Last week’s opening of the Black Rep’s presentation of Eubie at Washington University’s Edison Theatre marked the third time they have presented the Tony nominated musical – most recently in 1999.
However, the current production – which runs through May 21 – sees their company sharing an experience parallel to the musical’s namesake and his journey with mounting a musical production during the aftershock of a global pandemic, the Spanish Flu.
The year was 1921. Communities were still feeling the aftershock as they emerged and attempted to navigate the process of picking up the pieces after an extended period of forced isolation.
James “Eubie” Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles used music, dance and laughter to facilitate healing with their history-making Broadway musical “Shuffle Along.” Within the cast was Paul Robeson and a brilliantly silly chorus girl with St. Louis roots named Josephine Baker.
“It was what Broadway needed at the time,” said Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company. “It was the first Broadway show written by, directed by and produced by Black folks.”
With their valiant effort came a host of obstacles – enough to inspire a Tony Award-nominated musical of the same name in 2016.
“Against all odds, it succeeded,” Himes said of the 1921 production. “And when they brought ‘Shuffle Along’ to Broadway, they brought an entirely new style of music – they introduced syncopation. The music of Eubie Blake is timeless. He wrote hit songs in the 1920s that are still standards in the American songbook today.”
A century later Himes and company are bringing the music of Eubie Blake back to the Black Rep stage as they close out their 46th season – ironically in a similar dilemma as when Shuffle Along began its blockbuster run as a Black production on The Great White Way.
“The height of the pandemic has been gone for a while. But There are still people –because it went on for so long – who are still hesitant to be in a crowd,” Himes said. “The challenge is trying to figure out what kind of programming to do that will hopefully bring people out and be a moment of healing for them. We want to help them relax as we begin to figure out what the new normal is. This show is full of delightful performances, and it gives everyone a sense of how people – and why people – used to go to the theater.”
Eubie stars Coda Boyce, DeAnte Bryant, Robert Crenshaw, Serdalyer Darden, Evan De-Bose, Samantha Madison, Venezia Manuel, Carvas Pickens, Tamara PiLar and J’Kobe Wallace. Himes serves as director.
“It is a great vehicle for a performer,” Himes said. “It is nonstop. You really must be on your game because there is no book. It is one number after another and they have to just keep going up, up and up to the finale – and I think that we have managed that.”
Eubie premiered on Broadway in 1978. The relentless showcase of song and dance that reflects Black America in the Roaring 20s and bumps up against the glamour of the Harlem Renaissance featured the likes of Gregory and Maurice Hines in its original Broadway company.
The Black Rep produced the show in 1985 and again in 1999 to record box office sales. They had the privilege of having musical direction provided by the late Neal Tate.
“He helped Eubie Blake pull the music for this show together,” Himes said. “He wrote the Broadway orchestrations and then came to St. Louis and did the same thing for us.”
The 2023 presentation of Eubie also marks the first grand scale musical mounted since the passing of longtime musical director Charles Creath.
Himes, who also directs this production, is beyond pleased with Joe Dreyer stepping in to fill the shoes of Tate and Creath.
“We had a really high bar to meet, and I am proud to say that I think that we have,” Himes said. “That is one of the things that I have been committed to is continuing to celebrate the rich legacy of African American theater and stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way for us.”
That legacy includes using the arts as an elixir of comfort – particularly as a response to moments of being blindsided by challenges and tragedy.
“It was not always the best of times,” Himes said. “They didn’t always have the resources that they needed, but everything was always done with a commitment to excellence and the intention of showing and being our best selves.”
The Black Rep’s presentation of Eubie will continue through May 21 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre. They will be offering a special BOGO (by one, get one) offer during Mother’s Day weekend (May 13-14). For more information, call (314) 534-3807 or visit www.theblackrep.org.
