Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way

I'm a huge Broadway fan, and one of my favourite birthday gifts was the book 'ShowTime' by Larry Stempel. The book mentions a musical called 'Shuffle Along', that was a sensation in Broadway in 1921- an all-Black cast, with Black creatives, that was responsible for kickstarting the careers of many stalwarts of the stage, among others, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills and Josephine Baker. I couldn't find more information about it though, in as much detail as I wanted, and this book is perfect for that. It's a lot more than a book about this particular musical though which makes it perfect for anyone with a passing interest in history as well-it's an exploration that centres Black performers, both theatre and musical performers, as they grappled with restrictive race laws, dangerous working conditions and mindsets that refused to accept art beyond a narrow paradigm. For instance, he considers the heart-breaking work compulsions that forced successful Black vaudevillians to don blackface, and the important parts they played in slowly and gradually working to reduce stereotyped portrayals of African -Americans on stage. While I've heard about James Reese Europe, for instance, I loved that this book gave me a lot more detail about his position as a foundational musician who mentored so many more, though he died tragically too young. The Harlem Renaissance played a vital part in inspiring the musical, so the book explores that as well, and how all of these works of art were and performers were inspiring and influencing each other. 'Shuffle ALong' isn't just important for its astounding popularity ( more than 500 performances on Broadway), it was also a pioneer in many ways, specially noted for its choreography, that emphasised the skills of the dancers. Contemporary revues like the Ziegfield Follies also had dances, but they were more inclined to the spectacle side of it, rather than the dances of Shuffle Along that were intricately choreographed, where the dance “number” itself was the highlight of the show, and not an addition. 'Shuffle Along' was a collaboration between Miller and Lyles, a popular comedy duo, who wrote the book for the musical, and Blake and Sissle, musicians who frequently collaborated, and composed the music. Gaines delves into the backgrounds of each of them, and the unbelievable grace under pressure they displayed to make careers for themselves in a systemically racist society. He also gives you a great insight into all the effort required to put a show together, from choosing appropriate theatres to fund-raising. It wasn’t without its problems though-many of the female performers complained of colourism in the auditions. It’s important to recognise the many achievements of the show, though, while acknowledging that it wasn’t perfect.The Great Depression of 1929, however, ended this brilliant run, as it did for theatres across Broadway. While the creative forces behind ‘Shuffle Along’ tried other musicals, none ran for as long as this did, though they had moderate successes with other musicals like Runnin’ Wild, famous for popularising the Charleston. They went on to have successes in their careers, though they didn’t work together again. Gaines points out, it’s also very unfair that ‘Shuffle Along’ doesn’t rank up there among the greatest American musicals, despite a song from it being used in Harry Truman’s re-election campaign. A far more lasting achievement though, of all these musicals backed by Black creative and Black actors, was to work towards diverse portrayals of Black life in America. Though it seems obvious now, it’s sad to think that it was considered radical for ‘Shuffle Along’ to have a romantic relationship onstage, that didn’t either end in slapstick comedy or tragedy, for the African-American protagonists. It opened the doors to the idea of stories that weren’t only about plantation life, and more importantly, it showcased the talents of the performers for their skills as singers, dancers and actors, and not merely as novelties onstage (as the prevailing attitudes were). It’s sad to think that the creators were hoping to achieve all of this way back in the 1920s when they haven’t been entirely solved even in the 2020s. It’s ultimately a great story though, a perfect union of genius and hard work coming together, that has influenced so many others. This book will ensure that ‘Shuffle Along’ isn’t merely a footnote in the Great American Songbook.