In History Theatre's new original musical
Whoa, Nellie! this spring, I was introduced to the Black Vaudevillian Bert Williams, one of the most popular and successful performers of his time. And now he deservedly gets a show of his own, the new play with music
Nobody, No Time (named after his most well-known song) written and directed by Illusion Theater's playwright-in-residence Carlyle Brown. It's a multi-layered story of a Black man from the Bahamas achieving huge success in early 20th Century America, while dealing with racism off-stage and leaning into racial stereotypes on-stage performing to White audiences. Set at the end of his life with flashback performances, the play gives us a full picture of the man and the artist. The talented cast brings Bert and his contemporaries to life, and perform over a dozen songs of the era.
Head to Center for Performing Arts now through October 25 to experience this
important part of entertainment history, of American history.
