On & Off Broadway

‘Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical of 1921 and All That Followed’

Review by Elyse Trevers

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This has been a banner Broadway season, beginning with the record-breaking Hamilton and ending with the groundbreaking “Shuffle Along: The Making of The Musical of 1921 and All That Followed.” Shuffle Along tells the story of the first all black Broadway musical. The show played on 63rd Street, but it was Broadway, nevertheless. The book and music were written by four black men and all the performers were black.

Despite the producers' efforts to convince the Tony committee that this musical is a revival, it is truly a new show because Shuffle Along depicts how the original show evolved, including its background, its creatives and its financial difficulties. The second act goes beyond the musical, showing the eventual breakup of the show’s collaborators.

There are five talented, featured performers in Shuffle Along, and each plays a notable theatrical figure of the time. Brian Stokes Mitchell plays F.E. Miller who together with his partner, Aubrey Lyles (Billy Porter of Kinky Boots), wrote the book of the show. Mitchell’s voice is deep and sonorous and he lends an air of maturity. Porter is manic and energetic and his character is quirky. The musical duo of Eubie Blake (Brandon Victor Dixon) and Noble Sissle (Joshua Henry) wrote the music and lyrics. Both Dixon and Henry are skilled singers and dancers. As Blake, Dixon also gets to play the love interest. Brooks Ashmanskas portrays all the white men in the show, often providing some comic relief.

The incomparable Audra McDonald plays Lottie Gee, the female star of the show. Whether she’s aloof and playing hard to get or flirtatious and loving, McDonald is a consummate performer. She tap dances too, which must be a prerequisite for this show. Her voice is thrilling, whether she sings a classic from the show (“I’m Just Wild About Harry”) or a lesser-known piece.

It’s easy for a 2016 audience to forget the prejudices of the times so the show subtly and not so subtly reminds us. Shuffle Along was the first black show to tell a story rather than just present singing, dancing and jokes. It also featured a black couple in love, and Lottie took a risk as the couple touched and even kissed. It is shocking to see F.E. Miller put on black face to go onstage. Despite the incredible success of the show and the financial rewards, the men were still forced to enter some clubs through the back door.

Choreographer Savion Glover puts his stamp on every musical number. The dancing is wonderful and often it is used to move the action forward rather than replicate the original musical. One of the most innovative numbers is “Pennsylvania Graveyard Shuffle” as the cast is “traveling” throughout the country.

Every number in the first act is spirited and accompanied by dancing. Even when the performers are despondent because they are short on funds, the music turns into a rousing spiritual. The second act bogs down after the show becomes a success because the partnership crumbles and the men split up. However the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and they never repeat the same success again.

The story follows the lives and careers of the creative team. As Shuffle Along continues, it loses much of its vitality. The show ends with each actor, including the ensemble members, giving the year of death for the character he or she portrayed.

The show limps to a conclusion. I felt sure that there would be a reprisal, a final song and tap number, to leave the audience happy at the end, but director George Wolfe opted not to close with a rousing number. The audience leaves somewhat subdued. If it was Wolfe’s intention to teach the history and remind the audience of the discrimination of the time, then he was successful. If the intent was for us to leave happy, that didn’t happen. We all shuffled out of the theater, having admired the talent and story, but somewhat chastened.