Calling Card
''I don't think it's an exaggeration to say [Paul Robeson] is the quintessential genius of American history,'' said Paul Von Blum, a professor of African-American Studies at UCLA. ''He is probably...
Music
When Show Boat premiered in 1927, many people thought that "Ol' Man River" was little more than a Black spiritual adapted for the musical. It was kind of like how some people (cough, Ronald Re...
Songwriting
"With Show Boat a new art form emerged in the American musical theatre for the first time: the musical play as distinguished from musical comedy," reads one description of Show Boat. "Here was a ri...