Irvin C Miller & Henry Jines (circa 1917)

''Broadway Rastus'' was a 1915-1928

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

written by

Irvin Miller Irvin Colloden Miller (February 19, 1884 – February 27, 1975) was an American actor, playwright, and vaudeville show writer and producer. He was responsible for successful theater shows including ''Broadway Rastus'' (1921), ''Liza'' (1922), ...

. It toured for several years at various venues with casts including many successful performers. Miller performed in the show. Other cast members included

Esther Bigeou Esther Bigeou (1892 – November 15, 1936) was an American vaudeville and blues singer. Billed as "The Girl with the Million Dollar Smile", she was one of the classic female blues singers popular in the 1920s. Biography She was born in New Orlean ...

and

Henry Jines Henry Jines was an American vaudeville actor. He starred in stage productions including Irvin Miller's '' Broadway Rastus'', and performed in blackface. Jines was from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1913 he had reportedly been writing vaudeville sketches ...

Lester Walton Lester Aglar Walton (April 20, 1882 – October 16, 1965) was a St. Louis-born Harlem Renaissance polymath and intellectual, a well-known figure in his day, who advanced civil rights in significant and prescient ways in journalism, entertainm ...

reviewed a Philadelphia performance of the show lauding many of the performances and calling the show a diamond in the rough that would benefit from more funding. Lillyn Brown eventually succeeded Esther Bigeou in the show's starring role.

Maceo Pinkard Maceo Pinkard (June 27, 1897 – July 21, 1962) was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. Among his compositions is "Sweet Georgia Brown", a popular standard for decades after its composition and famous as the theme of the Harlem ...

's work was in the show.

Cast

(later succeeded in the show by Lillyn Brown * Edna Alexander * Billy Cumby * James Woodson

References

{{Reflist Revues 1915 in theatre