NATE JACOBS,
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Conceived and adapted by Nate Jacobs
Nate Jacobs creates an exciting new musical that gives homage to the heyday of Rock and Roll. Relive the most exciting musical era of our time with the upbeat, energetic music from Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Muddy Waters. After singing and swinging to songs like "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Stagger Lee," and "Shake Rattle and Roll," you'll be twisting the night away and dancing out the door!
1950s Music History
The 1950s was a decade of innovation and change in the music industry. After World War II, Americans craved songs with optimistic, innocent, and romantic lyrics. Adults enjoyed classic pop music, country and western, and light rhythm and blues. Black crooners such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nate King Cole, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick crossed the invisible barrier to become popular entertainers. To add a little spice, Creole, Cajun, and Latin rhythms were integrated into mainstream music. In addition, doo-wop songs, a form of rhythm and blues in which black ensembles sang in complex harmony, became record hits.
However, to America’s teenagers, most of these forms of music were sappy, “uncool.” They yearned for excitement and freedom in their music. They wanted lyrics that dealt with emotions and situations in their life, not those of their parents. Thus emerged a whole new sound – rock n’ roll. The movement began in Memphis where artists like Carl Perkins blended rhythm and blues with gospel or country music, and then added a strong back beat. His “rockabilly” recording of “Blue Suede Shoes” was a huge success. Another pioneer of rock n’ roll, Chuck Berry, popularized the electric guitar, which helped to make this music distinctive. The release of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley set a nation dancing to the new beat and opened up a generation gap in music listening.
Adapted and written by Nate Jacobs
Sheldon Rhoden, one of Sarasota’s favorite WBTT troupe members, is reprising the role of Marvin Gaye in a new version of the show Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul. This not-to-be-missed original show begins in the 1950s at the start of Gaye’s career with Motown and follows its twists and turns until his untimely death in the mid-80s. A gifted, innovative and enduring talent, Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music from the powerful R&B to sophisticated soul to an intensely political and personal form of artistic self-expression. Come see why Rolling Stone declared Gaye one of America’s greatest entertainers. And, why Sheldon receives great accolades whenever he sings one of Marvin’s songs. People say he seems to channel the amazing singer.
Reviews
Theater Review: Lots of growth and style in revised 'Marvin Gaye' show
http://arts.heraldtribune.com/2014-07-17/featured/theater-review-lots-growth-style-revised-marvin-gaye-show/
March 7 – April 1, 2012
Developed by De'zhon Fields and Nate Jacobs
WBTT presents the multi-talented De’zhon Fields celebrating one of the greatest American superstars, Sammy Davis, Jr. This musical revue features all the hits Sammy made famous, such as: “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” “Mr. Bojangles,” and “Candy Man.” For the past ten years, Mr. Fields has traveled worldwide showcasing his homage to the legendary icon known as “Mr. Entertainment.” From Vegas to Dublin, Fields has audiences clamoring for more.
Many performers want to emulate Sammy Davis, Jr., who made his debut at the age of four in the 1920s and, for the next 60 years, danced, sang, and acted his way into people’s hearts around the globe. De’zhon Fields didn’t start out his musical career imitating Sammy, but his resemblance and style led him toward creating this tribute.
Fields shares more in common with Sammy than similar facial features. He also shares the love and passion of entertainment. Get ready to be thoroughly entertained!
What they're saying about De'zhon Fields:
"Fields is a dead-ringer for Sammy Davis, and when he hits those high notes in 'What Kind of Fool Am I', you'd swear the famous song and dance man was back."
The Windsor Star
"De'zhon Fields is a stringy piece of electricity. His 'That Old Black Magic' embodies Davis' never-quitting drive and schmaltziness. In 'Mr. Bojangles' spotlighting Davis' prowess, Fields' legs and hips churn and twist with a wild life of their own."
Asbury Park Press
Articles
De'zhon Fields as Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr.'s official website
Bio True Story – Sammy Davis Jr.
The Kennedy Center's Biography of Sammy Davis Jr.
NY Times Obituary and Articles of Sammy Davis Jr.
Interesting facts about Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Survived a near-fatal car crash in which he lost his left eye
- Remarked in 1989 about his fight for racial equality, “Long before there was a civil rights movement, I was marching through the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, of the Sands, the Fountainbleau, to a table at the Copa. I'd march alone.”
- Wrote three books:Yes I Can (1965) and Life In A Suitcase (1980) and Why Me, published the year before his death.
- Recognized with an Emmy Award, NAACP Image Award, and as a Kennedy Center Honoree
Book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, Peter Udell
Lyrics by Peter Udell, music by Gary Geld
In this fun-loving musical, a dynamic traveling preacher, Purlie Victorious Judson, returns to his small Georgia town to shake things up and change lives. Despite the advent of the civil rights movement, many southern sharecroppers still lived under the Jim Crow laws. A Tony Award- and Drama Desk Award-winning show, Purlie has a spirited charm that will “grab your feet and make them tap.”
"The book is so strong . . .that this musical should have you calling out Hallelujah!” - The New York Times
"A robust, tuneful and thoroughly enjoyable musical comedy, with dandy songs." New York Daily News
Cast
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
**Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union
Theatre Location
1012 N. Orange Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34236
Mailing Address
1012 N. Orange Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34236
All Rights Reserved.