Black Girl Groups on Broadway Welcome Back the 60s
We are constantly reminded that Broadway is the Great White Way and so it seems many of us would-be theatergoers of color take that moniker quite literally and stay away. Broadway, the great reflector of the stodginess—and whiteness!—of mainstream culture, has always been a less-than perfect mirror of society. So Broadway is fantasy. Who knew?
Worth the suspension of disbelief that musicals require are three shows currently running on Broadway that are guaranteed to wow even the most jaded theater critic. And the fact that these shows are all set in the 1960s and prominently feature trios of in-your-face soul sistahs in sequin and chiffon belting grace notes to the upper rafters of the rear mezzanine is more reason to sit up and take notice. You don’t have to wait for the next revival of “Dreamgirls” (due back on Broadway next season) for choreographed oohs and ahs. Broadway offers a trio of shows with a trio of women of color welcoming you to the heyday of the early ‘60s.
Hairspray
“Hairspray” opened in 2002 and has won all sorts of awards, including the coveted Tony for best musical. Based on the 1988 John Waters movie, “Hairspray” is a Cinderella story of sorts whimsically told in the backdrop of the civil rights movement. The show dazzles throughout, but no one moment is more spectacular than the big production number of Act I where the Dynamites step out of a billboard poster and start the extreme makeover of Tracy Turnblad and mother Edna in the showstopper “Welcome to the Sixties.” These women can sing, y’all!
Little Shop of Horrors
Another girl group reigns supreme across the street from “Hairspray” where the revival “Little Shop of Horrors” has set up shop. Unlike “Hairspray’s” Dynamites that seem an incarnation of the Marvelettes, the Urchins of “Little Shop” are more the embodiment of the innocence and sweetness of girl groups like the Chiffons or the Ronettes. And unlike the Dynamites, these girls are less cheerleaders on the sidelines but take center stage as narrators, a Greek Chorus with soul. In the one number where the Urchins switch from gum-popping schoolgirls to bejeweled divas that would rival the Supremes, the transformation is truly awe-inspiring.
Caroline, Or Change
In “Caroline, Or Change,” the new moody and cerebral musical directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Tonya Pinkins, the girl group is the least conventional of the three shows. Set in 1963 Louisiana, “Caroline” uses symbolism and personification in broad dramatic strokes. The trio here portrays a radio that sings songs to the heroine Caroline that both reflect her inner mind and the era, which even in a sleepy Southern town, is in the throes of change. The group’s collective personality is more Tina Turner: raw, gritty and mature.
In spite of too few shows on Broadway like these, productions that are fresh and witty and—let’s get real!—feature talented and rarely employed black stage actors, Broadway, like “Caroline,” is looking for ways to change. And as more and more baby boomers comfortably settle into theater seats, shows set in the ‘60s that reflect the times and the music are certain to be rushed to production.
In “Hairspray,” “Little Shop,” and “Caroline,” audiences are allowed to escape—the one thing that Broadway does very well—but also are gently transported through real issues of the era—racism, war, sexism—that are relevant today. Yes, these shows are about whimsy and nostalgia, but they also have a moral center that says, yeah, enjoy the singing and dancing but deal with the message too. It’s quite an unusual moment on Broadway right now: Three shows that deliver with trios of soulful sisters performing electric R&B. Don’t miss the magic of the moment, ‘cause these girls can sing!▼
(Editor's Note: Since this article was written two of the three shows have closed. Only "Hairspray" remains but we can remain hopeful that another girl group musical "Beehive" makes it back to Broadway along with the musical that started it all, "Dreamgirls", in the not-too-distant future.)
