IN DEVELOPMENT

IN DAHOMEY: A NEGRO MUSICAL COMEDY

Original Book by Jesse A. Shipp
Music by Will Marion Cook
Lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar
New Book by Breon Arzell and Monty Cole

In 1903 Boston, 2 downtrodden dreamers get roped into the plot of an African-American Colonization Society embarking on a journey to a small African country where the society hopes to live freely and reign as royals. The first show written completely by, and performed by, African-Americans to appear on Broadway, Cole and Breon Arzell revitalize this landmark in Black Drama into a modern Book musical.

Monty says, “Working on In Dahomey has been like an archaeological dig. Breon and I have had to dust off and dig up old bones, 3-D print new bones, to see the artifact that’s in front of us. What astounds me every time we come back to working on this powerful musical about home is how funny it is still. There are parts that consistently, to this day, still crack us up.”

WORKSHOPS
Center for New Performance (2017)
Court Theatre (2017)

READINGS
Zoom Reading (2020)