Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
Encyclopedia
Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (Tunes from Blackness) is a musical
with a book, music, and lyrics by Melvin Van Peebles
. The musical contains some material also on three of Van Peebles' albums, Br'er Soul
, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and As Serious as a Heart-Attack
, some of which were yet to come out.
The musical is a series of 19 politically outspoken, darkly comic, and sexually charged musical monologue
s that explore the negative aspects of African-American street life and the ghetto
experience. Each character has a painful story to tell in funk
, soul, jazz and blues-inflected song
s. The innovative piece, presented in a confrontational, "in your face" style, is a precursor to choreopoem, spoken word
, and rap music. It "contributed to the growing black presence on Broadway
."
In 1970, Van Peebles decided to transform some of the albums he had recorded between 1968 and 1970 into a musical. According to Van Peebles, "The songs were mirroring the incidents that were happening in the streets." Van Peebles marketed the musical to black audiences in churches "all up and down the fu**ing East Coast. Ministers have congregations, and the congregations would come with busloads of people."
in 1970. After ten previews, the Off-Broadway production, directed by Gilbert Moses
, opened on October 20, 1971 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
, then transferred to the Ambassador
, for a total run of 325 performances. The cast included Bill Duke
, Albert Hall, Garrett Morris
and Beatrice Winde
. Phylicia Rashad
joined the cast in 1972.
An original cast recording was released by A&M Records
.
In 2004, Classical Theatre of Harlem
staged a revival directed by Alfred Preisser, choreographed by Bruce Heath, and featuring Ralph Carter
. In 2006, it was presented as theatre in the round
in T New York, a small Manhattan
cabaret
, on weekends only. The production is scheduled for a 2007 tour of the U.S. East Coast.
lieutenant, a pimp
, prostitutes, a drag queen
, a lesbian
, looters
, lovers, junkies, a wino
, a bag lady
, corrupt cops
, a disgruntled postal worker
, sweatshop
workers, and a death row
prison
er. The work begins with the "Star Spangled Banner" and ends with the accusatory "Put a Curse on You."
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book, music, and lyrics by Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
. The musical contains some material also on three of Van Peebles' albums, Br'er Soul
Br'er Soul
Brer Soul is a 1969 album by Melvin Van Peebles.- SIDE ONE :# LILLY DONE THE ZAMPOUGHI EVERYTIME I PULLED HER COATTAIL 7:15# MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL 4:39# THE COOLEST PLACE IN TOWN 3:17# YOU CAN GET UP BEFORE NOON WITHOUT BEING A SQUARE 3:27...
, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and As Serious as a Heart-Attack
As Serious As A Heart-Attack
As Serious As A Heart-Attack is an album by Melvin Van Peebles. The album's cover can be briefly glimpsed on the bathroom door in the 1973 film version of Van Peebles' musical Don't Play Us Cheap.-Cityside 2:#JUST DONT MAKE NO SENSE#DEARMISTUH...
, some of which were yet to come out.
The musical is a series of 19 politically outspoken, darkly comic, and sexually charged musical monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s that explore the negative aspects of African-American street life and the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
experience. Each character has a painful story to tell in funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, soul, jazz and blues-inflected song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s. The innovative piece, presented in a confrontational, "in your face" style, is a precursor to choreopoem, spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
, and rap music. It "contributed to the growing black presence on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
."
In 1970, Van Peebles decided to transform some of the albums he had recorded between 1968 and 1970 into a musical. According to Van Peebles, "The songs were mirroring the incidents that were happening in the streets." Van Peebles marketed the musical to black audiences in churches "all up and down the fu**ing East Coast. Ministers have congregations, and the congregations would come with busloads of people."
Productions
The piece was first produced by Black Arts/West at Sacramento State College in Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in 1970. After ten previews, the Off-Broadway production, directed by Gilbert Moses
Gilbert Moses
Gilbert Moses III was an American stage, screen, and television director.-Early life and career:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Moses was the co-founder of the Free Southern Theater company, an important pioneer of African-American theatre...
, opened on October 20, 1971 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....
, then transferred to the Ambassador
Ambassador Theatre (New York)
The Ambassador Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 219 West 49th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, the structure is unusual in that it is situated diagonally on its site to fit the maximum number of...
, for a total run of 325 performances. The cast included Bill Duke
Bill Duke
William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
, Albert Hall, Garrett Morris
Garrett Morris
Garrett Gonzalez Morris is an American comedian and actor from New Orleans. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.-Early life and career:...
and Beatrice Winde
Beatrice Winde
Beatrice Winde was an American actress.Born Beatrice Lucille Williams in Chicago, she graduated from the Chicago Music Conservatory as a voice student and continued her voice studies briefly at the Yale University School of Music and at Juilliard.Winde appeared on Broadway in the 1971 Melvin Van...
. Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
joined the cast in 1972.
An original cast recording was released by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
.
In 2004, Classical Theatre of Harlem
Classical Theatre of Harlem
The Classical Theatre of Harlem is a professional theatre company founded in 1999 at the Harlem School for the Arts. CTH is the only year round theatre company operating on an AEA LORT contract in Harlem, and presents a world repertory ranging from Euripides to Derek Walcott...
staged a revival directed by Alfred Preisser, choreographed by Bruce Heath, and featuring Ralph Carter
Ralph Carter
Ralph Carter is an American actor, and singerCarter is best known for his work as a child and teenager, both in the Broadway musical Raisin and as the character Michael Evans, the youngest member of the Evans family, on the 1970s sitcom Good Times...
. In 2006, it was presented as theatre in the round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
in T New York, a small Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
cabaret
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, on weekends only. The production is scheduled for a 2007 tour of the U.S. East Coast.
Synopsis
In a poor Black neighborhood, nameless characters rail against a general malaise called "the Man." Each one begins his or her musical rant with the repetition of one or two signature phrases. They sing of their frustrations, fears, regrets and pain. The drama stems from the characters' words about their daily lives. Act I follows a "normal" day in the ghetto, but Act II graphically depicts a particularly violent day, in which looting and several brutal killings occur. The characters include a blind beggar, a Malcolm XMalcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
lieutenant, a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, prostitutes, a drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, looters
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
, lovers, junkies, a wino
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, a bag lady
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, corrupt cops
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, a disgruntled postal worker
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, sweatshop
Sweatshop
Sweatshop is a negatively connoted term for any working environment considered to be unacceptably difficult or dangerous. Sweatshop workers often work long hours for very low pay, regardless of laws mandating overtime pay or a minimum wage. Child labour laws may be violated. Sweatshops may have...
workers, and a death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
er. The work begins with the "Star Spangled Banner" and ends with the accusatory "Put a Curse on You."
Song list
- Just Don't Make No Sense
- Coolest Place in Town
- You Can Get Up Before Noon Without Being a Square
- Mirror Mirror on the Wall
- Come Raising Your Leg on Me
- You Gotta Be Holdin Out Five Dollars on Me
- Sera Sera Jim
- Catch That on the Corner
- The Dozens
- Funky Girl on Motherless Broadway
- Tenth and Greenwich
- Heh Heh (Chuckle) Good Mornin' Sunshine
- You Ain't No Astronaut
- Three Boxes of Longs Please
- Lily Done the Zampoughi Every Time I Pulled Her Coattail
- I Got the Blood
- Salamaggi's Birthday
- Come on Feet Do Your Thing
- Put a Curse on You
Awards and nominations
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical (nominee) - Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Winde, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Theatre World AwardTheatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
(Winde, winner) - Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Set Design (winner) - Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Book (winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Director (winner)