The much-ballyhooed Broadway musical Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, will end its run July 24 after 38 previews and 100 regular performances.
Although it was nominated for 10 Tony awards and won none, that’s not the reason cited by producer Scott Rudin. It’s the exit of six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who’s pregnant and announced in May that she would take a leave of absence beginning July 24. McDonald and her husband, actor Will Swenson, are expecting their first child. She has a daughter, Zoe, from her first marriage. He has two sons from his.
In announcing the closing, Rudin said advance ticket sales softened with news of McDonald’s exit, even though Grammy Award-winning singer Rhiannon Giddens was in rehearsals to assume the role of Lottie Gee. Plans also were underway for Savion Glover, the show’s Tony-nominated choreographer, to join the company, which includes Tony winners Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate) and Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) plus Tony nominees Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple) and Joshua Henry (Scottsboro Boys, Violet).
In May 1921, the new musical Shuffle Along became an unlikely hit, significantly altering the face of the Broadway musical, as well as New York City. It ran 504 performances, with a cast that featured such luminaries as Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson.
The 2016 Shuffle Along brings the original show back to life, while also telling the unknown backstage saga of its creation — and how it changed the world it left behind. It features the 1921 score by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, and a new book by five-time Tony winner George C. Wolfe.
While it never surpassed the $1 million mark in weekly box office, Shuffle Along enjoyed healthy business since previews began March 15 at the Music Box Theatre. It has remained a popular ticket, selling at 96 percent capacity for the week ending June. 26.
Critics were mixed on the ambitious production, a blend of Broadway history and lavish entertainment with a large cast, of 34, by today’s standards.
