The Show

The new Musical, Josephine, is inspired by Josephine Baker, an American expatriate, who became the renowned iconic star of the Folies Bergère in Paris. She was a pioneer in the conquering of racial barriers, became a French war hero during W.W.II and was decorated by Charles De Gaulle.

In 1917, eleven-year-old Josephine manages to escape the riots in the slums of East St. Louis but not before she is grabbed by invading white hoodlums and hurled to the ground.

“When you’re thrown face down in the mud for being who you are, the last thing you want to be is who you are!” claimed La Baker, as she was affectionately called by the French.

Determined to secure the fame and the money she believes will raise her above the fray and make her untouchable, she crosses the ocean and becomes the exotic star of the Folies Bergère in Paris.

Onstage, surrounded by her adoring fans, Josephine is on top of the world. The nightly ‘high’ evaporates however, and each morning she once again feels like the ‘person’ she tried to leave behind.

The Musical takes us on her journey to star of the Folies Bergère, to international icon, to an affair with Crown Prince Gustav VI of Sweden, to her work in the French underground and finally to self-acceptance, self-worth and love.

Josephine had its World Premiere at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. It broke all previous box office and attendance records,

The ‘standing-room only' and enthusiastic word-of-mouth from a sophisticated paying audience revealed the musical’s solid potential for Broadway success.

SPECIAL THANKS TO ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE FOR IMAGES AND VIDEO CONTENT