Betsey Brown: A Rhythm and Blues Musical: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An original manuscript for Betsey Brown: A Rhythm and Blues Musical. The manuscript is typewritten in black ink on white paper, with a light brown paper cover, and is bound by a silver-colored metal device. Text on the cover reads [OCTOBER 1990] at the top proper left corner. There is text in the center which reads [BETSEY BROWN / A Rhythm and Blues Musical / by / Ntozake Shange and Emily Mann / Music Composed by Baikida Carroll / Lyrics by Ntozake Shange / Emily Mann / Baikida Carroll / Based on an original idea / by Ntozake Shange / COPYRIGHT 1985 c PROPERTY OF / Emily Mann and Ntozake Shange / NOT FOR DUPLICATION]. The first interior page of the manuscript has the musical numbers listed by Prologue, Act I, and Act II and the second page lists the dance numbers for each act. The remaining pages contain the script with lyrics, dialogue, and stage directions. There are 91 pages, apart from the covers. The back cover is blank. The manuscript has several marks, folds, creases, and areas of discoloration.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1985
• Written by: Ntozake Shange, American, 1948 - 2018
• Written by: Emily Mann, American, born 1952
• Written by: Baikida Carroll, American, born 1947
• Medium: ink on paper with metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 11 × 8 1/2 × 1 in. (27.9 × 21.6 × 2.5 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Literature
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Topic: Poetry
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Theatre
• Topic: Women
• Object number: 2016.131.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ntozake Shange
• 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: © Ntozake Shange Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.