Broward State Door Theatre's BUBBLING BROWN SUGAR Charms Audiences and Critics, Runs Thru 11/22

The Broward Stage Door Theatre's reincarnation of Bubbling Brown Sugar, the musical revue written by Loften Mitchell based on a concept by Rosetta LeNoire and featuring music by African-American greats of the Harlem Renaissance, officially opened on October 16 and continues to generate acclaim from audiences and critics that can't seem to get enough.  Featuring the music of such legends as Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Fats Waller, the revue is scheduled to run at the Broward through November 22.

The show, set in a Harlem nightclub of the 1920s-1940s, first played the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew in 1975, and ran for 12 performances. It opened on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (then the ANTA Playhouse) on March 2, 1976, and closed on December 31, 1977, after 766 performances and a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical that season.

Bubbling Brown Sugar takes audiences back to Harlem's golden days of black entertainment. Three middle-aged entertainers, Irene, John and Checkers, who have been in showbiz for many years meet a young couple Jim and Ella in Harlem. The entertainers lead Jim and Ella back to the days of Swing and Blues, when black entertainers in Harlem's nightclubs used to fascinate the white visitors, as it was in the extravagant Cotton Club, in Small's Paradise and in the Savoy Ballroom. With the youthful entertainers Irene, John and Checkers many legendary black show numbers come to life again.

The Broward Stage production seems to capture this old-time milieu with zest.  In his review in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, Bill Hirschman gives particular kudos lead performer Allison Semmes: "Semmes is actually a supporting actress here. Even in a cast of 16, however, she stands out with a polished Broadway voice, toothpaste ad grin, flashing eyes and amped-up flair evident in her angular body language and vivacious delivery. Near the end of the show, she delivers a Duke Ellington torch song so affectingly that it actually raises goose pimples."

To read the full review in the Sun Sentinel, click here.

Ticket prices for Bubbling Brown Sugar at the Broward State Door Theatre are $38 or $42. For more information, a complete listing of performances and to purchase tickets visit http://www.stagedoortheatre.com/brown.html or call 954-344-7765.

 

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