Beggar's Holiday
Beggar's Holiday is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington.
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Beggar's Holiday is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington.
Vy comes to swinging 1940s Harlem to write songs for the Duke, Harlem's greatest band leader. To overcome the sexist barriers of the time against women songwriters, she disguises herself as a man, Vy-man. She finds the Duke in tears over his loss of Lady Liv, Harlem's "queen of the blues". The Duke likes Vy-man's music, so he instructs the songwriter to go to the Cotton Club and present one of her songs as if it were a new song written by the Duke for Lady Liv. Once Lady Liv finds Vy-man to be quite charming, a series of mistaken pairings ensue. Meanwhile, Jester and several other Cotton Club performers are rebelling against the overly serious and tyrannical club manager, Rev. Since Rev has a crush on Lady Liv, the performers persuade him that he should woo her by learning to swing and scat, giving up his old fashioned ballads. More confusion results before the truth is revealed, and the couples are appropriately united.
Harlem beautician Queenie Pie, named best in town, faces a challenge from Café O’Lay, who wins the love of Queenie’s manager Holt Faye and kills him in a quarrel. Queenie travels to a magic island seeking a flower, meets a king and witch doctor, and eventually reconciles with Café O’Lay.
Beggar's Holiday is a musical with a book and lyrics by John La Touche and music by Duke Ellington.
Vy comes to swinging 1940s Harlem to write songs for the Duke, Harlem's greatest band leader. To overcome the sexist barriers of the time against women songwriters, she disguises herself as a man, Vy-man. She finds the Duke in tears over his loss of Lady Liv, Harlem's "queen of the blues". The Duke likes Vy-man's music, so he instructs the songwriter to go to the Cotton Club and present one of her songs as if it were a new song written by the Duke for Lady Liv. Once Lady Liv finds Vy-man to be quite charming, a series of mistaken pairings ensue. Meanwhile, Jester and several other Cotton Club performers are rebelling against the overly serious and tyrannical club manager, Rev. Since Rev has a crush on Lady Liv, the performers persuade him that he should woo her by learning to swing and scat, giving up his old fashioned ballads. More confusion results before the truth is revealed, and the couples are appropriately united.
Harlem beautician Queenie Pie, named best in town, faces a challenge from Café O’Lay, who wins the love of Queenie’s manager Holt Faye and kills him in a quarrel. Queenie travels to a magic island seeking a flower, meets a king and witch doctor, and eventually reconciles with Café O’Lay.