African-American musical theater
African-American musical theater is a vibrant art form rooted in the cultural traditions of West African people who were enslaved in the United States. This theatrical genre emerged as a vital means for African Americans to share their stories, heritage, and experiences, especially following the abolition of slavery. Its origins can be traced back to the minstrel shows of the early 19th century, which often perpetuated racial stereotypes but eventually led to African American artists, such as those involved in the African Grove Theater, reclaiming their narratives. Pioneering works like "In Dahomey" and "Clorindy" marked significant milestones, showcasing the contributions of Black artists on Broadway.
The post-World War I migration of African Americans spurred the Harlem Renaissance and popularized musical styles like jazz and ragtime, contributing to the broader acceptance and visibility of African-American musicals. Although the genre faced challenges during the Great Depression and World War II, the civil rights movement revitalized interest, leading to a surge in independent theater companies and influential productions such as "The Wiz" and "Dreamgirls." In recent years, the industry has begun addressing systemic racism, with activists and artists advocating for greater diversity and representation in theater. Overall, African-American musical theater reflects a rich tapestry of history, creativity, and social commentary, continuously evolving while remaining deeply connected to cultural heritage.
African-American musical theater
African American musical theater stems from the cultural traditions of West African people who were enslaved in the United States. They used storytelling, improvisation, folklore, folk music, and dance as a way to preserve their heritage. After the American Civil War (1861–1865) and the abolition of slavery, African American composers, playwrights, actors, and dancers began using musical theater as a way to link their communities together. Musical theater also allowed these performers to share their life experiences in America with audiences of other ethnic backgrounds.
Brief History
The origins of African American musical theater can be traced back to the minstrel shows of the early nineteenth century. This controversial form of entertainment portrayed Black stereotypes. The shows often featured White people in black makeup, but later on in the century occasionally featured African American actors. The popularity of minstrelsy among White people during the 1800s prompted African American performers to reappropriate their heritage.
In 1821, William Alexander Brown and James Hewlett started the African Grove Theater in New York City. This theater company provided freed African Americans the chance to enjoy the same types of cultural experiences as White citizens. The company performed classical plays and original plays written by members of the Black community. Later in 1821, the theater burned down and was not rebuilt.
In 1896, Bert Williams and George Walker produced The Gold Bug, a musical that portrayed a satirical account of African American life in the wake of the Civil War. Williams and Walker went on to collaborate on other projects, including In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy and 1910's famous production of the Ziegfeld Follies. They became known for the "cakewalk," a dance that was traditionally performed at gatherings among enslaved people on plantations for a dessert prize. Although the duo was thought to have trademarked the public form of the dance, it was first performed in public during the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
The attention drawn by Williams, Walker, and other performers caused a rift among African American performers. Some, like Bob Cole, felt that African Americans should demonstrate that onstage they could perform similarly to White Americans. Others, such as Will Marion Cook—who composed Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk—felt that African American performers should adopt their own methods. African American actors often were limited to performing in minstrel shows until 1898's Clorindy, the first African American musical comedy that played on Broadway in front of a White audience.
In 1902, In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy became the first full-length African American musical to be featured on a Broadway main stage. Scott Joplin released the ragtime opera Treemonisha in 1914. These productions served as the starting point for twentieth-century African American musical theater.
Overview
The post–World War I (1914–1918) migration of African American people from southern to northern states resulted in an influx of Black people searching for prosperity in large cities such as Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and New York. This migration caused the Harlem Renaissance and popularized African American musical styles such as jazz and ragtime. Black musicals such as Shuffle Along, which was released in 1921, and performers such as Eubie Black and Scott Joplin brought African American musical theater to a wider audience in the United States.
During the 1930s, Black theater increased in popularity. Poet and playwright Langston Hughes formed the Harlem Suitcase Theater. From 1935 until 1939, the US government funded the American Negro Theater as part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project. White composers embraced the popularity of African American musical theater and began copying it. White composers featured African American characters more prominently in productions. George Gershwin's 1935 musical opera Porgy and Bess and Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones featured African American main characters but were written by White composers.
At the same time, the United States experienced the Great Depression (1929–1939), and many African American theaters were forced to close. Playwrights such as Langston Hughes began using their art to protest against the political conditions that caused African American people to suffer. The comedic nature of musicals was not well suited for the somber atmosphere of the Great Depression and World War II (1939–1945), and African American theater saw an increase in dramatic plays instead of musical comedies.
The civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s led to more African American performers becoming involved in theater than ever before. More than six hundred independent African American theater companies started during that period. In 1971, Melvin Van Peebles wrote Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death in response to increasing national crime rates, drug use, and poverty among the African American community. The feminist movement of the 1970s impacted African American musical theater in a major way, too, and many of the musicals that were produced became Broadway hits, including The Wiz and Dreamgirls. These hits were produced by ensembles made up entirely of African American performers.
Although musical theater went out of fashion for a time in the 1980s and 1990s because of the popularity of feature films and television, the musicals that were produced—such as Jelly's Last Jam, which depicted the life of jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton, and Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, which used music and tap dancing to describe the history of African Americans from the slave trade until the introduction of hip-hop music—continued to be inspired by the African American experience.
In the early 2020s, over three hundred Black, Indigenous, and people of color working in the musical theater industry joined together to write an open letter calling out the industry for decades of systemic racism titled "We See You, White American Theater." The letter demanded theater production teams be at least 50 percent minority individuals, citing decades of exploitation and exclusion. Among the notable theater professionals who signed the letter were Leslie Odom Jr., Cynthia Erivo, Viola Davis, and Lynn Nottage.
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