In Dahomey
Encyclopedia
In Dahomey was a landmark American musical comedy, in that it was "the first full-length musical written and played by blacks
to be performed at a major Broadway
house." It featured music by Will Marion Cook
, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar
. The production, produced by McVon Hurtig and Harry Seamon, was also the first to star African Americans James Smith and George Sisay
, as well as one of the leading comedians in America at that time, Bert Williams
.In Dahomey opened on February 18, 1903 at the New York Theater, and ran for 53 performances (then considered a successful run).
(present-day Benin
).
to be staged in an indoors venue on Broadway (following the earlier success of Clorindy in a rooftop setting). Furthermore, In Dahomey was the first black musical to have its score published (albeit in England, not America).
In Dahomey also marked an important milestone in the evolution of the American musical comedy. The score made use of the "high operetta style" that its composer Will Marion Cook
had studied, in addition to using the relatively new form of ragtime
in its finale, "The Czar of Dixie." According to John Graziano, author of Black Theatre USA, it was "the first African American show that synthesized successfully the various genres of American musical theatre popular at the beginning of the twentieth century—minstrelsy
, vaudeville
, comic opera
, and musical comedy."
Based on the show's New York success, the producers of In Dahomey transferred the entire production to England, on April 28, 1903, with a staging at the Shaftesbury Theatre, followed by a provincial tour around England. This was capped by a command performance celebrating the birthday of the Prince of Wales
at Buckingham Palace
, when it was heralded as "the most popular musical show in London."
After a year touring England and Scotland, In Dahomey was transported back to New York, where it reopened on August 27, 1904 at the Grand Opera House
, and ran for 17 performances. This in turn launched a major forty-week tour across America, playing such cities as San Francisco, Portland and St. Louis, and turning in a profit of $64,000.
, by Jerome Kern
and Oscar Hammerstein II
. The song is meant to be performed as the last number in Act II, Scene I of the show, a scene that also features the Act II Opening (Sports of Gay Chicago) and the hit love song Why Do I Love You?. In Dahomey is performed by what is supposedly a horde of African natives who are part of an exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The song begins with the "natives" chanting in what is supposedly an African language, but as soon as the crowd disperses, they begin to sing in American dialect, revealing themselves to be African-Americans playing roles, and not genuine natives of Dahomey at all. The lyrics now become a would-be comic expression of relief at the fact that the "natives" can now return to their apartments in New York.
Perhaps because of its potentially racially offensive content, and because the song is, strictly speaking, one of the few having absolutely no connection with the musical's storyline, In Dahomey was eliminated from the score of Show Boat after the musical's 1946 revival, and it has never been used in a film version of the show. Nor did it ever become a hit. However, it has been recorded twice, in 1928 by the original chorus used in the first London production of the show, and in 1988 by the Ambrosian Chorus with John McGlinn
conducting, who used it in his landmark 1988 EMI
recording of the complete score of Show Boat. It was omitted from the cast album of the 1946 Broadway revival of Show Boat, although it had been included in the revival.
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...
to be performed at a major 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...
house." It featured music by Will Marion Cook
Will Marion Cook
William Mercer Cook , better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African American composer and violinist from the United States. Cook was a student of Antonín Dvořák and performed for King George V among others...
, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal African American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 "Ode to Ethiopia", one poem in the collection Lyrics of Lowly Life....
. The production, produced by McVon Hurtig and Harry Seamon, was also the first to star African Americans James Smith and George Sisay
George Walker (vaudeville)
George Walker was an African American vaudevillian. In 1893, in San Francisco, Walker met Bert Williams, who became his performing partner. Walker and Williams appeared in The Gold Bug , Clorindy , The Policy Player , Sons of Ham , In Dahomey , Abyssinia , and Bandanna Land...
, as well as one of the leading comedians in America at that time, Bert Williams
Bert Williams
Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
.In Dahomey opened on February 18, 1903 at the New York Theater, and ran for 53 performances (then considered a successful run).
Summary
The story tells of a group of African Americans who, having found a pot of gold, move to Africa and become rulers of DahomeyDahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
(present-day Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
).
Importance
During its four-year tour, In Dahomey proved one of the most successful musical comedies of its era. The show helped make its composer, lyricist and leading performers household names. Significantly, the New York Theater production of In Dahomey marked the first full-length African American musicalAfrican American Musical Theater
-Early History:Before the late 1890s, the image portrayed of African-Americans on Broadway was a "secondhand vision of black life created by European-American performers." Stereotyped "coon songs" were popular, and blackface was common....
to be staged in an indoors venue on Broadway (following the earlier success of Clorindy in a rooftop setting). Furthermore, In Dahomey was the first black musical to have its score published (albeit in England, not America).
In Dahomey also marked an important milestone in the evolution of the American musical comedy. The score made use of the "high operetta style" that its composer Will Marion Cook
Will Marion Cook
William Mercer Cook , better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African American composer and violinist from the United States. Cook was a student of Antonín Dvořák and performed for King George V among others...
had studied, in addition to using the relatively new form of ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
in its finale, "The Czar of Dixie." According to John Graziano, author of Black Theatre USA, it was "the first African American show that synthesized successfully the various genres of American musical theatre popular at the beginning of the twentieth century—minstrelsy
Minstrelsy
Minstrelsy can refer to:* The music and poetry of the medieval minstrels.* The songs, dances, skits, and stagecraft of the 19th century American blackface minstrel show....
, vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
, and musical comedy."
Tours in England and America
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, when it was heralded as "the most popular musical show in London."
After a year touring England and Scotland, In Dahomey was transported back to New York, where it reopened on August 27, 1904 at the Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House may refer to:in Canada*Grand Opera House in England*Grand Opera House in France*Palais Garnier in Paris, often called the "Grand Opera House"in Northern Ireland*Grand Opera House in the United States...
, and ran for 17 performances. This in turn launched a major forty-week tour across America, playing such cities as San Francisco, Portland and St. Louis, and turning in a profit of $64,000.
Song From 'Show Boat'
In Dahomey is also the title of a now rarely-performed choral number from the classic 1927 musical play Show BoatShow Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
, by Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
. The song is meant to be performed as the last number in Act II, Scene I of the show, a scene that also features the Act II Opening (Sports of Gay Chicago) and the hit love song Why Do I Love You?. In Dahomey is performed by what is supposedly a horde of African natives who are part of an exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The song begins with the "natives" chanting in what is supposedly an African language, but as soon as the crowd disperses, they begin to sing in American dialect, revealing themselves to be African-Americans playing roles, and not genuine natives of Dahomey at all. The lyrics now become a would-be comic expression of relief at the fact that the "natives" can now return to their apartments in New York.
Perhaps because of its potentially racially offensive content, and because the song is, strictly speaking, one of the few having absolutely no connection with the musical's storyline, In Dahomey was eliminated from the score of Show Boat after the musical's 1946 revival, and it has never been used in a film version of the show. Nor did it ever become a hit. However, it has been recorded twice, in 1928 by the original chorus used in the first London production of the show, and in 1988 by the Ambrosian Chorus with John McGlinn
John McGlinn
John Alexander McGlinn III was an American conductor and musical theatre archivist. He was one of the principal proponents of authentic studio cast recordings of Broadway musicals, using original orchestrations and vocal arrangements.-Biography:John Alexander McGlinn III was born in Bryn Mawr,...
conducting, who used it in his landmark 1988 EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
recording of the complete score of Show Boat. It was omitted from the cast album of the 1946 Broadway revival of Show Boat, although it had been included in the revival.
Other references to In Dahomey
- Percy GraingerPercy GraingerGeorge Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...
wrote a highly virtuosic concert ragRagtimeRagtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
entitled In Dahomey (Cakewalk Smasher), in which he blended tunes from Cook's show and Arthur PryorArthur PryorArthur Willard Pryor was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. In later life, he was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders during the 1930s.Pryor was born on the second floor of...
's popular cakewalk number, A Coon Band Contest. In this tribute to contemporary African American music, the clash of the two tunes creates what has been called "a page of almost IvesianCharles IvesCharles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
dissonance". Grainger would have been able to see Cook's In Dahomey on stage in London in 1903, and it was then that he started composing his rag (Grainger completed the score some six years later, in 1909).
See also
- List of African American firsts
- African American musical theaterAfrican American Musical Theater-Early History:Before the late 1890s, the image portrayed of African-Americans on Broadway was a "secondhand vision of black life created by European-American performers." Stereotyped "coon songs" were popular, and blackface was common....
- 1903 in Harlem culture