Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Encyclopedia
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope is a musical
revue
with music and lyrics by Micki Grant
. It was originally produced by Edward Padula
.
The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the African American
experience with songs on such topics as tenements, slumlord
s, ghetto
life, student protest
s, black power
, and feminism
. The music is a mixture of gospel
, jazz, funk, soul, calypso
, and soft rock
.
The show had its first staging at Ford's Theatre
in Washington, D.C.
in 1971, with subsequent stagings at the Locust and Walnut Street Theatre
s in Philadelphia
. The Broadway
production, directed by Vinnette Carroll and choreographed by George Faison
, opened on April 19, 1972 at the Playhouse Theatre, where it ran for two months before transferring to the Edison
. It had a total run of 1065 performances. The cast included Grant, Alex Bradford
, Hope Clarke
, and Arnold Wilkerson
. It was the first Broadway play to be directed by an African American woman. Time Magazine theatre critic T. E. Kalem praised the show, writing "This is the kind of show at which you want to blow kisses." The Los Angeles production featured Paula Kelly
.
An original cast recording was released on the Polydor label, produced by Jerry Ragovoy
.
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...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
with music and lyrics by Micki Grant
Micki Grant
Micki Grant is an American singer actress, writer and composer. She performed in Having Our Say , Tambourines to Glory and Jericho-Jim Crow, The Gingham Dog, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope and has received three Tony Award nominations for her writing...
. It was originally produced by Edward Padula
Edward Padula
Edward Padula was an American theatre producer, stage manager, and occasional director and writer.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Padula began his theatrical career by directing the book for the early Lerner and Loewe collaboration The Day Before Spring in 1945...
.
The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
experience with songs on such topics as tenements, slumlord
Slumlord
A slumlord is a derogatory term for landlords, generally absentee landlords, who attempt to maximize profit by minimizing spending on property maintenance, often in deteriorating neighborhoods. They may need to charge lower than market rent to tenants...
s, 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...
life, student protest
Student protest
Student protest encompasses a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academic issue and mobilization to communicate this dissatisfaction to the authorities and society in general and hopefully remedy the problem...
s, black power
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
, and feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. The music is a mixture of gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, jazz, funk, soul, calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, and soft rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
The show had its first staging at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1971, with subsequent stagings at the Locust and Walnut Street Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...
s in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The 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...
production, directed by Vinnette Carroll and choreographed by George Faison
George Faison
George Faison is an African-American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Faison was born in Washington, D.C. where he studied dance with the Jones-Haywood Capitol Ballet and Carolyn Tate of Howard University while attending Dunbar High School, and appeared with The American Light Opera Company in...
, opened on April 19, 1972 at the Playhouse Theatre, where it ran for two months before transferring to the Edison
Edison Theatre
The Edison Theatre was a legitimate Broadway theatre located in the Edison Hotel at 240 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Officially a 499-seat Broadway house, the Edison Theater actually had 541 seats....
. It had a total run of 1065 performances. The cast included Grant, Alex Bradford
Alex Bradford
Professor Alex Bradford was a multi-talented gospel composer, singer, arranger and choir director who was a great influence on artists such as Little Richard, Bob Marley and Ray Charles and who helped bring about the modern mass choir movement in gospel.Born in Bessemer, Alabama, he first appeared...
, Hope Clarke
Hope Clarke
Hope Clarke is an African-American actress, dancer, vocalist, and choreographer. Principal dancer with Katherine Dunham Company and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 1960s; actress on stage, film, and television, 1970s-1980s; choreographer and director, 1980s--.-Stage career:On Broadway, Clarke,...
, and Arnold Wilkerson
Arnold Wilkerson
Arnold Wilkerson is an American actor and the creator and owner of the Little Pie Company in Manhattan, New York City. As an actor he is particularly known for portraying roles in the original productions of the musicals Hair, Jimmy Shine, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope.-Biography:Wilkerson was...
. It was the first Broadway play to be directed by an African American woman. Time Magazine theatre critic T. E. Kalem praised the show, writing "This is the kind of show at which you want to blow kisses." The Los Angeles production featured Paula Kelly
Paula Kelly (actress/dancer)
Paula Kelly is a dancer and actress in motion pictures, television and theatre.-Early life and career:...
.
An original cast recording was released on the Polydor label, produced by Jerry Ragovoy
Jerry Ragovoy
Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy was an American songwriter and record producer.His best-known composition "Time Is on My Side" was made famous by The Rolling Stones, although it had been recorded earlier by Kai Winding and Irma Thomas...
.
Song list
- "I Gotta Keep Movin'" (reprised at play's end)
- "Harlem Streets"
- "Lookin' Over from Your Side"
- "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope"
- "Fighting for Pharaoh"
- "Good Vibrations"
- "You Think I Got Rhythm?"
- "They Keep Coming"
- "My Name is Man"
- "Love Power"
- "Questions"
- "It Takes a Whole Lot of Human Feeling"
- "Time Brings About a Change"
- "So Little Time"
- "Thank Heaven for You"
- "All I Need"
Awards and nominations
- Outer Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle AwardThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
, best musical, 1972 - 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 Performance (Grant) - Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Lyricist
- Obie AwardObie AwardThe Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Best Actor in a Musical (Bradford) - Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Score from an Original Cast Show AlbumGrammy Award for Best Musical Show AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award was given only to the album producer, and to the composer and lyricist who wrote at least 51% of the music which had not been recorded previously....
(Grant & Ragavoy) - Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle AwardLos Angeles Drama Critics Circle AwardThe Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
, Distinguished Direction, 1972 (Carroll) - Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Distinguished Performance (Kelly)
- Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Distinguished Choreography (Claude Thompson)
- Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Distinguished Musical Direction and Arranging (H.B. Barnum)
- nominee, 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, 197227th Tony AwardsThe 27th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by ABC television on March 25, 1973 from the Imperial Theatre in New York City. Hosts were Rex Harrison, Celeste Holm and co-hosts were Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach.... - nominee, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
- nominee, Tony Award for Best Original Score
- nominee, Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical