Hallelujah, Baby! is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the [first half of the] 20th century."Chastang, Carol. "Review: 'Say Hallelujah!'" seeingblack.com, January 7, 2005
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1967 and made a young Leslie Uggams a star. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical. In 2004, Laurents restaged the show twice with the same cast, in Washington D.C at the Arena Stage and at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey, in order to update and streamline the story for modern sensibilities, and potentially move to New York for a full revival. The score was updated by Adolph Green's daughter, Amanda Green. Critics noted that although the score and performances were entertaining and had its merits, the book was still too outdated.New York Times Review Of Its Moment 1967accessed 7/15/2023Variety Reviewaccessed 07/14/2023
Synopsis Georgina is a talented, beautiful and ambitious African American woman, determined to have a career. Overcoming many obstacles, she rises to stardom. She makes her way through the Great Depression, World War II, and the beginning of the civil rights movement. Her mother advises her to "keep her place" as a maid on a South Carolina estate, but Georgina negotiates the blocks to stardom from her negative and opportunistic mother. She encounters the racism that pervades society and show business.
Two men vie for Georgina's attention. Harvey, who is white, is able to provide opportunities for her. Her fiancé, Clem, who is a black train porter, cannot help her on her journey. By the 1950s, she is a successful singer in an expensive night club. However, Clem, who became an Army captain and then a civil rights activist, challenges Georgina's life goals.
Original cast and characters CharacterBroadway (1967)Playbill 1967 Bio Cast Listaccessed 07/14/2023Summer Stock Tour (1968)Playbill 1968 Bio Cast Listaccessed 07/16/2023Arena Stage (2004)Playbill 2004 Review Bio Cast Listaccessed 07/14/2023Off-Broadway (2018)Playbill 2018 Review Bio Cast Listaccessed 07/14/2023GeorginaLeslie UggamsDiana SandsSuzzanne DouglasStephanie UmohMommaLillian HaymanRosetta LeNoireAnn DuquesnayVivian ReedClemRobert HooksLeon BibbCurtiss CookJarran MuseMaryBarbara SharmaConnie DaneseLaurie GamacheJennifer CodyHarveyAllen CaseLarry KeithStephen ZinnatoTally SessionsMr. Charles / TimmyFrank HamiltonN/AMrs. Charles / Ethel Marilyn CooperBetsy LangmanN/ATipWinston DeWitt HemsleyBernard JohnsonRandy DonaldsonBernard DotsonTapAlan WeeksMabel RobinsonGerry McIntyreRandy Donaldson
Musical numbers
Act 1 Prologue - Georgina Back in the Kitchen - Momma My Own Morning - Georgina The Slice - Clem and Provers Farewell, Farewell - Calhoun, Betty Loo, Captain Yankee, Georgina, and Harvey When the Weather's Better - Clem Feet Do Yo' Stuff - Georgina, Chorines, Tip, and Tap Watch My Dust - Clem Smile, Smile - Clem, Georgina, and Momma Witches' Brew - Georgina, Mary, Ethel, and Company Breadline Dance - Bums Another Day - Harvey, Clem, Mary, and Georgina I Wanted to Change Him - Georgina Being Good Isn't Good Enough - Georgina
Act 2 Dance Drill - Tip, Tap and G.I.s Talking to Yourself - Georgina, Clem, and Harvey Limbo Dance - Night Club Patrons Hallelujah Baby! - Georgina, Tip, and Tap Not Mine - Harvey I Don't Know Where She Got It - Momma, Clem, and Harvey Now's the Time - Georgina Now's the Time (Reprise) - Company
"Witches Brew" had a tune that was recycled from "Call Me Savage," a song from a prior musical Fade Out – Fade In and was originally sung by Carol Burnett.
Productions The musical opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on April 26, 1967, and closed on January 13, 1968, after 293 performances and 22 previews. It was directed by Burt Shevelove, choreographed by Kevin Carlisle, musical direction by Buster Davis, orchestrations by Peter Matz, with scenic design by William and Jean Eckart, costumes by Irene Sharaff and lighting by Tharon Musser. The production won five Tony Awards (out of nine nominations), including Best Musical, and Uggams and Hayman won the Tonys for Best Actress and Best Featured Actress, respectively, for their performances. This remains the only show to win the Tony for Best Musical after it closed.
The New York City Center originally announced an off-Broadway production as a part of its 2027 Encores! concert series. However, on September 23, the production was replaced with Let 'Em Eat Cake, with City Center saying they were holding off to allow for more creative development on Hallelujah, Baby! in a future season.
Laurents' recollections Arthur Laurents felt that "the original production was too soft in its take on black social progress during the first six decades or so of the twentieth century. It was originally written with Lena Horne in mind. When the steely Horne opted out of the project, it was rewritten to suit the more youthful and bubbly Leslie Uggams." In the 2004 production, Laurents attempted "to add levels of darker intensity.... However, the music and lyrics are in the infectiously bright and bubbly style of musical comedy, and his efforts in this area reduce the charm and good spirits of the show without adding much of significance in the way of depth or insight."Rendell, Bob. broadwaytalk.com, c. October 2004, accessed September 3, 2009 According to Laurents, after Lena Horne declined to do the show, "What we should have done is abandon the show.... Instead it was rewriten for a woman who is one of the nicest women I have ever met in the theatre, Leslie Uggams,--and, God knows, she has a beautiful voice ... she was good, but it wasn't that original show. The show lost its edge, and I must say I lost interest in it."Bryer, Jackson R. and Richard Allan Davison (2005). The Art of the American Musical: Conversations with the Creators, Rutgers University Press. , p. 133
Awards and nominations Original Broadway production Year Award Category Nominee Result 1967 Theatre World Award Leslie Uggams 1968 Tony Award Best Musical Best Original Score Jule Styne, Adolph Green and Betty Comden Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Robert Hooks Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Leslie Uggams Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Lillian Hayman Best Direction of a Musical Burt Shevelove Best Choreography Kevin Carlisle Best Producer of a Musical Albert W. Selden, Hal James, Jane C. Nussbaum and Harry Rigby Best Costume Design Irene Sharaff Washington D.C production Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.2005 Helen Hayes Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical Ann Duquesnay Helen Hayes Awards 2005 Listaccessed 07/15/20232005 Helen Hayes Awards Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical Suzzanne Douglas
References
Information about the musical
External links
Synopsis, song list and production at guidetomusicaltheatre.com Hallelujah, Baby! at Stageagent.com