Don't Play Us Cheap

About the show

Don't Play Us Cheap is a musical play with music, lyrics, and a musical book by Melvin Van Peebles. The musical is based on Van Peebles' 1967 French-language novel La fête à Harlem (1967). Set in Harlem, the musical premiered in November 1970 at San Francisco State College. The musical was staged on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1972; making its New York City debut at that theatre on May 16 of that year where it ran for a total of 164 performances; closing on September 30, 1972. The musical was adapted into a 1973 film of the same name. The film features much of the same cast as the Broadway production; and the film, although released after the Broadway run, was made prior to the Broadway production in 1971.