Charismatic African-American boxer Jay “The Sport” Jackson has a burning desire to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Jackson’s fight begins long before the match, though; it takes careful negotiations to convince the white reigning titleholder to even recognize him as a worthy opponent and enter the ring.
In a segregated army camp in Louisiana in 1944, a black sergeant is shot dead after crying out "they still hate you." As the play examines the murder, the truth of it becomes more shocking and hateful than the murder itself.
With music by Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Dorothy Fields and more framed by the poems of Langston Hughes, this exhilarating song and dance extravaganza features 28 of the big band era’s most memorable songs and showcases the gorgeous glamour and sophisticated syncopation of the Harlem heartbeat after midnight.
