Tony Tuesday: THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

This week we’re going back to the early teenies for quite frankly breath-taking musical theatre. This week’s TONY Tuesday is:

‘Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!/Commencing in Chattanooga’ from The Scottsboro Boys at the 2011 TONY Awards. 

The Scottsboro Boys is a 2010 musical based on the real-life trial of the same name. The show recounts the events of the incident which took place in 1931, involving nine young African-American boys who were accused by two white women of raping them in a bid to throw police off of the fact that they had recognised the women as prostitutes. It follows the boys’ time in prison throughout the years that they were incarcerated and denied appeal for release, time and time again. The Scottsboro Boys is presented in a form of a minstrel show in order to demonstrate the evils of such an abhorrent system. 

The show marks the final collaboration between writing duo, Kander and Ebb. The show began life in 2002 when Kander and Ebb, book writer David Thompson and director Susan Stroman met with the view to create a show based on a famous American trial. They settled upon the trial of The Scottsboro Boys as they knew this was a story that deserved telling. When Fred Ebb died in 2004, production ceased. However, four years later, John Kander approached the rest of the team saying it was time to continue and wrote the remaining lyrics in place of Ebb. After a further two years development, the show opened in 2010 at Off-Broadway venue, The Vineyard Theatre, for previews from 12 February for a limited engagement starring Brandon Victor Dixon, Colman Domingo and John Cullum. The production closed in April 2010, before transferring to Minneapolis for the summer. 

The production opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on 31 October 2010 (previews from 7 October). The opening night cast included Joshua Henry, Colman Domingo, Forest McClendon, James T. Lane and John Cullum. The production was directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, with set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Peter Hylenski. The production received mixed to positive reviews but failed to capture an audience and closed after less than 50 shows. Despite its short run and closing well before award season, the musical was nominated for a staggering 12 TONY nominations, however it failed to win any, making it the most nominated show without a single win in TONY history (alongside Mean Girls). 

The London production was co-produced with the Young Vic and was a replica of the original production using the same creative team starring Kyle Scatliffe. The show opened on 18 October 2013 to exceptionally positive reviews and a sold-out run. This production was nominated for six 2014 Olivier Awards. Just shy of a year later, the production transferred to London’s West End, opening at The Garrick Theatre, running a limited engagement from 4 October 2014 – 21 February 2015. The production reunited Colman Domingo, Brandon Victor Dixon, Forest McClendon and James T. Lane reprising their roles from the original Off-Broadway/Broadway casts. At the 2015 Olivier Awards, Brandon Victor Dixon was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical.

The show has also enjoyed regional productions across North America in Virginia, Boston, Connecticut, San Fransisco and San Diego. 

Besties, I was lucky enough to see the 2014 West End production and it was nothing short of an honour to witness. If you haven’t listened to the cast recording, you must. In my opinion, it is Kander and Ebb’s finest score. 

FACTS:

Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb & John Kander
Book: David Thompson
Theatre: The Lyceum Theatre
Run: 7 October 2010 – 12 December 2010 (29 previews and 49 performances) 

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical – David Thompson, Best Original Score – John Kander and Fred Ebb, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – Joshua Henry, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Forrest McClendon and Colman Domingo, Best Direction of a Musical – Susan Stroman, Best Choreography – Susan Stroman, Best Orchestrations – Larry Hochman, Best Scenic Design – Beowulf Boritt, Best Lighting Design – Ken Billington, Best Sound Design – Peter Hylenski

OLIVIERS:

(NOMINATED 2014) Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical – Kyle Scatliffe, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Colman Domingo, Best Direction – Susan Stroman, Best Theatre Choreographer – Susan Stroman, Outstanding Achievement in Music – John Kander and Fred Ebb

(NOMINATED 2015) Best Actor in a Musical – Brandon Victor Dixon