Previews begin March 15 at the Music Box Theatre, and the show will open April 28. The musical stars record-breaking six-time Tony Award winner , along with fellow Tony winners and , plus Tony nominees and .
is producing the show. is writing the book as well as directing, and is creating the choreography.
The backstage story recounts the making of one of the first all-black Broadway musical hits that was also written by African-Americans. It opened the door for black performers and writers on the stage during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.
Featured in the supporting cast are , , , , , Alexandria Bradley, , , , , , , Jason Holley, , , , , JC Montgomery, , , , , , , , , , and .
Tickets are also on sale by calling (212) 239-6200 or visiting .
鈥淚n May 1921, the new musical Shuffle Along became the unlikeliest of hits, significantly altering the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. By the time Shuffle Along stumbled into town after a back-breaking pre-Broadway tour, it was deeply in debt and set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. In a season full of spectacles, such as Sally 鈥� a Ziegfeld musical 鈥� and another edition of 鈥檚 Scandals, Shuffle Along鈥檚 failure was almost a foregone conclusion," press notes state.
"New York City was still in the throes of the Depression of 1920. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical. But with an infectious jazz score and exuberant dancing, Shuffle Along [which contained the hit 'I'm Just Wild About Harry'] ignited not just Broadway but all of New York City. , , , , and famed critic were among the many fans who repeatedly flocked to West 63rd Street to see a cast which 鈥� during its run of 504 performances 鈥� featured such incipient luminaries as , , Florence Mills, Fredi Washington, and Adelaide Hall. Because of Shuffle Along, Uptown and Downtown met and became one.鈥�
Mitchell won a Tony Award for his performance in . He also received three nominations for , and . He will play book writer and performer F.E. Miller.
A Tony winner for , Porter鈥檚 Broadway credits also include Smokey Joe鈥檚 Cafe, , and . He will play Aubrey Lyles, a writer and performer.
Dixon and Henry will play the songwriting team of and . Recently seen at City Center鈥檚 Encores! Off-Center production of The Wild Party, Dixon has appeared on Broadway in and , for which he received a Tony nomination. Henry is a two-time Tony nominee for and , and he has also appeared in , and .
McDonald, who won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in , has also won Tonys for , , Ragtime, and Porgy and Bess. She will play the 1920s headliner Lottie Gee, the star of Shuffle Along.
With music by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, Shuffle Along premiered in May 1921 and had a run variously recorded as 484 performances and 504 performances, either one a remarkably long run by the standards of the time. The plot involved two old friends who run against one another for the office of mayor of their town, each promising to hire the other if elected. Once in office, however, the two find themselves at odds. The show was noted for its score and for a comic fight scene in Act II. That score included "In Honeysuckle Time," "Love Will Find a Way," "Bandana Time," "If You Haven't Been Vamped by a Brownskin, You Haven't Been Vamped at All" and its biggest hit, "I'm Just Wild About Harry."
The new musical will use the Blake & Sissle music with an original libretto by Wolfe. The show will represent the first collaboration between Wolfe and tap master Glover since their Tony-winning in 1996.
will provide music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations. The production will feature scenic design by , costume design by , lighting design by and and sound design by . will be the musical director.
Wolfe won the Tony Award twice, as director of both a musical and a play: Bring in 'da Noise in 1996 and in 1993. He also directed 16 Broadway productions, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning , plus , The Wild Party, and .
Glover made his Broadway debut in 1983 at age 10 in , but has spent most of the last 18 years touring with his own dance troupe.
During its long run, the original Shuffle Along employed at various times the future stars Josephine Baker, Florence Mills, Adelaide Hall and Paul Robeson. After its initial run the show had two revivals, in 1933 and 1952. Songs from the score were heard in the 1978 Broadway revue,
