Fri 2/7-Sun 2/23
The 1931 case of the Scottsboro boys, nine black teens falsely accused of raping two white women, was a stain on American history and its endlessly fraught race relations. It hardly seems like the raw material for a musical, but indeed it was made into one. The Scottsboro Boys, with music by the great team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, debuted in 2010, the final collaboration by the team who wrote Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman. It earned 12 Tony nominations, and struck a chord at a time that, rather than the election of President Obama heralding a “post-racial” country, saw an increase in overt racism.
The Beck Center in Lakewood will be presenting the musical in its Mackey Theater in collaboration with the renowned Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre program, featuring its gifted stars of tomorrow. It’s also a regional premiere.
It runs Thursday-Sunday (with an additional show Wed 2/19) through Sun 2/23. Tickets are $7-$33.
https://www.beckcenter.org/shows/the-scottsboro-boys
Lakewood, OH 44107