Five years after the Gershwin brothers debuted Porgy and Bess, a Gershwin protégée born Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky (aka Vernon Duke) composed the all-black musical Cabin in the Sky, which lasted longer on Broadway. Its restoration by the Encores concert series shows why it was a hit — and why it has since virtually disappeared.

Full review in DC Theatre Scene

Click on any photograph by Joan Marcus to see it enlarged

Bahiyah Hibah (C) and company Cabin in the Sky

Michael Potts (‘Little Joe’ Jackson) and LaChanze (Petunia Jackson) Cabin in the Sky

Michael Potts (‘Little Joe’ Jackson) and LaChanze (Petunia Jackson) Cabin in the Sky

Carly Hughes (Georgia Brown) Cabin in the Sky

Chuck Cooper (C) and (L to R) Dennis Stowe, Tiffany Mann, and Andrew Garner Cabin in the Sky

Norm Lewis (The Lord’s General) Cabin in the Sky

Cabin in the Sky New York City Center C