Could Shuffle Along Return to Broadway Today?
Reviving Shuffle Along
The four creators of Shuffle Along--Sissle, Blake, Miller, and Lyles--made several attempts to create new versions of the show, beginning in the late '20s. Lyles died in 1931, but the remaining trio continued to stage the show on the road, making changes to the script and lineup as they incorporated different acts into what became a traveling review. In 1952, a disasterous reworking of the show briefly played on Broadway. It was originally to star Pearl Bailey, but she objected to the use of dialect comedy in the script and dropped out before it opened.
The 2016 Production
George Wolfe's 2016 revival of the play--retitled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed--was not so much a revival as a new play utilizing the original show's musical numbers that told the story of the difficulties that the show's creators faced trying to get the show produced. It skirted the issue of Blackface comedy entirely, focusing instead on the syncopated music and dance. Despite a talented cast, the show was not successful, getting bogged down in its second act trying to address the complicated history of racial prejudice on the Broadway stage and in society as a whole.
The Perils of Portraying Blackface Comedy Today:
Spike Lee's Bamboozled
A true revival of Shuffle Along would have to confront the inherent contradictions in the Blackface tradition. On the one hand, much of the humorous dialogue used in minstrel shows continues to be a part of our common vocabulary. "That's no lady, that's my wife," "Who's on first?," "Here comes the judge," and countless other classic comic routines all have their roots in Blackface--but of course are now performed without the stigma of blackened skin.
Despite the survival of minstrel comedy, Blackface comedy remains disturbing to contemporary audiences. Those who have tried to probe its history in current creative works have faced many challenges. Take for example Spike Lee's Bamboozled, in which a Black producer is challenged to make a show that will "make headlines," creates a modern day minstrel show. Many failed to see the humor in his ironic exploration of the many layers of minstrelsy and the continuing racism in today's society.
Blackface's Troubled Legacy
That Blackface continues to be a social issue was brought home when popular TV host Megyn Kelly stated that she didn't see anything wrong with halloween costumes that included Blackface. And when it was revealed that Virginia's governor Ralph Wortham had sported Blackface at a party when he was in college, it nearly lead to his removal from office. This documentary explores the history of Blackface and the controversies it continues to inspire.