Kwamina (musical)

Kwamina
Original Cast Album
Music Richard Adler
Lyrics Richard Adler
Book Robert Alan Aurthur
Premiere October 23, 1961 – 54th Street Theatre
Productions 1961 Broadway

Kwamina is a musical which originally debuted on Broadway on October 23, 1961 at the 54th Street Theatre, and ran for 32 performances, ending on November 18, 1961. It starred Sally Ann Howes, Terry Carter, Robert Guillaume, and Brock Peters, among others, and was directed by Robert Lewis and choreographed by Agnes de Mille, with a libretto by Robert Alan Aurthur and songs by Richard Adler.

Synopsis

The son of an African tribal chief returns home after attending medical school in London and finds his modern methods conflict with his village's traditions. He also butts heads with the village's white female doctor, but he ultimately falls in love with her.

Original cast album

The original cast album was recorded for Capitol Records on Monday, November 20, 1961 following the Saturday close two days earlier. A cast album had already been planned based on hopes that the show would be a hit, but Capitol Records, despite the extremely short run of the show, went ahead and made and released the album, and it has since reached a cult status. It has recently been made available for online download on iTunes and Amazon (UK).

Jazz pianist Billy Taylor released The Original Jazz Score of Kwamina in 1961.

Songs

Act I
  • The Cocoa Bean Song
  • Welcome Home
  • The Sun is Beginning to Crow
  • Did You Hear That?
  • You're As English As
  • Seven Sheep, Four Red Shirts, and a Bottle of Gin
  • Nothing More To Look Forward To
  • What's Wrong With Me?
  • Something Big
  • Ordinary People
  • A Man Can Have No Choice
  • What Happened to me Tonight?
Act II
  • One Wife
  • Something Big (Reprise)
  • Another Time, Another Place

External links

References