''Hallelujah, Baby!'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with music by

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

, lyrics by

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...

and

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...

, and a book by

Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II, ...

. The show is "a chronicle of the

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

struggle for equality during the irst half of the20th century."Chastang, Carol
"Review: 'Say Hallelujah!'"
seeingblack.com, January 7, 2005 The musical premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1967 and made a young

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Glob ...

a star. It won the

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical play, musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The awa ...

Synopsis

Georgina is a talented, beautiful and ambitious

woman, determined to have a career. Overcoming many obstacles, she rises to stardom. She makes her way through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and the beginning of the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

movement. Her mother advises her to "keep her place" as a maid on a

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

estate, but Georgina negotiates the blocks to stardom from her negative and opportunistic mother. She encounters the racism that pervades society and show business. Two men vie for Georgina's attention. Harvey, who is white, is able to provide opportunities for her. Her fiancé, Clem, who is a black

train porter A porter is a railway employee. The role of a porter is to assist passengers at railway stations, and to handle the loading, unloading, and distribution of luggage and parcels. In the United States the term was formerly used for employees who atte ...

, cannot help her on her journey. By the 1950s, she is a successful singer in an expensive night club. However, Clem has become an Army captain and then a civil rights

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and challenges Georgina's life goals.

Musical numbers

;Act 1 *Prologue - Georgina *Back in the Kitchen - Momma *My Own Morning - Georgina *The Slice - Clem and Provers *Farewell, Farewell - Calhoun, Betty Loo, Captain Yankee, Georgina and Harvey *Feet Do Yo' Stuff - Georgina, Chorines, Tip and Tap *Watch My Dust - Clem *Smile, Smile - Clem, Georgina and Momma *Witches' Brew - Georgina, Mary, Ethel and Company *Breadline Dance - Bums *Another Day - Harvey, Clem, Mary and Georgina *I Wanted to Change Him - Georgina *Being Good Isn't Good Enough - Georgina ;Act 2 *Dance Drill - Tip, Tap and G.I.s *Talking to Yourself - Georgina, Clem and Harvey *Limbo Dance - Night Club Patrons *Hallelujah Baby! - Georgina, Tip and Tap *Not Mine - Harvey *I Don't Know Where She Got It - Momma, Clem and Harvey *Now's the Time - Georgina *Now's the Time (Reprise) - Company "Witches Brew" had a tune that was recycled from "Call Me Savage," a song from a prior musical ''

Fade Out – Fade In ''Fade Out – Fade In'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story involves the movie industry in the 1930s. It starred Carol Burnett, returning to the Broadway stage for the ...

'' and was originally sung by Carol Burnett.

Productions

The musical opened on

at the

Martin Beck Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...

on April 26, 1967, and closed on January 13, 1968, after 293 performances and 22 previews. It was directed by

Burt Shevelove Burt Shevelove (September 19, 1915 – April 8, 1982) was an American musical theater playwright, lyricist, librettist, and director. Biography Born in Newark, New Jersey, he graduated from Brown University and Yale (Master's degree). At ...

, choreographed by

Kevin Carlisle Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

, musical direction by Buster Davis, orchestrations by

Peter Matz Peter Matz (November 6, 1928 – August 9, 2002) was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent ...

, with scenic design by

William and Jean Eckart William and Jean Eckart were a husband-and-wife team of theatre designers in the 1950s and 1960s. They designed sets, costumes, and lighting for many productions, including ''Mame'', ''Here's Love'', ''Damn Yankees'', ''Once Upon a Mattress'', ''T ...

, costumes by

Irene Sharaff Irene Sharaff (January 23, 1910 – August 16, 1993) was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Sharaff is universally recognized as one of the greatest costume designers of a ...

and lighting by

Tharon Musser Tharon Myrene Musser (January 8, 1925 – April 19, 2009)Allen Case Allen Case (born Alan Case Lavelle Jones, October 8, 1934 – August 25, 1986) was an American television actor most noted for the lead role of Deputy Clay McCord in NBC-TV's ''The Deputy'' (1959–1961) opposite series regular Henry Fonda, who ...

as Harvey,

Robert Hooks Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and activist. Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the launc ...

as Clem,

as Georgina,

Barbara Sharma Barbara Sharma (born September 14, 1938, Dallas) is an American actress and dancer of the night clubs, stage, television, and film. She began dancing at age 4 and professionally at age 9, dancing in nightclubs in Miami and Havana, Cuba. As a dance ...

as Mary,

Lillian Hayman Lillian Irene Hayman (July 17, 1922 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Career Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Hayman graduated from Wilberforce University with a BA before she began her career in the Broadway theatre. Sh ...

as Momma, and

Marilyn Cooper Marilyn Cooper (December 14, 1934 – April 22, 2009) was an American actress known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage. Life and career Born in New York City, Cooper made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the chorus of '' Mr. Wonderfu ...

as Mrs. Charles, Mistress, Ethel, Dorothy. The production won five

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

(out of nine nominations), including Best Musical, and Uggams and Hayman won the Tonys for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

and Best Featured Actress, respectively, for their performances. This remains the only show to win the Tony for Best Musical after it closed. In 2000, the York Theatre Company's "Musicals in Mufti" series revived the show as a concert that ran from October 27–29. The George Street Playhouse in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Amanda Green Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history. Early life and educ ...

. The cast featured Suzzanne Douglas as Georgina and

Ann Duquesnay Ann Duquesnay is an American musical theatre singer/actress, composer and lyricist. She is best known for '' Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk'', which earned her a Tony Award and Grammy Award nomination. Early life Duquesnay's parents were ...

as Momma. The

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

production ran in January and February 2005.

Laurents' recollections

Arthur Laurents felt that "the original production was too soft in its take on black social progress during the first six decades or so of the twentieth century. It was originally written with

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

in mind. When the steely Horne opted out of the project, it was rewritten to suit the more youthful and bubbly Leslie Uggams." In the 2004 production, Laurents attempted "to add levels of darker intensity.... However, the music and lyrics are in the infectiously bright and bubbly style of musical comedy, and his efforts in this area reduce the charm and good spirits of the show without adding much of significance in the way of depth or insight." According to Laurents, after Lena Horne declined to do the show, "What we should have done is abandon the show.... Instead it was rewriten for a woman who is one of the nicest women I have ever met in the theatre, Leslie Uggams,--and, God knows, she has a beautiful voice ... she was good, but it wasn't that original show. The show lost its edge, and I must say I lost interest in it."Bryer, Jackson R. and Richard Allan Davison (2005). ''The Art of the American Musical: Conversations with the Creators'', Rutgers University Press. , p. 133

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

Information about the musical

External links

''Hallelujah, Baby!''
at the IBDB database

* ttp://stageagent.com/Shows/View/1625 ''Hallelujah, Baby!''at Stageagent.com {{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' , list = {{TonyAwardBestMusical 1947-1975 {{TonyAward MusicalScore 1947-1975 1967 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award-winning musicals Musicals by Jule Styne Musicals by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Plays set in the 1930s Plays set in the 1940s Plays set in the 1950s Musicals by Arthur Laurents