Plantation Revue was a 1922 revue put together by Lew Leslie, featuring some of the more popular musical numbers and comedy acts that he had hired at Harlem's Plantation Club. [1]
The original revue underwent other versions, with minor or major changes to the cast: Dover Street to Dixie (pairing-up with a British production in London); Dixie to Broadway (pairing-up with a one-act white revue) and Dixie to Paris.
Performers included Florence Mills, around whom the revue was built, [1] and who would become an even bigger star thanks to this revue, [1] her husband, U. S. Thompson, and blues star Edith Wilson. Shelton Brooks was hired as the emcee, as well as himself performing in the revue. [1]
As well as for its initial Broadway run, Brooks, Mills, Thompson, and Wilson all continued performing in future versions of the show: its pairing-up with a British production, Dover Street to Dixie, in London, and the pairing-up with a one-act white revue, Dixie to Broadway, on Times Square. [1] All four also went on to perform in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1926 . [1]
Leslie brought Aaron Palmer over from Whitman Sisters' Troupe [1] to join the ensemble, for which he teamed up with another dancer. Their act, together with those of U. S. Thompson and Lou Keane, made up the Plantation Revue's dance acts. [1]
Leslie arranged with English impresario C. B. Cochran [1] to take half the cast of the Plantation Revue, as the Dixie part, staged by Leonard Harper, [1] to London, with Stanley Lupino and Odette Myrtil making up the London-based half of the show. [1] Vaudeville blues singers Gladys Bryant and Lena Wilson were also a part of the London revue tour but received no mention in British publications. [2]
Following a shake-out tour, [1] Dixie to Broadway ran for 77 performances at the Broadhurst Theatre, in Times Square, [1] starting 29 October 1924, before touring the USA again. [1] It featured Hamtree Harrington [1] and Cora Green, [1] Will Vodery, as musical director, [1] and his Orchestra, [1] tap dancers Willie Covan [1] & Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson, [1] whom Variety described as "Effortless steppers who mix some light trick stuff in with soft-shoe rhythmatics". [3] Johnnie Nit, [1] Aida Ward, [1] and Eddie Rector. [3]
With Florence Mills, as usual as the star attraction, Dixie to Broadway featured her singing "I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird", [1] with lyrics by Grant Clarke [4] and Roy Turk, [4] and music by Tin Pan Alley songwriter George W. Meyer, [4] and Arthur Johnston. [4] which, a couple of months later (17 December 1924), would first be recorded for the OKeh label by Eva Taylor, accompanied by Clarence Williams’ Blue Five (Clarence Williams (piano); Louis Armstrong (cornet); Charlie Irvis (trombone); Sidney Bechet (soprano saxophone), and Buddy Christian (banjo). [4]