This is a rare April 28th, 1952 "Playgoer" playbill from the one-week, Pre-Broadway engagement of the FLOURNOY MILLER, PAUL GERARD SMITH, NOBLE SISSLE and EUBIE BLAKE musical comedy "SHUFFLE ALONG" at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. (The Original Broadway production opened May 23rd, 1921 at New York's 63rd Street Music Hall and ran for 484 performances. This revival would open May 8th, 1952 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City and close May 10th, 1952 after only four performances.) ..... The 1952 edition starred DELORES MARTIN, P. J. SMITH (replaced out-of-town by NAPOLEON REED), HAMTREE HARRINGTON, FLOURNOY MILLER, NOBLE SISSLE, EUBIE BLAKE, AVON LONG and THELMA CARPENTER and featured WILLIAM DILLARD, JAMES E. WALL, EARL SNYDOR, WILLIAM McDANIEL, T. S. KRLGARIN, RUSSELL DAVILLE, LAURENCE WATSON, HENRY SHERWOOD, KATHERINE GRAVES, HARRO MELLER, URYLEE LEONARDOS, AUDREY VANDERPOOL, MABLE LEE, ARLEIGH PETERSON and JAMES McMILLAN ..... Historical note: The four writers, FLOURNOY MILLER, AUBREY LYLES, NOBLE SISSLE and EUBIE BLAKE were vaudeville veterans who first met in 1920 at an NAACP benefit held in Philadelphia. After finding a small source of funding, "SHUFFLE ALONG" toured through New Jersey and Pennsylvania however, with little funding, it was difficult to pay travel and production expenses, and the cast rarely got paid. When the show opened in New York, about a year later, the production owed $18,000. In the end, however, the show turned a substantial profit. The musical was a big hit with audiences due to its jazzy musical styles, which were a modern, edgy contrast to the mainstream song-and-dance shows that audiences had seen on Broadway for two decades. The sixteen-girl chorus line, which included a young JOSEPHINE BAKER, was one of the reasons the show was so successful. The musical introduced the hits, "I'm Just Wild About Harry", "Love Will Find a Way" and "In Honeysuckle Time". The show also contributed to the desegregation of theaters in the 1920's, giving many black actors their first chance to appear on Broadway. Once the show left New York, it toured for three years and was the first black musical to play in white theaters across the United States ..... CREDITS: Music by EUBIE BLAKE ("Shuffle Along", "Andre Charlot's Revue of 1924", "Lew Leslie's Blackbirds", "The Chocolate Dandies"); Lyrics by NOBLE SISSLE; Original Production Written and Conceived by FLOURNOY MILLER and AUBREY LYLES; New Book by FLOURNOY MILLER and PAUL GERARD SMITH; Additional Music and Lyrics by JOSEPH MEYER and FLOYD HUDDLESTON; Orchestrations by CHARLES E. COOKE; Sets designed by ALBERT JOHNSON; Costumes designed by WALDO ANGELO; Choreographed by HENRY Le TANG and ARLEIGH PETERSON; Directed by PAUL GERARD SMITH; Entire Production Staged by GEORGE HALE; Produced by IRVING GAUMONT in association with GRACE ROSENFELD ..... DETAILS: The twelve page playbill measures 6 1/8" X 9 1/4" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light edge wear, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.

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