''Rang Tang'' is a musical that premiered July 12, 1927, on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

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 Aubrey Lee Lyles (8 January 1884 – 28 July 1932), sometimes credited as A. L. Lyles, was an American vaudeville performer, playwright, songwriter, and lyricist. He appeared with Flournoy E. Miller as Miller and Lyles as a popular African-A ...

. The

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

— 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 Ford Thompson Dabney (15 March 1883 – 6 June 1958) was an American ragtime pianist, composer, songwriter, and acclaimed director of bands and orchestras for Broadway musical theater, revues, vaudeville, and early recordings. Additionally, for ...

, who tailored some of the songs for

Mae Barnes Mae Barnes (born Edith Mae Stith, possibly January 23, 1907 – December 13, 1996) was an American jazz singer, dancer and comic entertainer. She was responsible for introducing the Charleston (dance), Charleston dance to Broadway theatre, B ...

and

Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was an African Americans, African American pioneering screen and stage actress, and jazz and blues singer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood during the late-1910s through the ea ...

; the score and post-production music was published by

Leo Feist Leopold Feist (January 3, 1869, New York City or Mount Verson, New York – June 21, 1930, Mount Vernon, New York) was a pioneer in the popular music publishing business. In 1897, Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm bearing his name. In ...

; all copyrighted in 1927 and copyrights renewed in 1954.

History

The production premiered after the world's first solo transatlantic flight – from

Roosevelt Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located in the East Garden City section of Uniondale, on Long Island, New York, United States. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aero ...

, Mineola,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, to Le Bourget Aerodrome,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, by

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

. The musical title, ''Rang Tang,'' is slang for

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

Plot

Sam Peck (

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

) and Steve Jenkins ( Lyles) are two debt-ridden Jimtown barbers who flee their creditors, steal an airplane, and, in the spirit of

, 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 Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, they meet (i) the

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...

(Josephine Hall), (ii) the King of

( 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.

Book, lyrics, melodies, arrangements

Book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
: Kaj Gynt (1885–1956)
Lyrics: Jo Trent ''(né'' Joseph Hannibal Trent; 1892–1954)
Music:
Ford Dabney Ford Thompson Dabney (15 March 1883 – 6 June 1958) was an American ragtime pianist, composer, songwriter, and acclaimed director of bands and orchestras for Broadway musical theater, revues, vaudeville, and early recordings. Additionally, for ...
(1883–1958)
Orchestrations and vocal arrangements: Russell Wooding ''(né'' Alfred Russell Wooding; 1891–1959)

Premier production

Choreography Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
: Charles Davis ''(né'' C. Columbus Davis; 1894–1963) ‡
Staging Staging may refer to: Computing * Staging (cloud computing), a process used to assemble, test, and review a new solution before it is moved into production and the existing solution is decommissioned * Staging (data), intermediately storing data b ...
: Flournoy E. Miller (1885–1971)
Set design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...
:
Olle Nordmark Olle Emanuel Nordmark (May 25, 1890 – December 18, 1973) was a Swedish Painting, painter and muralist born in Nordanholen at Mockfjärd parish. He was focused on an art career from an early age. After emigrating in 1924 to the United Stat ...
(1890–1973)
Costume design Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for a performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a ...
:
Olle Nordmark Olle Emanuel Nordmark (May 25, 1890 – December 18, 1973) was a Swedish Painting, painter and muralist born in Nordanholen at Mockfjärd parish. He was focused on an art career from an early age. After emigrating in 1924 to the United Stat ...
Costume execution: Hilarie Mahieu Costumes, Inc. – Hilarie Albert Mahieu (1877–1964)
Masks, lantern heads, and shields: H. Foster Anderson
Orchestra direction:
Ford Dabney Ford Thompson Dabney (15 March 1883 – 6 June 1958) was an American ragtime pianist, composer, songwriter, and acclaimed director of bands and orchestras for Broadway musical theater, revues, vaudeville, and early recordings. Additionally, for ...
Produced by Walker and Kavanagh – Antoinette Walker ''(maiden;'' 1874–1970) and husband, Michael Joseph Patrick Kavanagh (1887–1967)

Opening night cast

Flournoy E. Miller (1885–1971), as Sam Peck, a barber ‡
Aubrey Lyles Aubrey Lee Lyles (8 January 1884 – 28 July 1932), sometimes credited as A. L. Lyles, was an American vaudeville performer, playwright, songwriter, and lyricist. He appeared with Flournoy E. Miller as Miller and Lyles as a popular African-A ...
(1884–1932), as Steve Jenkins, a barber ‡
Josephine Hall ''(née'' Josephine Allen; born 1890), as Queen of Sheba and singer
Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was an African Americans, African American pioneering screen and stage actress, and jazz and blues singer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood during the late-1910s through the ea ...
(1896–1932)
Daniel L. Haynes (1889–1954), as King of Madagascar and chorus member (baritone)
Inez Draw, singer
Lillian Westmoreland ''(maiden;'' 1906–1935), a so-called "double-voiced" talent – the ability to sing both soprano and alto

: Barnes, Mack, Jones dance trio

Mae Barnes Mae Barnes (born Edith Mae Stith, possibly January 23, 1907 – December 13, 1996) was an American jazz singer, dancer and comic entertainer. She was responsible for introducing the Charleston (dance), Charleston dance to Broadway theatre, B ...
(1907–1996), dancer
Lavinia Mack (born about 1908), dancer
Byron Jones (1889–1934), dancer

: Cast (continued)

Zaidee Jackson (1898–1970), as Magnolia
Crawford Jackson
Joe Willis
Ralph Bryson, dancer

: Male chorus

Daniel L. Haynes (1889–1954), bass
Ambrose Allen
Howard Brown
C.H. Gordon
Gilbert Holland
Burble Jackson
Snippy Mason ''(né'' Arthur Robinson Mason; 1891–1976), tenor ‡
Llewellyn Ransom ''(né'' Llewellyn Aloysius Ransom; 1901–1972), tenor
James E. Strange ''(né'' James Easton Strange; 1895–1956), as barbershop customer and chorus member, tenor
Joseph Willis
Clarence Todd
Edwin Alexander
George Battles
Edward Thompson ''(né'' James Edward Thompson; 1898–1960), who, in 1924, married
Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was an African Americans, African American pioneering screen and stage actress, and jazz and blues singer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood during the late-1910s through the ea ...

: Ladies of the ensemble

Le 'Etta' Revells
Pauline Jackson
Susie Baker
Gladyce Bronson
Doris Colbert
La Valla Cook
Inez Draw
Teddy Garnette
Alice Hoffman
Margie Hubbard
Frances Hubbard
Evelyn Keyes (1908–1990)
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)
Frankye Maxwell
Thelma McLaughlin
Marel Miles
Thula Ortes
Thelma Rhoton
Gladys Schell
Helen Smith
Norma Smith
Gomez Boyer
Mildred Coleman
Leonore Gadsden
Isabel Peterson
Ethelyn Boyd
Irma Miles
Marie Simmons
Anna Humphrey
Gertrude Williams

: Ford Dabney's ''Rang Tang'' Orchestra : In September 1927, "The Witch Doctor," a new scene by Trent and Dabney was added to the show. : ‡ Member of the 1921 ''

Shuffle Along ''Shuffle Along'' is a musical composed by Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle and a book written by the comedy duo Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. One of the most notable all-Black hit Broadway shows, it was a landmark in African-Amer ...

'' cast

Songs

: ''Rang Tang;''

"Rang Tang," fox-trot song; Dabney (music), Trent (words), Frank E. Barry (arrangement);
"Rang Tang," Dabney (melody), Trent (words)
"Brown;" Dabney (music), Trent (words), ; Zaidee Jackson, vocalist
"Come to Africa," Dabney and Trent (words & melody); Josephine Hall, vocalist
"Ee Yah," hunting song, Dabney (melody), Trent (words)
"Everybody Shout," Dabney and Trent (words & music)
"Feelin' Kinda Good," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Harlem," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Jubilee in Monkeyland," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Jungle Rose," Dabney and Trent (words & melody); ;
Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was an African Americans, African American pioneering screen and stage actress, and jazz and blues singer in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood during the late-1910s through the ea ...
, vocalist
"Jungle Rose," fox trot, Dabney (music), Trent (words)
"King and Queen," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Pay Me," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Sammy and Topsy," Dabney (melody), Trent (words)
"Sammy's Banjo," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Six Little Wives" (of Chief Bobo), Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Someday," Dabney (melody), Trent (words); Josephine Hall, vocalist
"Sweet Evening Breeze," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)
"Voodoo," Dabney (melody), Trent (words)
"Zulu Fifth Avenue," Dabney and Trent (words & melody)

: Not listed in ''Catalogue of Copyright Entries:''

"Summer Nights," Josephine Hall, vocalist
"Tramps of the Desert"

Post Broadway performances

After closing on Broadway, ''Rang Tang'' opened in *

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

: Werba's Theater *

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1863. The theater is best known for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box where ...

– opened October 24, 1927, for a 1-week engagement *

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

: Tremont Theatre – November 28, 1927 *

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

: Shubert Theatre – opened December 29, 1927 * Jamaica, Queens, New York City: Cort Theater – January 1928; John Cort's theater, on 175th Street at

Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Fulton Street and Broadway, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's ...

; opened August 22, 1927, with the American stage premier of ''Mr. What's His Name;'' the structure was designed by Eugene DeRosa *

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

: Lafayette Theatre – opened February 13, 1928

Other productions

* Staged and produced by Edward E. Daley (1884–1933), starring

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, be ...

(1888–1937) and Joe Byrd ''(né'' Joseph Byrd; 1886–1946) **

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Woods Theatre The Woods Theatre was a movie palace at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in the Chicago Loop. It opened in 1918 and was a popular entertainment destination for decades. Originally a venue for live theater, it was later converted to show ...

– opened June 20, 1928, close July 14, 1928 **

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

( 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 The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acquired in 1965 by ...

'' reporter Floyd J. Calvin (1902–1939) wrote:

Gallery

Androcles-and-the-Lion-Daniel-Haynes.jpg, 1938
Daniel L. Haynes in a 1938 stage presentation of '' Androcles and the Lion'' at the Lafayette Theatre,

Evelyn_Preer.jpg, 1923

(publicity photo)

Notes, copyrights, references

Notes

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 The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

. * ''

Catalog of Copyright Entries United States copyright registrations, renewals, and other catalog entries since 1978 are published online at the United States Copyright Office website. Entries prior to 1978 are not published in the online catalog. Copyright registrations and ren ...

, Part 1, Group 3: Class D: Dramatic Compositions, Motion Pictures, New Series,''

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Copyright Office The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that registers copyright claims, records information about copyright ownership, provides information to the public, and assists ...

* ''

, Part 3 Musical Compositions, New Series,''

* ''

, Third Series, Renewal Registrations – Music'' * Renewals

Genealogical records

Inline

Historic newspapers, magazines, and journals

External links

* * * * {{ibdb production, id=10340, title=Rang Tang , description=(1928) (production) Broadway musicals Revues African-American musicals All-Black cast Broadway shows 1927 musicals Musicals set on airplanes Musicals set in Madagascar