''John Henry'' was a 1940 original

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 ...

musical based on the 1931 novel '' John Henry'' by

Roark Bradford Roark Whitney Wickliffe Bradford (August 21, 1896, Lauderdale County, Tennessee — November 13, 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana) was an American short story writer and novelist. Life He attended University of California, Berkeley, and served as a ...

. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

was written by Bradford with music composed by

Jacques Wolfe Jacques Leon Wolfe (April 29, 1896 – June 22, 1973) was a Romanian-born American songwriter. Wolfe was born into a Jewish familyH. F. Woods, Geoffrey T. Hellman, Harold Ross, and Clifford Orr, “Another Composer”, September 9, 1933, '' ...

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

starred in the title role with

Ruby Elzy Ruby Pearl Elzy (February 20, 1908 – June 26, 1943) was an American operatic soprano. She appeared on stage and in films. She recorded on albums before her death in her 30s from surgery to remove a benign tumor. Family and early life Elzy ...

as Julie Anne. Other prominent members of the cast included Joseph Attles,

Josh White Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names Pinewood Tom and Tippy Barton in the 1930s. White grew up in the Sout ...

, Musa Williams, and

Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin (; March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an African American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement, in 19 ...

. The show played at the

44th Street Theatre The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, presente ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from January 10, 1940 to January 15, 1940.

Songs

;Act I * "I'm Singing About a Man" - Blind Lemon * "How Come I'm Born Wid a Hook in My Hand" - John Henry * "All the People on the Levee" - John Henry and Chorus * "Ya Gotta Bend Down" - Blind Lemon and Chorus * "How Come I'm Born Wid a Hook in My Hand (Reprise)" - John Henry * "Coonjine" - Chorus * "Jaybird" - Old Aunt Dinah and John Henry * "Got a Head Like a Rock" - John Henry * "Whiffer's Song" - Blind Lemon * "Stingaree Song" - Poor Selma * "Bad, Bad Stacker Lee" - Man Named Sam * "Careless Love" - Julie Anne * "I've Trampled All Over" - Julie Anne and John Henry * "Caught Ole Blue" - Blind Lemon and Chorus * "Old John Henry/Po' Lil' Frenchie" - John Henry and Men * "Workin' on de Railroad" - John Henry and Men * "High Ballin'" - Chorus ;Act II * "Where Did You Get Dem High Heeled Shoes?" - Blind Lemon * "Let De Sun Sink Down" - Carrie and Chorus * "Ship of Zion" - Chorus * "No Bottom" - Chorus * "Lullaby" - Julie Anne * "Take Me a Drink of Whiskey" - Man Named Sam and Ruby * "Sundown in My Soul" - John Henry * "I'm Gonna Git Down on My Knees" - Hell Buster and Chorus * "I Want Jesus to Walk With Me" - Hell Buster and Chorus * "I'm Born in the Country" - John Henry * "Now You Talks Mighty Big in the Country" - Man Named Sam and Chorus * "So Stand Back, All You Bullies" - John Henry * "Ship of Zion (Reprise)" - Chorus * " I Don't Care Where They Buried My Body" - Chorus * "He Went to the East" - Chorus

External links

* 1940 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on novels {{Musical-theat-stub