Production Requirements

TIME AND PLACE: “Trav’lin” is a small cast musical comedy with a big heart, set in a romanticized 1930s Harlem filtered through the lens of the era’s popular songs. The score rediscovers the words and music of Harlem Renaissance composer J.C. Johnson, the musical mentor of co-author Gary Holmes.

CAST: Six principals (no chorus), all Black, divided into three couples in their 60s (the romantic leads), 30s and 20s. They should be portrayed as three-dimensional characters with robust individual personalities, faithful to the time and place of the story, sometimes comic but never caricatures.

PHYSICAL PRODUCTION: Scalable to the needs of the theatre.

The show has been presented successfully in houses as small as 99 seats and as large as 526. Set designs have ranged from projected images with transformable set pieces to full physical environments with multiple wagons.

Costumes, props and set pieces should come across as true-to-life, complementing the emotional authenticity of the performances. As the design moves outward to the larger space, the images may become increasingly impressionistic in keeping with the fabled nature of the show.

ORCHESTRATIONS: Available for four players – keyboard, bass, drums and reeds (tripling on saxophone, clarinet and flute) – and for six, with trumpet and trombone added.

RUNNING TIME: Approximately 120 minutes plus one intermission.

LICENSING TERMS: Because “TRAV’LIN” is licensed by the authors directly, terms are tailored to the financial circumstances of each producing theatre.

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CHARACTERS

Roll over description to learn more about the character’s history.

GEORGE – 60s

Taken from a variety of J.C.'s stories, mostly about himself. Although never actually a porter, J.C. spent fair amount of time in his teens working as a train attendant. In later life, J.C. became active in church affairs, performing many duties of a deacon. He is named for J.C. collaborator George Whiting.

A retired Pullman porter, now church Deacon and unofficial mayor of 132nd Street, a settled bachelor who likes life neat and tidy.

Character 3 George PS

BILLIE – 60s

Based on Pig Foot Mary, who built a street cart into a famous Harlem restaurant. She is named for Billie Holiday, who recorded a number of J.C.’s songs, including the title song for TRAV’LIN – which, according to legend, was her audition number when she landed her first singing gig. The name “Ethel,” adopted by Billie during the show, refers to Ethel Waters, the first person to record a J.C. song and his lifelong friend.

The sweetheart George left behind 40 years ago, still feeling the hurt, now a woman of experience with a strong will and a deep spirit.

Character 3 Billie PS

ROZ – 30s

Modeled on Rose Morgan, Harlem entrepreneur who established herself as one of the preeminent businesswomen in the United States with her “House of Beauty” and school. She was briefly married to Joe Louis, himself a great friend of J.C.’s

Beauty shop owner, Archie’s long-suffering woman, sassy, brassy and passionate with lots of ‘tude who knows how to get what she wants.

Character 3 Roz PS

ARCHIE – 30s

Inspired by J.C.'s stories of his own numbers runner with elements of a few other colorful characters J.C. knew, including Joe Louis and Fats Waller. His name comes from one of J.C.’s many Harlem acquaintances, mostly associated with the night J.C. won a $3000 diamond ring in a poker game.

Numbers runner, Roz’ long-time main squeeze, always looking for the deal, charmer, fast talker, self-styled ladies’ man and incorrigible flirt.

Character 3 Archie PS

NELSON – 20s

Drawn from several aspiring young Harlem businessmen J.C. described, perhaps Bible salesmen like Nelson, or insurance salesmen, retailers or bankers. He is named in memory of Nelson Hall, a friend of Gary’s who helped TRAV’LIN in its earliest days.

Traveling Bible salesman, incurable romantic, eager but inexperienced suitor, insecure and prone to deflation, especially by women.

Character 3 Nelson PS

ELLA – 20s

Looks back to songstress and nurse Alberta Hunter, a long-time acquaintance of J.C. who attended nursing school much later in life. She is named for Ella Fitzgerald, whose first three recorded songs were written by J.C. and who performed and recorded several other J.C. numbers.

George’s niece, staying with him for nursing school, innocent and trusting but with backbone, has strong intuition but not yet sure of her place in the world.

ELLA
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STORY

George, a retired Pullman porter and settled bachelor who keeps life neat and tidy, meets his match in more ways than one when he hires a down-on-her-luck stranger calling herself “Ethel” to be the cook at the church where he is head deacon.

Secretly she is Billie, the sweetheart he had left behind in New Orleans 40 years before when he went north to the join the railroad, now adopting a false identity to protect herself from being hurt a second time.

As Billie begins her new duties at the church, George’s innocent niece Ella explores the blush of first love with his protégé Nelson, and George’s business associate Roz engages in evolving romantic skirmishes with her main squeeze, the flirtatious numbers-runner Archie.

After Billie’s Sunday suppers prove a rousing success, she and George become business partners selling her famous fried pies from a street cart, and their old romantic feelings for each other reawaken. All three couples are apparently moving towards happy endings, until Billie’s true identity is inadvertently revealed and her relationship with George explodes in anger at the end of Act 1.

In Act 2, the two younger couples each strive to move their own relationships closer, but their best intentions collapse in comic misunderstandings that cause them to split up instead.

George and Billie each reflect deeply on their own lives, enabling them to reconcile, and they agree to be friends. Billie then leads the other women in a plot to win their men back, but her scheme awkwardly misfires and drives all three couples further apart.

Forced to grapple with the painful consequences of their actions, the characters realize essential truths about acceptance, forgiveness, and the power of love to hurt and to heal, leading all to celebrate marriage as the curtain falls.