Barry Singer

the art of being Winston Churchill

Churchill style

"Black and Blue" is the triumphant story of the African-American experience on Broadway, seen through the rediscovered life of a unique lyric-writing genius. Born Andrea Razafkeriefo- a direct descendant of the royal family of Madagascar -in 1895, Andy Razaf's life is a tale of breathtaking lyric talent ending in obscurity, set against Prohibition-era Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Harlem "after-hours" nightclubs and speakeasies.

The Life and Lyrics of Andy Razaf

Black and Blue

Black and Blue is the triumphant story of the African-American experience on Broadway, seen through the rediscovered life of a unique lyric-writing genius. Born Andrea Razafkeriefo - a direct descendant of the royal family of Madagascar - in 1895, Andy Razaf's life is a tale of breathtaking lyric talent ending in obscurity, set against Prohibition-era Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Harlem "after-hours" nightclubs and speakeasies. After a brief pitching career in Cleveland with a semi-pro offshoot of the now-legendary Negro Leagues, Razaf turned to songwriting, creating with partners Thomas "Fats" Waller, stride piano giant James P. Johnson, and Eubie Blake such landmark standards as "Memories of You," "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Joint Is Jumpin'," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "Black and Blue" - more than 800 songs from the bawdy blues "My Handy Man" to the big band hit "Stompin' at the Savoy." His first professional song, "Baltimo'," was performed in The Passing Show of 1913 at the Winter Garden Theatre when he was seventeen years old. After a series of setbacks, he went on to write for the Creole Follies, a 1924 nightclub revue at the whites-only Club Alabam in Times Square, with Fletcher Henderson leading the orchestra. Keep Shufflin', in 1928, Razaf's first Broadway show, was a jet-propelled musical entertainment ("there is no adagio anything," wrote one opening night reviewer) bankrolled by gangster Arnold Rothstein, who was the victim of a mob hit during the show's road tour. The nightclub revue Hot Feet followed - and quickly moved from Harlem to Broadway as Connie's Hot Chocolates with the backing of legendary gangster Dutch Schultz. A frenzied spectacle of a musical, Connie's Hot Chocolates featured a cast of 85, Louis Armstrong in the pit, and a score that included "Ain't Misbehavin"' and "Black and Blue." Despite these successes, Razaf was invited to compose only one more musical for Broadway, Blackbirds of 1930. He continued, however, to write nightclub revues prolifically throughout the 1930s, culminating in the 1940 show Tan Manhattan with Eubie Blake. Showing another side of his artistry, his classic swing-era lyric compositions include "Stompin' at the Savoy" and the incomparable "In the Mood." Black and Blue features deeply etched portraits of many of the most important and beloved musicians of this period, including the irrepressible J.C. Johnson, who was in many ways Razaf's alter ego...James P. Johnson, the dean of Harlem piano players, shy, reserved, and noted for his landmark improvisations...stride pianist Willie "the Lion" Smith, the fast-talking embodiment of Harlem in the Twenties, whose powerful left hand could swing a cabaret room into submission...the blustering impresario Lew Leslie, dubbed the "Black Ziegfeld"...and Thomas "Fats" Waller, whose unquenchable pianistic and melodic gifts transformed him into a star of the Harlem rent-party circuit and an international celebrity. Razaf lived to be proudly inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, and soon after his death in 1973, his lyric talent proved crucial to the success of the Broadway musicals Bubbling Brown Sugar, Ain't Misbehavin', Eubie, and Black and Blue. Barry Singer has enjoyed unrestricted access to Razaf's letters, scrapbooks, and family albums. Black and Blue is a sensitive account of the emergence of a distinctive African-American musical theatre - the pervasive racism surrounding it, and the immense artistry that remains its glorious legacy.

Ever After remains far more than a detailed show-by-show history. With nearly one hundred first-person interviews, it is also a definitive behind-the-scenes account of how those shows were made. Singer invites the people who created the last forty years of musical theater on and off Broadway to tell their own stories. From an unparalleled look at A Chorus Line's final bow through the revolutionary evolution of Sunday in the Park with George, as recounted by Stephen Sondheim, the tragic triumph of Rent, the real people behind Disney's mega-musicals, and even an afternoon with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ever After proceeds to a moment-by-moment account of the birth of Wicked, by composer Stephen Schwartz; the extraordinary journeys of shows like Fun Home, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band's Visit, and Hadestown, through the eyes of their respective creators; and, finally, the miracle of Hamilton, as reconstructed by its producer Jeffrey Seller. Ever After celebrates new generations of musical theater artists via extended interviews with Jeanine Tesori, David Yazbek, Rachel Chavkin, Billy Porter, Laura Benanti, Audra McDonald, Julie Taymor, Adam Guettel, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jason Robert Brown, and many more. Ever After also closely documents the evolving contributions of women and persons of color to the past forty years of musical theater: their triumphs, their setbacks, and their centrality to musical theater's future. Through his work for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Huffington Post, and Playbill, Singer has been a firsthand witness to the past forty years of musical theater on Broadway and off. No one is better equipped to write the history of this era. Ever After is the first and the last word on the subject.

Forty Years of Musical Theater and Beyond 1977–2020

Ever After

A detailed show-by-show history of the last quarter century in American musical theater that attempts to explain how the storied Broadway tradition went so very wrong in many cases.

The Last Years of Musical Theater and Beyond

A look at the towering twentieth-century leader and his lifestyle that goes beyond the political and into the personal. Countless books have examined the public accomplishments of the man who led Britain in a desperate fight against the Nazis with a ferocity and focus that earned him the nickname “the British Bulldog.” Churchill Style takes a different kind of look at this historic icon—delving into the way he lived and the things he loved, from books to automobiles, as well as how he dressed, dined, and drank in his daily life. With numerous photographs, this unique volume explores Churchill’s interests, hobbies, and vices—from his maddening oversight of the renovation of his country house, Chartwell, and the unusual styles of clothing he preferred, to the seemingly endless flow of cognac and champagne he demanded and his ability to enjoy any cigar, from the cheapest stogies to the most pristine Cubans. Churchill always knew how to live well, truly combining substance with style, and now you can get to know the man behind the legend—from the top of his Homburg hat to the bottom of his velvet slippers. “All readers will appreciate Singer’s highly intelligent observations about how Churchill’s style contributed to, and was ultimately an integral part of his brilliant career.” —Gentleman’s Gazette

Barry Singer

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