Shuffle Along sets Broadway closing date

Producer Scott Rudin has announced that the Broadway premiere of SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed will play its final performance at the Music Box Theatre on 24 July 2016 - the date of six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald's departure. Upon closing, the musical will have played a total of 38 previews and 100 regular performances.

Mr Rudin released the following statement:

"Audra McDonald is the biggest star on Broadway, and audiences have been clamoring to see her in this role since the first preview of Shuffle Along in March of this year. She is absolutely extraordinary in the show, and I am filled with gratitude for both her exemplary partnership on Shuffle Along and also for her remarkable resilience and fortitude in doing everything possible to play as many shows as she can, despite the circumstance of her pregnancy. We are thrilled that she and her husband, Will Swenson, are experiencing the opportunity to expand their family - and we wish them all good things as they approach the birth of their child this fall. It has, however, become clear that the need for Audra to take a prolonged and unexpected hiatus from the show has determined the unfortunate inevitability of our running at a loss for significantly longer than the show can responsibly absorb, and we have decided to close the show when she leaves on July 24. On behalf of myself and George C. Wolfe, I want to say how deeply grateful we are to her for everything she gave and continues to give the show. There is simply nobody like her."

SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed is conceived by Flournoy Miller & Aubrey Lyles, and features music & lyrics by Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle, and a book by George C. Wolfe, who also serves as Director.

Synopsis: "In May 1921, Shuffle Along, a new musical conceived by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles with music and lyrics by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, became the unlikeliest of hits, significantly altering the face of the Broadway musical as well as that of New York City. In April 2016 — 95 years later — SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, will be a backstage musical telling the story of the creation of this transformative but now forgotten show.
By the time Shuffle Along stumbled into town after a back-breaking pre-Broadway tour, it was deeply in debt and set to open at a remote Broadway house on West 63rd Street. In a season full of spectacles, such as Sally — a Ziegfeld musical comedy — and another edition of George White's Scandals, Shuffle Along's failure was almost a foregone conclusion. New York City was still in the throes of the Depression of 1920. And despite being celebrated vaudeville performers, Miller and Lyles and Sissle and Blake had never performed on Broadway, much less written a musical. But with an infectious jazz score and exuberant dancing, Shuffle Along ignited not just Broadway but all of New York City. George Gershwin, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson, Langston Hughes, and famed critic George Jean Nathan were among the many fans who repeatedly flocked to West 63rd Street to see a cast which — during its run of 504 performances — featured such soon-to-be theatrical luminaries as Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, Fredi Washington, and Adelaide Hall. Because of Shuffle Along, Uptown and Downtown met and became one."

The principal cast currently includes six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Lottie Gee), Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (F.E. Miller), Tony winner Billy Porter (Aubrey Lyles), Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Noble Sissle), Tony nominee Joshua Henry (Eubie Blake), Tony nominee Adrienne Warren (Gertrude Saunders/Florence Mills), Tony nominee Brooks Ashmanskas (Al/Izzy/Mr. Broadway/Carlo) and Amber Iman (Eva/Mattie Wilkes/Madame-Madame/Downtown Dilettante).

SHUFFLE ALONG, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed features choreography by Savion Glover, music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Daryl Waters, musical direction by Shelton Becton, scenic design by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Ann Roth, and lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. It is produced on Broadway by Scott Rudin.

- by Tom Millward