Abyssinia is a musical in one act with music by Will Marion Cook and Bert Williams, and both book and lyrics by Jesse A. Shipp and Alex Rogers. [1] Created by African-Americans and featuring African-American entertainers, the work is set in Abyssinia (now referred to as the Ethiopian Empire) and was inspired by the events of the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1896-1897 and the sustained sovereignty Ethiopia maintained through the leadership of Menelik II at that point in history. [2] The plot of the musical follows two African-American from Kansas who win the lottery and then use their winnings to travel to Europe and Abyssinia. Misadventures ensue when one of them falsely accused of being a thief, and they are brought before King Menelik. [3]
Abyssinia is considered an important historical black musical. It is an early work that consciously departed from the racial stereotypes typically found in other musicals of that period, and emphasized themes of social justice, "black self determination" and "African resistance" while still at its core being a tremendously funny comedy. [4]
While referred to in most reference works as a musical, some of the reviewers Abyssinia at the time of the production labeled the work as a "Negro comic opera". Indeed, the score, predominantly orchestrated by Cook, was operatic in significant proportions and utilized conventions of that genre. [5] However, the work also incorporated African-American music like ragtime and cakewalk, and elements of burlesque and popular song; ultimately creating a work of high art that blended genres. [6]
Critical reaction from African-American critics was enthusiastic, particularly in response to the social commentary of the plot, the impressive score by Cook, and the dignity provided to the characters in the absence of the typical racial stereotypes that predominated on the American stage at the time. White critics, however, lamented the absence of these same stereotypes and were highly critical of the work, with many citing that the work was "too white" or relied too much upon the conventions of white comic opera. Ultimately, the reaction from white critics negatively impacted audience attendance at the production had a relatively short run on Broadway. [7] [8]
Abyssinia premiered on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on February 20, 1906. The production transferred twice during its initial Broadway run, first to the West End Theatre in April 1906 and then the Grand Opera House where it closed in August 1906 after 48 performances. Further performances were given in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and Atlantic City. Lavishly produced, the ornate sets were designed by the painter Ernest Albert. In reflecting on the failure of Abyssinia to find a larger audience, critic Sylvester Russell, the first major black arts critic in the United States, stated, "I always contended that 'Abyssinia' was a play of the Negro race and should have succeeded on its progressive merits." [9]
The original cast of Abyssinia included Bert Williams as Jasmine Jenkins, George Walker as Rastus Johnson, Hattie McIntosh as Aunt Callie Parker, Lottie Williams as Miss Primly, and Craig Williams as James.
Abyssinia is a historical name for the Ethiopian Empire.
Bert Williams was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being the first Black man to have the leading role in a film: Darktown Jubilee in 1914.
Menelik II, baptised as Sahle Maryam was King of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913. At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state was completed by 1898.
William Mercer Cook, better known as Will Marion Cook, was an American composer, violinist, and choral director. Cook was a student of Antonín Dvořák. In 1919 he took his New York Syncopated Orchestra to England for a command performance for King George V of the United Kingdom, and tour. Cook is probably best known for his popular songs and landmark Broadway musicals, featuring African-American creators, producers, and casts, such as Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk (1898) and In Dahomey (1903). The latter toured for four years, including in the United Kingdom and United States.
In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy is a landmark 1903 American musical comedy described by theatre historian Gerald Bordman as "the first full-length musical written and played by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house." It features music by Will Marion Cook, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was written by Jesse A. Shipp as a satire on the American Colonization Society's back-to-Africa movement of the earlier nineteenth century.
African-American musical theater includes late 19th and early 20th century musical theater productions by African Americans in New York City and Chicago. Actors from troupes such as the Lafayette Players also crossed over into film. The Pekin Theatre in Chicago was a popular and influential venue.
Henry Martyn Blossom Jr. was an American writer, playwright, novelist, opera librettist, and lyricist. He first gained wide attention for his second novel, Checkers: A Hard Luck Story (1896), which was successfully adapted by Blossom into a 1903 Broadway play, Checkers. It was Blossom's first stage work and his first critical success in the theatre. The play in turn was adapted by others creatives into two silent films, one in 1913 and the other in 1919, and the play was the basis for the 1920 Broadway musical Honey Girl. Checkers was soon followed by Blossom's first critical success as a lyricist, the comic opera The Yankee Consul (1903), on which he collaborated with fellow Saint Louis resident and composer Alfred G. Robyn. This work was also adapted into a silent film in 1921. He later collaborated with Robyn again; writing the book and lyrics for their 1912 musical All for the Ladies.
"Nobody" is a popular song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers, published in 1905. The song was first publicly performed in February 1906, in the Broadway production Abyssinia. The show, which included live camels, premièred at the Majestic Theater and continued the string of hits for the vaudeville team of Williams and Walker.
George Walker was an American vaudevillian, actor, and producer. In 1893, in San Francisco, Walker at the age of 20 met Bert Williams, who was a year younger. The two young men became performing partners. Walker and Williams appeared in The Gold Bug (1895), Clorindy (1898), The Policy Player (1899), Sons of Ham (1900), In Dahomey (1903), Abyssinia (1906), and Bandanna Land (1907). Walker married dancer Ada Overton, who later also was a choreographer.
Aida Overton Walker, also billed as Ada Overton Walker and as "The Queen of the Cakewalk", was an American vaudeville performer, actress, singer, dancer, choreographer, and wife of vaudevillian George Walker. She appeared with her husband and his performing partner Bert Williams, and in groups such as Black Patti's Troubadours. She was also a solo dancer and choreographer for vaudeville shows such as Bob Cole, Joe Jordan, and J. Rosamond Johnson's The Red Moon (1908) and S. H. Dudley's His Honor the Barber (1911). Aida Overton Walker is also well known for her 1912 performance of the "Salome" dance at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre. This was Aida's response to the national "Salomania" craze of 1907 that spread through the white vaudeville circuit.
Music and Some Highly Musical People is a history of African-American music by James Monroe Trotter first published in 1878. It represents perhaps the first attempt to assess American music across multiple genres in a single volume.
Negro Actors Guild of America(NAG) was formed in 1936 and began operation in 1937 to create better opportunities for black actors during a period in America where the country was at a crossroads regarding how its citizens of color would be depicted in film, television and the stage.
Black Vaudeville is a term that specifically describes Vaudeville-era African American entertainers and the milieus of dance, music, and theatrical performances they created. Spanning the years between the 1880s and early 1930s, these acts not only brought elements and influences unique to American black culture directly to African Americans but ultimately spread them beyond to both white American society and Europe.
Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk is a one-act musical by composer Will Marion Cook and librettist Paul Laurence Dunbar.
John William Isham was an American vaudeville impresario who was known for his Octoroons and Oriental America shows. These had their roots in traditional minstrel shows but included chorus girls, sketches and operas. They were part of the transition to the American burlesque shows of the early 20th century.
George Walker and Bert Williams were two of the most renowned figures of the minstrel era. However the two did not start their careers together. Walker was born in 1873 in Lawrence, Kansas. His onstage career began at an early age as he toured in black minstrel shows as a child. George Walker became a better known stage performer as he toured the country with a traveling group of minstrels. George Walker was a "dandy", a performer notorious for performing without makeup due to his dark skin. Most vaudeville actors were white at this time and often wore blackface. As Walker and his group traveled the country, Bert Williams was touring with his group, named Martin and Selig's Mastodon Minstrels. While performing with the Minstrels, African American song-and-dance man George Walker and Bert Williams met in San Francisco in 1893. George Walker married Ada Overton in 1899. Ada Overton Walker was known as one of the first professional African American choreographers. Prior to starring in performances with Walker and Williams, Overton wowed audiences across the country for her 1900 musical performance in the show Son of Ham. After falling ill during the tour of Bandana Land in 1909, George Walker returned to Lawrence, Kansas where he died on January 8, 1911. He was 38.
Bandanna Land is a musical from 1908. The book was written by Jesse A. Shipp, lyrics by Alex Rogers and music composed primarily by Will Marion Cook. Created by and featuring African Americans, it was the third musical written by the team whose previous works included In Dahomey (1902) and Abyssinia (1906). It was the last show featuring the duo of Bert Williams and George Walker, comedians who starred in these musicals. Walker became ill during the post-Broadway tour and died in 1911.
James J. Vaughan, also known as James Vaughn (1870–1935), was a composer, musical director, and bandleader in the United States. He wrote music for several musicals. He was among the first African-American musicians to play at Carnegie Hall in 1912.
Alexander Claude Rogers, known as Alex Rogers, was a composer and lyricist. He wrote music including for the musical Bandanna Land and served as president and a board member of the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company. The firm published some of his songs.
Lottie Williams, also known as Lottie Thompson and born Charlotte Louise Johnson, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. A pioneering performer in African-American musical theater, she is best remembered for starring in several stage works with her second husband, Bert Williams, both on Broadway and in vaudeville. These included several musicals created by composer Will Marion Cook, lyrcisit Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the playwright Jesse A. Shipp; including Sons of Ham (1900), In Dahomey (1903), and Abyssinia (1906) among other works. In these musicals she portrayed mainly supporting character roles and was usually a featured singer and/or dancer. However, she portrayed the title role and the main protagonist in the Cook, Dunbar, & Shipp musical My Tom-Boy Girl (1905).