Babes on Broadway

The Broadway and London musicals of the Nicholas Brothers solidified their career, working with the most noted of actors and directors, while distinguishing their individual talents. The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, the lavish musical revue staged by John Murray Anderson, with dances by George Balanchine, featured the Brothers with Josephine Baker. Lew Leslie’s London production of Blackbirds of 1936 was choreographed by the African-American choreographer Clarence “Buddy” Bradley and featured the Brothers dancing with the Blackbirds Beauty Chorus. The Rodgers and Hart comedy Babes in Arms, which opened on Broadway (1937), was choreographed by George Balanchine, who insisted that the Nicholas Brothers be cast; the ensuing “Egyptian Ballet” featuring the brothers was an enduring hit.