''Timbuktu!'' is a musical, with lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright, set to music by

Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...

, Forrest and Wright. The book is by

Luther Davis Luther Berryhill Davis (August 29, 1916 – July 29, 2008) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Early life an education Davis was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1934 and received a bachelor of a ...

. It is a resetting of Forrest and Wright's musical '' Kismet''. The musical is set in 1361 in

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

, in the

Empire of Mali The Mali Empire ( Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl ...

, West Africa.

Production

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 ...

at the

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway thea ...

on March 1, 1978, and closed on September 10, 1978, after 221 performances and 22 previews. The original production starred

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Ba ...

as Shaleem-La-Lume, William Marshall as Hadji,

Gilbert Price Gilbert Price (September 10, 1942 – January 2, 1991) was an American operatic baritone and actor. Price was a protégé of Langston Hughes. He was a life member of New York's famed Actors Studio. Price first gained notice in 1964, for his ...

as the Mansa of Mali,

Melba Moore Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba Smith (sources differ) (born October 29, 1945), known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer and actress. Biography Early life and education Moore was born Beatrice Melba Hill or Beatrice Melba ...

as Marsinah, and George Bell as the Wazir. Ira Hawkins replaced Marshall prior to the Broadway opening. It was directed, choreographed and costume designed by

Geoffrey Holder Geoffrey Lamont Holder (August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) was a Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, musician, and artist. He was a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet before his film career began in 1957 with an appearance in ' ...

, with sets designed by

Tony Straiges Tony Straiges (born 1942) is a scenic designer for the stage and ballet. He has designed the sets for 17 Broadway musicals, plays and specials. His sets "often have a sparse elegance or sense of fantasy about them." Robert Brustein said of Straiges: ...

Alan Eichler Alan Eichler (born July 17, 1944) is an American theatrical producer, talent manager and press agent who has represented several stage productions, produced Grammy-winning record albums and managed singers including Anita O'Day, Hadda Brooks, Nel ...

was associate producer.

Gerald Bordman Gerald Martin Bordman (September 18, 1931 – May 9, 2011) was an American theatre historian, best known for authoring the reference volume ''The American Musical Theatre'', first published in 1978.Simonson, Robert (12 May 2011)Gerald Bordman, Th ...

noted that the sets and costumes had "a Ziegfeldian opulence." New songs based on African folk music were added to provide "some tonal verisimiltude." Following its Broadway run, it toured for more than a year with Kitt continuing in her starring role as Shaleem-La-Lume, Gregg Baker as Hadji,

Bruce Hubbard Bruce Hubbard (1952 − 12 November 1991) was an American operatic baritone. A Drama Desk and Laurence Olivier Award nominee for Best Actor, he performed on Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, BBC television, in concert and made several recordings. ...

as the Mansa and Vanessa Shaw as Marsinah.

Songs

;Act I * "Rhymes Have I" - Hadji, Marsinah and Beggars * "

Fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

" - Hadji * "In the Beginning, Woman" - Shaleem-La-Lume * "

Baubles, Bangles and Beads "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" is a popular song from the 1953 musical '' Kismet'', credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Background Like almost all the music in that show, the melody was based on works by Alexander Borodin, in this case th ...

" - Marsinah and Merchants * " Stranger in Paradise" - The Mansa of Mali and Marsinah * "Gesticulate" - Hadji and Council * "Night of My Nights" - The Mansa of Mali and Courtiers ;Act II * "My Magic Lamp" - Marsinah * "Stranger in Paradise (Reprise)" - Marsinah * "Rahadlakum" - Shaleem-La-Lume and Ladies of the Harem * " And This Is My Beloved" - Hadji, Marsinah, The Mansa of Mali and The Wazir * "Golden Land, Golden Life" - Chief Policeman and Nobles of the Court * "Zubbediya" - Zubbediya, Princess, Marriage Candidates and Acrobat * "Night of My Nights (Reprise)" - The Mansa of Mali, Marsinah, Hadji and Nobles of the Court * "Sands of Time" - Hadji and Shaleem-La-Lume

Awards and nominations

;1978 Tony Award nominations *

Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did no ...

- Gilbert Price *

Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical is awarded to the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly ...

- Eartha Kitt *

Tony Award for Best Costume Design These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals. In 1961, and since 2005 the category was divided into Costume Design in a Play and Costum ...

- Geoffrey Holder * Tony Award for Most Innovative Production of a Revival - Luther Davis ;1978 Drama Desk Award nominations *

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Outstanding Choreography - Geoffrey Holder * Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design - Geoffrey Holder

References

External links

*
Production information and synopsis at MTI Shows

"Eartha Kitt Entrance-''Timbuktu'' 1978!"
YouTube clip. {{Kismet 1978 musicals All-Black cast Broadway shows Broadway musicals Plays set in the 14th century Timbuktu in popular culture