Vest worn by Colman Domingo as Mr. Bones in The Scottsboro Boys
name: label: Associated Name
content: Stroman, Susan
label: Associated Name
content: Domingo, Colman
label: maker
content: Russell, Neno
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Black and white patterned vest, part of a costume worn by Colman Domingo in the role of Mr. Bones in the original Broadway production of the musical The Scottsboro Boys. The vest is woven with a large houndstooth-type pattern on its front, with prominent notched lapels and two sets of three red buttons. Metal snap closures are hidden beneath the buttons. The vest is lined in white satin. A tag inside identifies the maker as Neno Russell.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Scottsboro Boys is a work of musical theater with a book by David Thompson, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The musical uses the framing, style, and characters of a traditional blackface minstrel show to tell the story of the eponymous group of nine young men who were tried for rape in 1931 in an infamously unjust case tainted by racist prejudice. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys was first produced off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre from March-April 2010, then opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on October 31, 2010. Despite a positive critical reception and twelve Tony Award nominations, the musical generated controversy (including protests outside the theater by the Freedom Party, a political organization seeking to represent black New Yorkers who objected to the blackface minstrel imagery in the show) and closed after only two months, with producers citing weak box office performance.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Musical Theater
label: Subject
content: Blackface
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0053.01.02
label: accession number
content: 2021.0052
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0052.01.02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: vest
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: satin; wool (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (buttons material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (snaps material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 in x 17 in; 43.18 cm x 43.18 cm