Timbuktu! is a musical, with lyrics by George Forrest

George Forrest (author)

George Forrest was a writer of music and lyrics for musical theatre best known for the show Kismet, adapted from the works of Alexander Borodin.-Biography:...

 and Robert Wright

Robert Wright (writer)

Robert [Craig] Wright was an American composer-lyricist for Hollywood and the musical theatre best known for the Broadway musical and musical film Kismet, for which he and his professional partner George Forrest adapted themes by Alexander Borodin and added lyrics...

, set to music by Borodin

Borodin

Borodin , or Borodina is a Russian last name and may refer to:*Alexander Borodin , Russian composer and chemist*Alexander Parfeniyevich Borodin, Russian scientist in the field of rail transport...

, Forrest and Wright. The book is by Luther Davis

Luther Davis

Luther Davis was an American play- and screenwriter. He attended Culver Academies, received a BA from Yale and rose to the rank of major in the US Air Force...

. It is a resetting of Forrest and Wright's musical Kismet

Kismet (musical)

Kismet is a musical with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and a book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on Kismet, the 1911 play by Edward Knoblock...

. The musical is set in 1361, in Timbuktu

Timbuktu

Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...

, in the Ancient Empire of Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

, West Africa.

Production

The musical premiered 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...

 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre

Mark Hellinger Theatre

The Mark Hellinger Theatre is a generally used name of a former legitimate Broadway theater, located at 237 West 51st Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Since 1991, it has been known as the Times Square Church...

 on March 1, 1978, and closed on September 10, 1978 after 221 performances and 22 previews.

The production starred Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...

 as Shaleem-La-Lume, Gilbert Price

Gilbert Price

Gilbert Price was an American singer and actor.Price was one of Langston Hughes's protégés; his first starring role was in Hughes's Jericho-Jim Crow , for which he won a Theatre World Award....

 as The Mansa of Mali, and Melba Moore

Melba Moore

Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...

 as Marsinah. It was directed, choreographed and costume designed by Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Richard Holder is a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.-Early life:...

, with sets designed by Tony Straiges

Tony Straiges

Tony Straiges is a scenic designer for the stage and ballet. He has designed the sets for some 17 Broadway musicals, plays and specials...

. Gerald Martin Bordman noted that the sets and costumes had "a Ziegfeldian opulence." New songs based on African folk music were added to provide "some tonal verisimiltude."

Songs

Act I

• Rhymes Have I - Hadji, Marsinah and Beggars
• Fate - Hadji
• In the Beginning, Woman - Shaleem-La-Lume
• Baubles, Bangles and Beads - Marsinah and Merchants
• Stranger in Paradise - The Mansa of Mali and Marsinah
• Gesticulate - Hadji and Council
• Night of My Nights - The Mansa of Mali and Courtiers

Act II

• My Magic Lamp - Marsinah
• Stranger in Paradise (Reprise) - Marsinah
• Rahadlakum - Shaleem-La-Lume and Ladies of the Harem
• And This Is My Beloved - Hadji, Marsinah, The Mansa of Mali and The Wazir
• Golden Land, Golden Life - Chief Policeman and Nobles of the Court
• Zubbediya - Zubbediya, Princess, Marriage Candidates and Acrobat
• Night of My Nights (Reprise) - The Mansa of Mali, Marsinah, Hadji and Nobles of the Court
• Sands of Time - Hadji and Shaleem-La-Lume

Awards and nominations

1978 Tony Award nominations

• Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical - Gilbert Price
• Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical - Eartha Kitt
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design
  Tony Award for Best Costume Design
  These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals...
  
   - Geoffrey Holder
• Tony Award for Most Innovative Production of a Revival - Luther Davis

1978 Drama Desk Award nominations

• Drama Desk Award
  Drama Desk Award
  The 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 Choreography - Geoffrey Holder
• Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design - Geoffrey Holder

External links

• Production information and synopsis at MTI Shows