Program for An Evening of Comedy with Jackie 'Moms' Mabley and Her Ladies: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Program for "An Evening of Comedy With Jackie Moms Mabley and Her Ladies," written by and starring Clarice Taylor. The performance was presented by the National Black Theatre, Inc. from April 17-May 25, 2003. At the top of the cover is a band in a gradient from black to white with black text. It reads [NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE, INC. / Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, Founder & CEO / Mabil Falson & Jackie Jeffries Associate Producers]. Below is a black and white photographic image of Clarice Taylor dressed for her role as Moms Mabley. Taylor is wearing a floppy hat, house dress, and large, unbuttoned shirt. Behind her is a brick wall with [MOMS] written in white. The "o" in Moms is a heart. Black text on the bottom half reads [AN EVENING OF COMEDY WITH / JACKIE MOMS MABLEY / AND HER LADIES / WRITTEN BY & STARRING / CLARICE TAYLOR / FEATURING / JOHN STANLEY / APRIL 17TH THROUGH MAY 25TH, 2003]. Other actresses portrayed Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Mahalia Jackson, and Ma Rainey in the show. The program includes cast biographies and information about the National Black Theatre.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2003
• Created by: National Black Theatre, American, founded 1968
• Subject of: Clarice Taylor, American, 1917 - 2011
• Subject of: Moms Mabley, American, 1897 - 1975
• Subject of: Dinah Washington, American, 1924 - 1963
• Subject of: Billie Holiday, American, 1915 - 1959
• Subject of: Mahalia Jackson, American, 1911 - 1972
• Subject of: Ma Rainey, American, 1886 - 1939
• Type: programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Closed): 8 1/2 × 5 1/2 × 1/16 in. (21.6 × 14 × 0.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Open): 8 1/2 × 12 in. (21.6 × 30.5 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Comedy
• Topic: Comedy (Theatre)
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.188.37
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William and James Thomas and family in memory of Clarice Taylor
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.