Uptown... It's Hot! Explained

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.^{[1] [2]} 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."^[3] The musical did, however, earn Hines a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.^[4]

Uptown... It's Hot! ran from January 28 to February 16, 1986, ending its run after 24 performances.^[5]

Notes and References

1. News: Dazzling Dancing Can't Keep 'Uptown' on its Toes. Michael Kuchwara. The Associated Press. January 31, 1986. Michael Kuchwara.
2. News: It Takes More Than a Few Songs to Make a Musical. The New York Times. Mel Gussow. February 2, 1986.
3. News: 'Uptown' a musical. Frank Rich. The New York Times. January 29, 1986.
4. Maurice Hines melds hip hop, jazz, Latin and even a little tap in his Broadway directorial debut. Dance Magazine. May 2006. Sylviane Gold.
5. Web site: Internet Broadway Database. Uptown...It's Hot!.