This season on Broadway, three of the most buzzed-about shows are mixing historical lessons with jazz hands and harmonies. The shows, "The Scottsboro Boys," "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson," and "A Free Man of Color," all take vastly different approaches to the historical content they draw upon.
In this week's Arts File on WQXR, Kerry Nolan talks to Time Out New York Theater Editor David Cote about the assets and pitfalls of taking U.S. history to the stage. Check out Cote's own notes on performing history plays on his blog.
Check out a scene from "The Scottsboro Boys" below.