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When Broadway was Black : the triumphant story of the all-Black musical that changed the world

Call Number

  • 792.08996 G142 (CEN)

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Publication Information

Naperville : Sourcebooks, 2023.

Physical Description

xviii, 492 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Uniform Title

Footnotes.

Summary

"For readers of Hidden Figures and Something Wonderful, When Broadway Was Black is the story of New York in the roaring twenties and the first Broadway show with an all-Black cast and creative team to achieve success--and its impact on our popular culture. Amidst a culture actively whitewashing, controlling, or trying to prevent their stories from being told, these artists changed the course of American entertainment. This groundbreaking group of performers and the creators (including composer Eubie Blake and lyricist Noble Sissle) sowed the seeds of the Harlem jazz scene and paved the way for people of color on stage and screen, ultimately leading to productions such as West Side Story, Black Panther, and of course, Hamilton"--

Notes

"Originally published as Footnotes in the United States of America by Sourcebooks" --- Title page verso.

Contents

  • Part one: The way there
  • The blacker the bait, 1885-1915
  • Know your audience, 1915
  • High society, 1915-1917
  • No man's land, 1917-1919
  • The red summer, 1919
  • Partnered, 1919-1921
  • Part two: Making it
  • Black bohemians, 1921
  • Nevertheless, they succeeded, 1921-1922
  • Vamped by a brown skin, 1922-1923
  • Part Three: Holding on
  • Partial ownership, 1923-24
  • Better than salary, 1924-25
  • Another second chance, 1925-1933
  • White folks follow, 1933-1952.