On October 20, 1902, a musical comedy called In Dahomey premiered in New York City. The lyrics of the show were written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and the music was composed by Will Marion Cook. The title of the show refers to Dahomey, a west African kingdom where some of the action takes place.
A Capital Production
Bright, Clever, Well Acted, Was Heartily Applauded at the Grand Opera House.
In Dahomey, a musical farce. Music by Mr. Will Marion Cook. Book by Mr. J. A. Shipp. Lyrics by Mr. Paul Laurence Dunbar.
The whole production, book, lyrics, and company are representative of what capable colored people can do. And it may be said at once that this "farce comedy with songs" made an emphatic hit with an audience that filled the big west side theatre. It has more plot than the average "musical comedy" that is seen on Broadway, the dialogue is bright and the music is catchy and has a swing to it.
"'In Dahomey' is a West Side Hit." The New York Herald (New York, New York). October 21, 1902. Page 6.
"In Dahomey" at the Grand Opera House was one grand success. At every performance there were large audiences, and they got their money's worth, for "In Dahomey" is a play that creates laughter and untold enjoyment in every way. Mr. Paul Laurence Dunbar and Mr. William Marion Cook are the producers of this comedy, and credit must be given them for producing such a marvelous play. The metropolitan newspapers, morning and evening, are vying with each other in their praise of "In Dahomey."
"News Notes of New York." The Colored American (Washington, D. C.). November 1, 1902. Page 4.
Later productions of In Dahomey in New York and London also received favorable reviews in the press.
One of the interesting features of the theatrical calendar this week will be the presentation at the New York Theatre of a farcical musical extravaganza, the book and music of which are the work of colored men, and all the actors in which are of the same race. The piece, which is called "In Dahomey," is by Jesse Shipp, with music by Will Marion Cook. Altogether the production is said to be far and away the most pretentious yet attempted by colored men. Fully 150 persons are employed in the production, and some of the scenes, particularly those showing the barbaric dances and ceremonies of the Dahomey race, are very spectacular. The songs are, of course, a feature, and these have been written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the colored poet.
"Plays and Players." The New York Herald (New York, New York). February 15, 1903. Page 12.
You Laugh Whether You Want to or Not - Audience Still Chortling at Near Midnight
The great trouble about "In Dahomey" at the New York Theatre last night was that one could not see the forest because of the trees; the laughter was so incessant, so noisy that it often drowned the voices of the actors and actresses. It is a ridiculously funny show. "In Dahomey" is the product of two talented men of African descent. They are Paul Dunbar, who wrote the lyrics, and Will Marion Cook, the composer. J. A. Shipp furnished the book. Toward midnight the play had not ended, though the audience was laughing as if for a wager. "In Dahomey" is health cure in three acts.
"A Health Cure in Three Acts." The Sun (New York, New York). February 19, 1903. Page 7.
All Negro Book and Music Played by an All-Negro Cast -- The Negroes in the Audience Were in Heaven
The huge auditorium was packed to the doors with a chuckling, gurgling, and roaring multitude, and the utmost satisfaction seemed to reign behind the footlights. Until last night Broadway has been a Promised Land long denied. The play is already familiar in its main outlines to the theatergoing public. The plot combines a search by detectives for a silver box with a cat scratched on the back, and a plan for solving the negro problem by colonizing Africa. The first act was in a public square, Boston; the second in the South, and the third in the heart of Dahomey. The book is by J. H. Shipp, the lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the music by Will Marion Cook. The whole was well up to the not very exalted average in this kind of show.
"Dahomey on Broadway." The New York Times (New York, New York). February 19, 1903. Page 9.
The large class of Londoners who are fond of musical comedy will find a new sensation in the piece produced on Saturday, In Dahomey. The chief interest of the production lies in the fact that very nearly all concerned in it are negroes. There is no denying the success of the piece, which, as an example of plotless drama, is perhaps without a rival. The show should be a great success, for it is quite worthwhile to pass a few hours in a world where "ragtime" is part of a natural and almost inevitable element in all music, and where coon songs and cakewalks are made to seem like the obvious expressions of genuine, if somewhat elementary, emotions.
"Shaftesbury Theatre." The Times (London, England). May 18, 1903. Page 12.