9 /10 1 Votes
Music Various Book Loften Mitchell Playwright Loften Mitchell | 9/10 AllMusic Lyrics Various First performance 2 March 1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Basis On a concept by Rosetta LeNoire Productions 1976 Broadway
1976 West End Characters Dusty Ella, Irene Paige, Carolyn, Rusty, Checkers, Marsha, John Sage Similar Ain't Misbehavin', Purlie, Sophisticated Ladies, Five Guys Named Moe, Marie Christine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bubbling Brown Sugar is a musical revue written by Loften Mitchell based on a concept by Rosetta LeNoire and featuring the music of numerous African-American artists who were popular during the Harlem Renaissance, 1920–1940, including Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Fats Waller. Original music, including the title theme song "Bubbling Brown Sugar" was composed by pianist Emme Kemp, a protégé of the legendary Eubie Blake. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Contents
The show was set in a Harlem nightclub of the 1920s-1940s. It originally played at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, opening February 15, 1975, and running for 12 performances. It opened on Broadway at the ANTA Playhouse on March 2, 1976, and closed on December 31, 1977, after 766 performances.
Synopsis
Return to Harlem's golden days of black entertainment: The three middle-aged entertainers Irene, John and Checkers who had been in showbiz for many years meet a young couple Jim and Ella in Harlem. The entertainers lead Jim and Ella back to the days of Swing and Blues, when black entertainers in Harlem's nightclubs used to fascinate the white visitors, as it was in the extravagant Cotton Club, in Small's Paradise and in the Savoy Ballroom. With the youthful entertainers Irene, John and Checkers many legendary black show numbers come to life again.
Characters
Songs
Songs
1Stompin' At The Savoy / Take The "A" Train
2Bubbling Brown Sugar
3Nobody