In Dahomey, the first full-length musical to be written, played, and performed by African-Americans, opened on Broadway February 18, 1903. It featured music by Will Marion Cook, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
It starred George Walker and Bert Williams who were popular vaudeville entertainers at the time. It ran for 53 performances, then toured twice in the US and once in the UK. In Dahomey became one of the most successful musical comedies of that time.
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