Original)
Fancy Ladies' Octette
(Original)
Frederick Wilkerson
Ensemble
(Original)
William Woolfolk
Ensemble
(Original)
Pimps' Quartette
(Original)
Second Caller
(Original)
Ray Yeates
A Rouster
(Original)
Ensemble
(Original)
Lead Heaver
(Original)
View All Cast
Roark Bradford
Book
Lyrics
Jacques Wolfe
Music
Anthony Brown
Staging
Charles Friedman
Staging
Albert R. Johnson
Scenic Design
John Hambleton
Costume Design
Charles L. Cooke
Orchestrator
Hans Spialek
Orchestrator
Leonard De Paur
Musical Supervisor
Sam Byrd
Producer
Fred Mitchell
Produced in Association With
View All Production Team
Pro Info
Opening Date
Jan
10
1940
Closing Date
Jan
15
1940
Performances
7
as of Dec 04, 2025
Inside The Playbill
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John Henry - January 10, 1940
John Henry - January 10, 1940
John Henry - January 10, 1940
John Henry - January 10, 1940
John Henry - January 10, 1940
John Henry - January 10, 1940
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