NEW YORK—When “preacher” Doug Eskew launches into “I Gotta Keep Movin‘” at the start of “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,” you know you’re in for an evening of foot-stompin’, hand-clapping entertainment. But not always. Some of the numbers are quieter and thoughtful and help illustrate the African-American experience in a way that’s often moving and never angry. It combines gospel, jazz, soul, and calypso.
Now performed for a brief run in a “concert format” (scripts in hand but seldom referred to) by The York Theatre Company, this show, conceived by Vinnette Carroll, enjoyed a two-and-a-half year Broadway run in the ‘70s. It was the first Broadway musical written entirely by a woman: Micki Grant, who was also featured in the original cast.
It's much easier to accept ideas of political or societal problems in a musical.
