JOSEPHINE BAKER IN ART AND LIFE

Josephine Baker was a sensation in the music halls of Paris, an American entertainer who, during World War II, secretly serving her adopted country in the French Resistance. Her heroic work during the war brings her the self-worth she so vainly sought in fame and money – and the arms of royalty, during a a liaison with Crown Prince Gustav VI of Sweden. The real life events have inspired a new musical with a book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton, music by Steve Dorff and lyrics by John Bettis.

Producer Ken Waissman hopes to have the show on Broadway in a production directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely, with Canadian pop star Deborah Cox – who previously played Aida on Broadway – in the title role. No production information has been released yet. In the meantime, if the notion intrigues you here is some footage of the real Jospehine Baker in action: