Vest worn by Colman Domingo as Mr. Bones in The Scottsboro Boys: Museum Object and Cultural History
Vest worn by Colman Domingo as Mr. Bones in The Scottsboro Boys: Associated Name: Stroman, Susan. Associated Name: Domingo, Colman. maker: Russell, Neno.
The object in the museum catalogue
Black and white patterned vest, part of a costume worn by Colman Domingo in the role of Mr. Bones in the original Broadway production of the musical The Scottsboro Boys. The vest is woven with a large houndstooth-type pattern on its front, with prominent notched lapels and two sets of three red buttons. Metal snap closures are hidden beneath the buttons. The vest is lined in white satin. A tag inside identifies the maker as Neno Russell.
The Scottsboro Boys is a work of musical theater with a book by David Thompson, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The musical uses the framing, style, and characters of a traditional blackface minstrel show to tell the story of the eponymous group of nine young men who were tried for rape in 1931 in an infamously unjust case tainted by racist prejudice. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys was first produced off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre from March-April 2010, then opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on October 31, 2010. Despite a positive critical reception and twelve Tony Award nominations, the musical generated controversy (including protests outside the theater by the Freedom Party, a political organization seeking to represent black New Yorkers who objected to the blackface minstrel imagery in the show) and closed after only two months, with producers citing weak box office performance.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Associated Name: Stroman, Susan
- Associated Name: Domingo, Colman
- maker: Russell, Neno
- Object Name: vest
- Physical Description: satin; wool (overall material)
- Physical Description: plastic (buttons material)
- Physical Description: metal (snaps material)
- Measurements: overall: 17 in x 17 in; 43.18 cm x 43.18 cm
- Subject: Musical Theater
- Subject: Blackface
- ID Number: 2021.0053.01.02
- accession number: 2021.0052
- catalog number: 2021.0052.01.02
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
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Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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