Rang Tang is a musical[1] that premiered July 12, 1927, on Broadway at the Royale Theater and ran for 119 performances, including a 14-week overrun, during which, the production moved September 12, 1927, to the Majestic – finishing October 24, 1927. It was acclaimed as one of the most successful black musical revues of the latter 1920s, and owed much to a star-laden cast headlined by Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles.[2] The book — in 2 acts and 12 scenes (2 scenes added later) — is by Kaj Gynt; the lyrics are by Joseph H. Trent; the music is composed by Ford Dabney, who tailored some of the songs for Mae Barnes and Evelyn Preer; the score and post-production music was published by Leo Feist; all copyrighted in 1927 and copyrights renewed in 1954.[i][a][I][II]
Sam Peck (Miller) and Steve Jenkins (Lyles) are two debt-ridden Jimtown[Note 1] barbers who flee their creditors, steal an airplane, and, in the spirit of Charles Lindbergh, embark on another, further, albeit non-solo, first transatlantic non-stop flight from America to Africa in search of treasure. Toward the end of their destination, however, while in flight, the plane begins to malfunction and the wings fall off. Following a safe emergency splash landing in the sea near Madagascar, they meet (i) the Queen of Sheba (Josephine Hall), (ii) the King of Madagascar (Daniel L. Haynes), and (iii) a Zulu tribe. Peck and Jenkins become involved in series of comedic misadventures with natives and fierce animals in the forests, jungles, and deserts – staged as a mythical, exotic, and, at times, terrifying native land. They find a buried treasure, return to the U.S., and arrive at a Harlem cabaret, where they celebrate in grand style their new status as two of the richest men in the world.[5][A][6]
Marie Mahood (née Marie Hardina Mahood; born 12 May 1904 Queens, NYC), as one of six of wives of Chief Bobo; in 1928, she married Marion W. Griffen (1903–2000)
Detroit (Paradise Valley): Koppin Theater – opened July 28, 1928; note: the Koppin Theater, owned by Henry Koppin (né Henry Emil Koppin; 1900–1961), opened August 27, 1927, and closed in 1929, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Legacy as employer of African Americans in Broadway theater
In an informal survey of integrated casts in the 1927 Broadway season, Pittsburgh Courier reporter Floyd J. Calvin (1902–1939) wrote:
Among the white shows that have taken in colored actors are Oscar Hammerstein's Golden Dawn (1927), about 30, with William C. Elkins (né William Calvin Elkins; 1872–1954)[E] in charge of the chorus; Florenz Ziegfeld's Show Boat, about 45, with Jules Bledsoe in the lead; David Belasco's Lulu Belle (1926), about 60 with Edna Thomas and others; In Abraham's Bosom (1926), about 18; Sidewalks of New York (1927), about 8; Porgy (1927), 52; Rang Tang, 80.
^Jimtown, slang for Jamestown, is a mythical, happy small town in the South – a favorite locale. Jimtown is also the scene in Shuffle Along (1921), Runnin' Wild (1923), Liza (1922), and – according to author Dan Dietz in his 2019 book, The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals (p. 450) – "close in spirit to Bamville, the locale of The Chocolate Dandies" (1924).
^Josephine Hall (née Josephine Allen; born January 1890 Denver – DOD not known) was a mezzo-soprano. On June 15, 1918, she married Efbert E. Hall (1893–1932), a trombonist and former sideman with (i) Charles Elgar's Creole Orchestra and (ii) the Ringling Circus Band, under the direction of Roy Pope. Bert was an active member in the New York City Musicians' Union, Local 802. He also founded, in 1927, the Rhythm Club in Manhattan, which flourished when the Clef Club was in decline. Josephine Hall remarried on June 17, 1937, in Manhattan to Charles Rufus Smith. In addition to performing in Rang Tang, she was a frequent star of the Cotton Club and was in the casts of Keep Shufflin' (1928) as Ruth; Music Hath Charms (1934) in an ensemble; and The Hot Mikado (1939) as singer. Beginning around 1929, she was a frequent vocalist on the radio, which included performances with Duke Ellington.
^ abByron Jones (né Henry Byron Jones; 1889–1934) and Evelyn Keyes (née Evelyn Blanche Keyes; 1908–1990), both dancers, married March 24, 1928, in Manhattan. Their romance began during their participation in Rang Tang. Byron Jones died in Barcelona. Evelyn re-married choreographer Henry LeTang (1915–1907).
Copyrights
Original copyrights
Note: sheet music copyrighted in the U.S. (a) prior to 1925 with copyright renewal or (b) from 1925 through 1963 without copyright renewal is deemed public domain.
In Black and White, A guide to magazine articles, newspaper articles, and books concerning black individuals and groups (3rd ed.; Vol. 1 of 2), Mary Mace Spradling (née Mary Elizabeth Mace; 1911–2009) (ed.), Gale Research (1980); OCLC631458944
In Black and White (3rd ed.; supplement), Mary Mace Spradling (née Mary Elizabeth Mace; 1911–2009) (ed.), Gale Research (1985); OCLC849767637
Inline
^Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance,Marshall Stearns and Jean Stearns, Chapter 20 – "Broadway: The Late Twenties," p. 151 (1994 ed.)
^Dictionary of the Black Theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Selected Harlem Theatre (re: "Rang Tang"), by Allen L. Woll, Greenwood Press (1983), p. 133 (borrowable online viaInternet Archive)
^"Obituary: Charlie Davis," New York Daily News, September 24, 1963, p. 40, col. 3 (accessible viaNewspapers.com; subscription required)
^Who's Who in Colored America (1941 to 1944; Vol. 6) (re: "Elkins, William Cuthbert"), Brooklyn: Thomas Yenser, editor and publisher (1942), p. 597
^"Survey of Theatrical Field Reveals Actors Are Making Money, but Producers Aren't," by Floyd J. Calvin (né Floyd Joseph Calvin; 1902-1939), Pittsburgh Courier, Vol. 18, No. 48, November 26, 1927, sect. 2, p. 2 (accessible viaFultonhistory.com; article link)
