Uptown... It's Hot! was a 1986 Broadway musical created, directed, choreographed by and starring Maurice Hines. Performed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, the musical was an anthology chronicling the history of African-American music in the United States.
Although the music garnered praise, the musical received generally unfavorable reviews. New York Times critic Frank Rich called it "the theatrical equivalent of a telephone-booth-stuffing contest" and "an orgy of grotesque and sometimes necrophiliac mimicry." The musical did, however, earn Hines a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
Uptown... It's Hot! ran from January 28 to February 16, 1986, ending its run after 24 performances.
References
- ^ Frank Rich (January 29, 1986). "'Uptown' a musical". The New York Times.
- Michael Kuchwara (January 31, 1986). "Dazzling Dancing Can't Keep 'Uptown' on its Toes". The Associated Press.
- Mel Gussow (February 2, 1986). "It Takes More Than a Few Songs to Make a Musical". The New York Times.
- Sylviane Gold (May 2006). "Maurice Hines melds hip hop, jazz, Latin and even a little tap in his Broadway directorial debut". Dance Magazine.
- "Uptown...It's Hot!". Internet Broadway Database.