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Jamaica (musical)
Encyclopedia
Jamaica is a musical
with a book by Yip Harburg
and Fred Saidy
, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Harold Arlen
. Harburg was blacklisted in Hollywood
at the time of the writing of the musical. Set on a small island off the coast of Jamaica
, the musical tells about a simple island community fighting to avoid being over-run by American commercialism.
Arlen's music parodies
the popular form of Calypso
, which was in vogue in the 1950s, largely as a result of the popularity of Harry Belafonte
, for whom the musical was originally written. Belafonte withdrew from the production due to illness, and the musical was then tailored around the talents of Lena Horne
. With Calypso so out of fashion the musical now is dated, but many of the issues raised in its songs, including evolution
, nuclear energy, and consumerism
, remain topical today.
The Broadway
production, directed by Robert Lewis and choreographed by Jack Cole
, opened on October 31, 1957 at the Imperial Theatre, produced by David Merrick
, where it had a successful run totaling 558 performances. The cast included Ricardo Montalbán
as Koli and Lena Horne
as Savannah, with Ossie Davis
as Cicero, Erik Rhodes
as Governor, Adelaide Hall
as Grandma Obeah, and Josephine Premice as Ginger. Alvin Ailey
was the principal dancer.
An original cast recording was released by RCA Victor.
to live a life of modern conveniences. She is tempted to accept the marriage proposal of a New York businessman visiting the island. However, when an impoverished fisherman
, Koli, saves her younger brother's life during a hurricane, she opts to remain with him.
Act I
Act II
Tony Award
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Yip Harburg
Yip Harburg
Edgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
and Fred Saidy
Fred Saidy
Fred Saidy was an American playwright and screenwriter.Born in Los Angeles, California, Saidy began his writing career in 1943 with the screenplay for the Red Skelton comedy I Dood It. The following year, he scripted both the Lucille Ball-Dick Powell feature film Meet the People and the book for...
, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
. Harburg was blacklisted in Hollywood
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
at the time of the writing of the musical. Set on a small island off the coast of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, the musical tells about a simple island community fighting to avoid being over-run by American commercialism.
Arlen's music parodies
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
the popular form of Calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, which was in vogue in the 1950s, largely as a result of the popularity of Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
, for whom the musical was originally written. Belafonte withdrew from the production due to illness, and the musical was then tailored around the talents of Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
. With Calypso so out of fashion the musical now is dated, but many of the issues raised in its songs, including evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, nuclear energy, and consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
, remain topical today.
The Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by Robert Lewis and choreographed by Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
, opened on October 31, 1957 at the Imperial Theatre, produced by David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
, where it had a successful run totaling 558 performances. The cast included Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
as Koli and Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
as Savannah, with Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis was an American film actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist.-Early years:...
as Cicero, Erik Rhodes
Erik Rhodes (actor)
Erik Rhodes was an American film and Broadway singer and actor. He is best remembered today for appearing in two classic Hollywood musical films with popular dancing team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Gay Divorcee and Top Hat .-Biography:Born Ernest Sharpe at El Reno, Indian Territory,...
as Governor, Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Hall was an American-born U.K.-based jazz singer and entertainer.Hall was born in Brooklyn, New York and was taught to sing by her father...
as Grandma Obeah, and Josephine Premice as Ginger. Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
was the principal dancer.
An original cast recording was released by RCA Victor.
Synopsis
The beautiful island girl, Savannah, longs to escape to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to live a life of modern conveniences. She is tempted to accept the marriage proposal of a New York businessman visiting the island. However, when an impoverished fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
, Koli, saves her younger brother's life during a hurricane, she opts to remain with him.
Cast of characters (in order of appearance)
- Koli
- Quico
- Savannah
- Grandma Obeah
- Ginger
- Snodgrass
- Hucklebuck
- Island Women
- The Governor
- Cicero
- Lancaster
- First Ship's Officer
- Second Ship's Officer
- Joe Nashua
- Dock Worker
- Radio Announcer
Song list
Act I
- Savannah
- Savannah's Wedding Day
- Pretty to Walk With
- Push the Button
- Incompatibility
- Little Biscuit
- Cocoanut Sweet
- Pity the Sunset
- Yankee Dollar
- What Good Does It Do?
- Monkey in the Mango Tree
- Take It Slow, Joe
- Ain't It the Truth
Act II
- Leave the Atom Alone
- Coconut Sweet (Reprise)
- For Every Fish
- I Don't Think I'll End It All Today
- Napoleon
- Ain't It the Truth (Reprise)
- Savannah (Reprise)
Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations
- Best Musical
- Best Actor in a Musical (Montalban)
- Best Actress in a Musical (Horne)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Davis)
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Premice)
- Best Scenic Design
- Best Costume Design