Shuffle Along previews
Apr 3
2016, 11:55:38 AM
FutureDirector, thank you for your measured, thoughtful, and colorful critique. I especially agree that the show is a “ballsy” choice for Broadway, and it’s hard to think of a recent time a musical so delightfully abstruse has premiered on Broadway. Some theatregoers have complained of the “Wikipedia-like” exposition, but this to me seems more a sign that the modern Broadway audience is almost impossible to satisfy universally—not a mark against the show. I liked the degree to which the structure of the show places you in the time and events surrounding the original musical.
On this front, the narration is an excellent touch. There are a couple initial twinges of exposition, but these eventually subside, giving way to a feeling of complete engagement—both with the narrative, and with the show’s incredible significance to the history of theatre. The costumes are stunning, as some might have seen from photos in the New York Magazine piece by JJS (a must read: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/shuffle-along-and-the-painful-history-of-black-performance-in-america.html?_r=0). The outfits feel very true to the style and energy of the period, thanks to the iconic Ann Roth.
I didn't feel the show ran too long as some others have warned.... I think the script must have been tightened somewhat during the hiatus.
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