Baker joined the traveling cast at age 15 and was allowed to join the Broadway version a year later, when she was 16. Shuffle Along was a 1921 Broadway play by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. “The Impact of Shuffle Along” brings two unique organizations together, each with different demographics to heighten the CLE community’s awareness of an important musical, “telling a story of then and today.” To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here. Some of the greatest names, vocal and instrumental, sacred and secular found that living in a large northern city such as New York had numerous advantages. That changed in 1921 when Shuffle Along opened at the Sixty-third Street Theatre in New York City. Broadway Reviews Shuffle Along Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. Please note, this event has expired. The Impact of Shuffle Along Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin Print. Shuffle Along yielded Sissle and Blake’s best-known song, “ I’m Just Wild About Harry,” as well as the romantic ballad “Love Will Find a Way,” the performance of which was revolutionary in that it allowed African Americans to express feelings of love on the American stage in a context other than that of caricature. Presented by Karamu House and The Musical Theater Project at Karamu House, Cleveland OH . Broadway was not a home for black musicals. The impact of Shuffle Along rippled through Broadway, with nine African-American musicals opening between 1921 and 1924. Karamu House stands tall in our nation’s history as an inclusive institution that served as a common ground for Clevelanders of different races, religions, and social and economic backgrounds, as well as a trusted community resource for local families. Shuffle Along opened at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., in late March, 1921 for two weeks. For the young Hughes, just arrived in the city, the long-range impact of Shuffle Along was not on his mind. Shuffle Along was one of the longest running plays on Broadway, with 504 performances. Composed by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, Shuffle Along was the most significant achievement ever, in black theatre because it featured an all-black cast. "Again, thank you for your article and hopefully the play will have a great run and pique the awareness of our nation's citizens of the impact of Shuffle Along, not only in launching the Harlem Renaissance, but also in bringing the nation to recognize the full potential of the wealth of the talent DNA that is in all of us. The Impact of Shuffle Along . Miller & Aubrey Lyles. Theatre Review by Matthew Murray - April 28, 2016. 1895-1927 / Dancer, singer, actress. March 31, 2016. Hidden History ‘Shuffle Along’ and the Lost History of Black Performance in America . 89th Street, Cleveland. That changed in 1921 when Shuffle Along opened at the Sixty-third Street Theatre in New York City. The Impact of Shuffle Along at Karamu House, 2355 East. In “Shuffle Along,” two black people fell in love onstage, and Walton wanted to see how a white audience would handle this. Past Reviews. For the next few years, black theatre would pioneer several "firsts." Florence Mills was an immensely popular performer and Harlem personality, evidenced by the more than 150,000 people who crowded the streets around Mother Zion Church in Harlem in 1927 to mourn her untimely death from appendicitis. The 1921 groundbreaking musical Shuffle Along is now back on Broadway, though presented as the story behind the musical – the story ending with the show's creative team falling out over disagreements over royalties.