Welcome back for our second Ghost Hunt episode. I’m your host, Erin Bogert. In this episode, we’re jumping back to 1921, and we’re just shy of backstage at Daly’s 63rd Street Music Hall, at 22 West 63rd Street, between Broadway and Central Park West. A performance of “Shuffle Along” ended about thirty minutes ago, and the Reverend Edward Hall and his date, Mrs. Eleanor Mills, stayed behind to grandstand the fact that Edward Hall knows (in passing) the already famous Rutgers alum Paul Robeson, here making his Broadway debut in the choir while attending law school. The stars of our little story are not the doomed lovers or the great Paul Robeson, but two other choir singers, Nelly and J.E.B. are waiting for the theater patrons to leave the theater so that they can get on with their evening. Oh, and for those who don’t know, Shuffle Along was the first Broadway smash hit with an entirely Black cast: it not only changed who belonged on Broadway’s biggest stages, it also introduced an entirely new sound and feel to the music and rhythm of American popular music. But in both 1921 and now, success on the stage did not result in equal treatment, a dichotomy reflected in the thoughts of our radio play’s protagonist, J.E.B.
This episode was brought to you by the New Brunswick Historical Society and Thinkery & Verse. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County board of chosen freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. Our theme music this season comes from Blimp66 of Freesound.org, and our closing jazz loop is by Anechoix. Today’s radio play was written by Johnny Meyer and James Edward Becton, and edited by Johnny Meyer and Karen Alvarado. It featured voice actors Ashley Bufkin, James Edward Becton, Joey Sponseller, J Meyer, and Kaitlin Omerod Hutson, and songs from Shuffle Along.
*Episode 2 - Broadway
Intro - Hello and welcome back for our second Ghost Hunt Episode. I’m your host, Erin Bogert. In this episode, we’re jumping back to 1921, and we’re just shy of backstage at Daly’s 63rd Street Music Hall, at 22 West 63rd Street, between Broadway and Central Park West. A performance of “Shuffle Along” ended about thirty minutes ago, and the Reverend Edward Hall and his date, Mrs. Eleanor Mills, stayed behind to grandstand the fact that Edward Hall knows (in passing) the already famous Rutgers alum Paul Robeson, here making his Broadway debut in the choir while attending law school. However, the stars of our little story today are not the doomed lovers or the great Paul Robeson, but two other choir singers, Nelly and J.E.B. are waiting for the theater patrons to leave the theater so that they can get on with their evening. Oh, and for those who don’t know, Shuffle Along was the first Broadway smash hit with an entirely Black cast: it not only changed who belonged on Broadway’s biggest stages, it also introduced an entirely new sound and feel to the music and rhythm of American popular music. But in both 1921 and now, success on the stage did not result in equal treatment, a dichotomy reflected in the thoughts of our radio play’s protagonist, J.E.B. In this story, he is going to cool down after his performance by walking home, and sentimentally try and remember a song his father taught him–a song that begins with ‘the fifth note on the scale’. But instead of being able to remember his father’s song (or relax), our protagonist instead finds his mind tripping over two other ideas: the outrageous openness of Father Hall’s infidelity, and the risks of ‘walking while Black’ in Midtown Manhattan. Just a heads up, as in our other radio play experiments, we’re taking our cue from a celebrated form of 1920s literature, namely, modernism. So you should expect a listening experience in which the more you bring to it, the more you’ll get out of it. It’s a bit of a challenge, so good luck, and happy listening.
J.E.B. (to himself)
—eye the farewells with impatience. What was that song?
EDWARD (leaving.)
Alright then, good evening, gentlemen.
J.E.B. (under his breath)
Shuffle along...
ELEANOR (leaving.)
Good evening, everyone! Congratulations!
J.E.B. (to himself)
What was my father’s song? 5th note on the scale...
NELLY
They’re gone.
J.E.B.
Hhmm?
NELLY
You think he’s having her?
J.E.B.
Oh yeah, he’s had, will have, IS having her alright.
NELLY
New music. We made her excited.
J.E.B.
"When they see me shake, it makes them shiver. When I do a break, it makes them quiver.”
NELLY
She liked it. She see this show, it changes her life.
J.E.B.
That’s a damned good way to get killed.
NELLY
Huh?
J.E.B.
That man’s married to a rich woman, but bringing that one out here.
NELLY
How do you know that? They both had rings.
J.E.B.
She had cheap shoes on, and his were first-class.
NELLY
I noticed her shoes. Didn’t see his.
J.E.B.
How are mine?
NELLY
In between the two. You shined them alright.
J.E.B.
Hm.
NELLY
You gotta marry rich.
J.E.B.
Need to something rich.
NELLY
Let’s see if they come back.
J.E.B.
If they make a pilgrimage all the way out here to see us again, and she’s got better shoes on. Then
something’s not for nothing.
NELLY
You getting out of here?
J.E.B.
Yeah, I’m out of here.
NELLY
You alright?
J.E.B.
Yeah, I’m alright, because I am alright.
NELLY
Goodnight.
[J.E.B. goes out the front—sound of a door, musicians Streetscape noises at night. 1920s possibilities: people talking, late night church bell, automobiles, if near park then outdoor noises, possibly late night jazz but it would be played inside rather than outside.)
J.E.B.
I’ll see you. “Everybody thinks I’m crazy / They say I’ve gone plum mad.” That’s not what I’m
trying to hear. Offstage, on the mind, chasing that--What was my father’s song? 5th note on the scale… Why am I walking up Park? Quieter this way. Got forty blocks for them to fuck with me. Waiting. Waiting.
Well, Father Hall (not my father) , sir, it’s not cynicism. Being interested in survival is not cynicism. Self care is not cynicism. Home is forty blocks of opportunity for them to fuck with me. I do not want them to fuck with me so they don’t give me a reason to fuck with them: I have opportunities to avoid it: that is optimism . Survival and safe care. I don’t have the gall to think folks wouldn’t try to kill me for half the sin you take on whole, fffffffather. Open adultery? Something . Broadway. No train tonight. Me, myself and I are having an evening constitutional. Nice walking at night, no traffic--my father’s son would save the nickel. Feel the show in my calf tonight. I want it to feel better: walk it out, go from snap sore to muscle sore. My mother used to tell me: even on a bad, day, survive. I want it to feel better: I want it to survive. I want to survive. Even on a bad day: survive, father...and don’t need no good way to get killed.
Outro - Thank you for listening to this Ghost Hunt Episode. If you want to experience this radio play again, or others like it, might I suggest downloading the Geocache app where you can do some real life Ghost Hunting by traveling to the locations mentioned (in this case, 22 West 63rd Street in NYC) and searching for our caches. You can also purchase tickets to Thou Shalt Not 2022, our real-life play that is coming back to the stage for the centennial of the murders this September, available through our website at thinkeryandverse.org. This episode was brought to you by the New Brunswick Historical Society and Thinkery & Verse. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County board of chosen freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. Our theme music this season comes from Blimp66 of Freesound.org. Today’s radio play was written by Johnny Meyer and James Edward Becton, and edited by Johnny Meyer. It featured voice actors Ashley Bufkin, James Edward Becton, Joey Sponseller and Kaitlin Omerod Hutson, and songs from Shuffle Along. Thank you again for listening; I’m your host and engineer, Erin Bogert. Until next time, ciao.
