Cabin in the Sky

Cabin in the Sky was one of Latouche’s first major triumphs, an all-black 1940 musical for which he wrote the lyrics: music by Vernon Duke; book by Lynn Root; choreography by George Balanchine and Katherine Dunham; and sets by Boris Aronson; Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson starred. The show proved a critical success, applauded for the sophistication of its score and the novelty of its choreography and set design; this included kudos in the black press, even as some progressive white critics took the work to task for perpetuating stereotypes. The show subsequently became a movie directed by Vincente Minnelli, with new music by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, and starring also Lena Horne. This chapter discusses differences between the stage and film versions, and further explores revivals of the stage show over the years, and the work’s continued controversial critical reception.