The new Broadway musical Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed opened April 28 at the Music Box Theatre.. The venue was actually a converted lecture hall that lacked a proper stage or orchestra pit. The 1921 groundbreaking musical Shuffle Along is now back on Broadway, though presented as the story behind the musical – the story ending with the show's creative team falling out over disagreements over royalties. It is the brainchild of George C. Wolfe, who wrote the book and directed the show, based off a forgotten treasure from 1912, Shuffle Along, which featured a completely African … But the songwriters, Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, continued collaborating over the years, says Noble Sissle Jr., in a letter to The Inquirer's David Patrick … “Shuffle Along,” one of the most ambitious and anticipated musicals of the theater season just ended, will close next month, abruptly and unexpectedly, the … “Shuffle Along” Received 10 Tony Nominations but No Wins Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1912 and All That Followed is a historic production on Broadway. Now, Walton wrote, he was “curious to learn if ‘Shuffle Along’ would find its way into the category of what is known, in the language of the performer, as a ‘white folks’ show.’ ” Could the production, in other words, manage to be both black enough to have “it” and at the same time white enough to make loads of money? Lyricist Noble Sissle played the role of Tom Sharp in the original production of Shuffle Along. Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, falls squarely within that body of work and inspiration. Shuffle Along was a significant theatrical success that "ended more than a decade of systematic exclusion of blacks from the Broadway stage". Shuffle Along Etc. is, fundamentally, about success in general and the paradox of success for black artists in America. And this spring’s star-studded Broadway production of Shuffle Along provides a great reason to celebrate. Shuffle Along or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed—that’s the full title—is a meta-musical about the creation of one of the first successful Broadway shows written by and for African-Americans. The aim of this celebratory new macro-musical is to acknowledge that bittersweet outcome while reclaiming the original Shuffle Along’s jubilant place in the history books. McDonald is taking a leave from "Shuffle Along" this summer to do the play in London. The show opened in New York City at Daly's 63rd Street Music Hall on May 23, 1921 and ran 504 performances.