Musical (1990)


Musique: Richard Blackford
Paroles: Alistair Beaton • Maya Angelou
Livret: Lonnie Elder • Richard Nelson
Production à la création:

This show skims through the highlights in Martin Luther King’s life, establishing the romantic hold between King and his wife, and dealing with the alleged infidelities with which J. Edgar Hoover tried to smear King, and the defection of one of his trusted disciples to form the Black Power movement. A subplot saw a redneck garage owner, Billy, torn between his friendship with his black mechanic, George, and his pack-loyalty i H „ to his bigoted brother and Klansmen friends.

1 King, a Musical Testimony peut-être considéré comme un Flop musical


This was a deeply troubled show. Before the opening night writers, directors, a producer, a leading actor had all either walked out or been sacked following rows over racial politics, money or artistic content. Maya Angelou wanted her name removed from the credits saying “it takes a black man to write about a black man and there hasn’t been a single black man in the writing of this show”. Martin Luther King’s widow, Coretta, initially had strong objections to the show and attempted to ban the impersonation of herself. Once it had opened, the show was criticised for its lack of drama and character. The book and the production itself were described as “an insignificant offering. . . of such banality it is a crime against humanity... melodramatic Jim Crowism... with little dramatic flair and less depth.” It closed after six weeks with losses of around £3 million.


Cotton’s My Momma
Bus Boycott
Welcome to Atlanta
Equal Rights
No More Sorrow
The Price of Freedom
For I am an American
I Have a Dream

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant King, a Musical Testimony

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant King, a Musical Testimony


Version 1

King, a Musical Testimony (1990-04-Piccadilly Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Piccadilly Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 1 mois
Nombre : 58 représentations
Première Preview : 07 April 1990
Première: 23 April 1990
Dernière: 26 May 1990
Mise en scène : Clarke Peters
Chorégraphie : Dianne McIntyre
Producteur :
Star(s) :
Avec: Simon Estes (Martin Luther King), Cynthia Haymon (Coretta King), Godfrey James (Billy), George (Clarke Peters), Leon Greene (Lyndon B. Johnson)
Commentaires : This was a deeply troubled show. Before the opening night writers, directors, a producer, a leading actor had all either walked out or been sacked following rows over racial politics, money or artistic content. Maya Angelou wanted her name removed from the credits saying “it takes a black man to write about a black man and there hasn’t been a single black man in the writing of this show”. Martin Luther King’s widow, Coretta, initially had strong objections to the show and attempted to ban the impersonation of herself. Once it had opened, the show was criticised for its lack of drama and character. The book and the production itself were described as “an insignificant offering. . . of such banality it is a crime against humanity... melodramatic Jim Crowism... with little dramatic flair and less depth.” It closed after six weeks with losses of around £3 million.

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