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Faye exits with Grover, leaving Satin to fume. Leroy tries to comfort her, though she assumes it is yet another pass. She reveals her true name (Laticia) and insists that the woman Leroy sees onstage every night is not the woman he'd be bringing home. When she eventually settles down, it will be with the kind of man “they don’t make anymore” (“All Things To One Man”. Leroy, taken aback by her display of emotion, makes a joke before heading onstage. During his routine (“The Line”), Leroy despairs over his inability to be serious when the moment counts.
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freezes in a moment of stylized theatricality so that Leroy and Satin can be shown backstage. They make amends and Leroy vows to help her in any way that he can, even if they can't be together. The Street Toughs are defeated and the company triumphantly crosses the color barrier, vowing that they won't be segregated moving forward. Leroy, Satin, and Doyle are shown arm in arm once more (“This Must Be the Place - Reprise”).
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she'll need time to think about Leroy's offer. Despite this, Leroy believes he's on the right track and privately claims victory (“New Man”). Satin realizes that the only spot she hasn't checked is the alley and is horrified to find a drunken Doyle being beaten by STREET TOUGHS. She barely manages to pry Doyle out of their grip by threatening to call the cops.
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cleanly dressed Doyle waiting in the dressing room. Leroy enters with a new bike that he and Satin plan to give to Grover on his 10th birthday. When it's revealed that Leroy doesn't know how to ride a bike, Doyle offers to ride it to Grover's home (“Yes Ma’am”). Leroy and Satin mock Mrs. Faye as they head to the south side of
Chicago (“Why Mama Why”).
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replacement bike but Satin rejects his offer, insisting that he can't “keep smilin’ everything away”. Romaine enters the black dressing room to talk to Leroy and encourage him to keep trying with Satin. When Harry sees his wife exiting the black dressing room, he reminds her that they could be shut down for such a violation.
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Onstage, Leroy sings about
Chicago and “A Century of Progress”. The chorus girls appear onstage with Satin and Leroy proceeds to humiliate her, ripping off her wig and g-string in front of the audience. Satin escapes to her dressing room and is confronted by Leroy, who slaps her. He gets into a fight
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Doyle is taken to Satin's apartment, where he drunkenly calls out for his dead wife and son. Sitting up in bed, he catatonically reveals how, when he was living in
Ireland, he made a bomb intended to kill British soldiers on a train. It was only after the explosion that Doyle learned his wife and son
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When Gus and Doyle perform their juggling act onstage, it ends with Gus accidentally walking off the stage and becoming enveloped in the stage works. Harry declares that Gus is no longer fit to work at the venue. Doyle promises to help his new partner, seeing as Gus was the one to pull him out of the
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Inside the venue, Harry speaks with DIX, a neighborhood cop. Dix is assured that none of the performers are violating color lines and is invited to take a look around to ensure this fact. Gus introduces Doyle to Harry, who rejects the bum outright. Nevertheless, Gus tells Doyle to wait for him in his
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Onstage, Gus performs a hospital sketch with
Romaine (who plays a sexy nurse) and an actor referred to as The Stooge (“Cadaver”). The sketch goes awry when Gus accidentally sticks The Stooge with a prop needle, which causes the actor to quit the show. Gus tries to brush off the incident, but Harry is
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were on that same train ("Down"). He collapses, and the next morning he reveals to Satin that his real name is Thomas. They kiss, and when Satin opens her door to leave for work she is met with the sight of two cartons of ribs. She and Doyle realize that Leroy must have been outside the entire time.
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Satin gives
Romaine a note from Grover, thanking her for his birthday cake. Though she is reluctant to accept, Satin agrees to sit in the white dressing room with Romaine and talk about the birthday party. She is unable to reveal exactly what happened on that day. Leroy shows up with a receipt for a
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Doyle helps Grover learn how to ride his bike. A quartet of white PUNKS confront the group and destroy the bike, calling Doyle a “n***er lover”. Leroy is unable to process the situation and escapes into the first act's closing number (“This Crazy Place”). Satin protests but ultimately gives into the
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Gus introduces a juggling routine to Doyle but is infuriated when his eyesight prevents him from juggling properly. Doyle suggests that they incorporate his mistakes into the act. As they create this revised routine, Satin watches from afar (“Who Is He?”). Gus notices that Doyle is taking notes and
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In the alley, Satin meets with her kid brother, GROVER. Satin has been giving Grover money she's earned to help their mother, MRS. OVETHA FAYE. Mrs. Faye, who appears in the alley, makes it clear that she does not want her daughter's money, as it has been earned working at the burlesque venue. Mrs.
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Leroy and Satin arrive backstage on a Sunday, having been unable to locate Doyle, who has gone missing since the funeral. Leroy takes a moment to clarify that he doesn't view Satin as a one-time girl. He wants to be with her permanently, if she'll have him. Satin is lost in thought and states that
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Leroy arrives with ribs and continues to flirt with Satin, who has been unsettled by the appearance of Dix. Leroy assures her and the black chorus girls that everything will be fine (“My Daddy Always Taught Me to Share”). When he goes upstairs to the black dressing room, Leroy is surprised to find
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The singers, dancers, comedians, and strippers who make up the ensemble of Harry Earle's
Burlesque take the stage and welcome the audience (“This Must Be the Place”). The year is 1933 and the city is Chicago. We are introduced to the white characters: HARRY EARLE, the owner of the venue; his wife,
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Gus and Doyle, having managed to squeak through their first performance, exit into the alley. When Gus tries to worm his way out of paying Doyle, the latter lashes out. Gus begs Doyle to return the next day so that they may continue working together. Doyle, left alone, begins to sing to an unseen
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Leroy, a known playboy who has had affairs with many of the black chorus girls, flirts with Satin and orders ribs for the women. Harry interviews LINETTE, who is applying to become one of the black chorus girls. In a private moment, Gus confesses to Solly that he's been losing his eyesight. Solly
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The next morning, the performers slowly enter as Gus waits for Doyle’s arrival. The company sings (“Rise and Shine”), with the performers complaining and
Maybelle encouraging them to do their best. We see Satin discussing a bike with Leroy over the phone. Gus is delighted to find a newly shaven,
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Satin appears onstage to sing another rendition of “A Sweet Thing Like Me”. She is interrupted by the Street Toughs, who throw tomatoes at her until she is led offstage by the Stage
Manager. Doyle confronts the Street Toughs and the Company spills onto the stage to help fend them off. The group
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Romaine and Solly perform a comedy routine (“Timing”) when a gunshot is heard backstage. Harry appears before the audience to report that an accident has occurred and the show has been cancelled. Doyle is shown standing next to a funeral wreath as
Maybelle and the company mourn the death of Gus
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At Mrs. Faye's home, Satin and Leroy arrive just as Doyle coasts in on Grover's new bike. They present an upside down cake prepared by
Romaine but Mrs. Faye, incensed, denounces the party so that she may focus on her ironing. Doyle tells a story about his childhood that transfixes the group,
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Gus, unable to find a replacement sketch partner, enters the alley outside the venue so he can think (“I Get Myself Out”). In a moment of desperation, he enlists DOYLE, one of the many homeless men who reside in the alley. Doyle is drunk and doesn't speak, but Gus moves forward.
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Backstage, the color lines are harshly drawn: The white performers congregate in one dressing room, while the black performers congregate in another. Black and white performers do not perform together onstage during the various acts, as dictated by the local authorities.
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A number of songs were taken out of the show during its tryout and New York previews, including "The Best," "La Salle Street Stomp," "The One I Want is Always on the Bottom," "Rabbity Stew" (which was eventually incorporated into Grossman's 1993 musical
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ROMAINE, who is a stripper; and the lead white comedians, SOLLY and GUS. We are also introduced to the black characters: LEROY, the lead black comedian; SATIN, who is also a stripper; and MAYBELLE, the wardrobe lady for the black performers.
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Doyle waiting. He leads the stranger downstairs to the white dressing room and offers him a bottle of whiskey, which Doyle eagerly accepts. Gus, Solly, and Romaine desperately try to sober Doyle up in time for his first performance.
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The next day, Linette expresses concern that she won't be ready for her next number. The performers reassure her that, no matter what they do onstage, it doesn't matter so long as they're undressed “From The Ankles Down”.
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insists that a true performer should “Never Put It In Writing”. Doyle gets it (“I Talk, You Talk”) and the three performers come together for a big finish. Satin flinches when she realizes Doyle is holding her arm.
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wife and son (“Katie, My Love”). He secretly longs to die so that he may be with them. Satin asks if he's okay, to which Doyle replies, “I could tell you I’m feelin’ no pain, ma’am - but I'd be lyin’.”
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wrote: "...the show has become a desperate barrage of arbitrary musical numbers, portentous staging devices, extravagant costumes..., confused plot twists and sociological bromides..."
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eventually closed after a run of slightly more than two months, losing its entire $ 4.75 million investment. It was one of a string of six Broadway flops directed by
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with Doyle that highlights the color line and causes the company to fight amongst themselves. Henry intervenes and demands that everyone get back to work.
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in the 1980s, and Prince and three other members of the creative team were suspended by the Dramatists Guild for signing a "substandard contract."
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quick to point out that this is the third “Stooge” to quit in two weeks. Satin goes onstage to perform a strip routine (“A Sweet Thing Like Me”).
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Kanin wrote the musical's book; the music was by Larry Grossman, who had written the score for Prince's previous Broadway musical, 1982's
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alley and give him a reason for living. Gus tries to appear cheerful but sings a mournful reprise of “I Get Myself Out” when left alone.
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dressing room. Doyle, confused and unfamiliar with the venue, walks upstairs to the black dressing room.
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columnist Douglas Watt, the show was in "serious trouble" during its out-of-town tryout in Baltimore.
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including Mrs. Faye. The old woman ultimately joins in as Grover blows out his birthday candles.
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performance, assuring Leroy that what they've just experienced was nothing more than a dream.
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464:(who was also one of the producers), with set design by Clarke Dunham, costume design by
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At one point, Bob Fosse was brought on to choreograph "New Man" for Ben Vereen.
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assures that Gus that as long as the routines go well, no one will notice.
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In the mid-1970s, writer Fay Kanin wrote a screenplay entitled
527:(Doyle), Donald Acree (Grover), Ruth Brisbane (Mrs. Faye) and
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American Theatre Wing, April 1985, accessed August 27, 2019
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Internet Off-Broadway database, accessed August 27, 2019
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Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops
515:(Fleta), Candy Brown (Kitty), Wynonna Smith (Linette),
480:, dance music arrangements by Tom Fay, dance music for
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A Century Of Progress - Leroy, Satin and Earle's Pearls
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Reviews of the production were mixed at best. In his
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In a Broadway season described by theater historian
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Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
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484:arranged by Gordon Harrell, with choreography by
307:A Sweet Thing Like Me - Satin and Earle's Pearls
346:From The Ankles Down - Leroy and Earle's Pearls
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925:The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals
172:) and Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz).
981:plot and other information at rationalmagic
416:During pre-production, the show was titled
313:My Daddy Always Taught Me To Share - Leroy
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692:Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
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361:These Eyes of Mine - Maybelle and Company
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677:Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
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334:This Crazy Place - Leroy and Company
852:"Tony's Best Musicals---Part Three"
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319:The Line - Leroy and Earl's Pearls
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409:(directed by Prince) and 1982's
331:Why, Mama, Why - Satin and Leroy
301:This Must Be the Place - Company
46:Original Broadway Cast Recording
304:Cadava - Solly, Gus and Romaine
986:"Production: Grind" April 1985
160:as "dismal" for new musicals,
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352:Never Put It In Writing - Gus
316:All Things To One Man - Satin
872:, St. Martin's Press, 1992,
540:Original Broadway production
503:(Harry), Joey Faye (Solly),
460:The musical was directed by
1012:Tony Award-winning musicals
771:Outstanding Lighting Design
629:Best Direction of a Musical
325:The Grind - Gus and Company
121:is a portrait of a largely
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976:Internet Broadway Database
854:broadway.com, May 24, 2004
715:Outstanding Orchestrations
358:Timing - Romaine and Solly
890:"Larry Grossman Broadway"
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902:"Ellen Fitzhugh Theatre"
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405:musicals such as 1984's
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266:(“These Eyes of Mine”).
164:was nominated for seven
1017:Musicals set in Chicago
472:, musical direction by
758:Outstanding Set Design
583:Best Book of a Musical
535:Awards and nominations
455:Mark Hellinger Theatre
392:This Must Be the Place
322:Katie, My Love - Doyle
310:I Get Myself Out - Gus
468:, lighting design by
521:Leonard John Crofoot
971:Grind
820:from Harold Prince"
786:Theatre World Award
657:Best Costume Design
605:and Ellen Fitzhugh
598:Best Original Score
442:Broadway production
425:New York Daily News
418:Century of Progress
839:The New York Times
836:"On Stage and Off"
823:The New York Times
730:Outstanding Lyrics
644:Best Scenic Design
491:The cast included
386:Production history
328:Yes, Ma'am - Doyle
137:The New York Times
1002:Broadway musicals
863:Mandelbaum, Ken.
850:Mandelbaum, Ken.
834:McKinley, Jesse.
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743:Outstanding Music
513:Valarie Pettiford
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349:Who Is He - Satin
132:in the Thirties.
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501:Lee Wallace
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411:Herringbone
166:Tony Awards
84:Productions
996:Categories
802:References
780:Nominated
765:Nominated
737:Nominated
724:Nominated
720:Bill Byers
709:Nominated
686:Nominated
651:Nominated
638:Nominated
608:Nominated
592:Nominated
577:Nominated
568:Tony Award
493:Ben Vereen
462:Hal Prince
449:opened on
433:Paper Moon
151:Hal Prince
141:Frank Rich
101:is a 1985
954:Broadway"
588:Fay Kanin
553:Category
495:(Leroy),
115:Fay Kanin
78:Fay Kanin
816:"Stage.
556:Nominee
511:(Ruby),
451:Broadway
407:Diamonds
139:review,
89:Broadway
974:at the
559:Result
499:(Gus),
482:New Man
453:at the
244:Act Two
193:Act One
130:Chicago
103:musical
16:Musical
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550:Award
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341:Act II
62:Lyrics
952:Grind
921:Grind
866:Grind
818:Grind
564:1985
547:Year
447:Grind
296:Act I
162:Grind
147:Grind
119:Grind
98:Grind
87:1985
52:Music
24:Grind
929:ISBN
874:ISBN
795:Won
752:Won
701:Won
666:Won
623:Won
176:Plot
73:Book
128:in
998::
950:"
940:^
909:^
523:,
420:.
413:.
117:.
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