Show Boat

Act One

A group of African-American Stevedores, or dock workers, move bales of cotton across the levee as their gals are hard at work sewing and gossiping (“Cotton Blossom”). As they see the show boat on the river, they know Cap’n Andy and the rest of the Cotton Blossom performers are here to put on a show! The show on the Cotton Blossom stars handsome leading man Steve Baker and the beautiful actress Julie LaVerne. Members of the ship land on shore to restock the ship and gather a crowd for the show boat parade. Pete, a slimy engineer, notices that Queenie, the ship’s cook, is wearing a brooch. He interrogates her about it, but Queenie shuffles past him. Cap’n Andy tries to rally the crowd (“Cap’n Andy’s Ballyhoo”) and show off two of the Cotton Blossom's best dancers, Frank and Ellie. Parthy Ann Hawks, wife of Cap’n Andy, is not pleased that Andy is letting the audience have a free preview of the show. Once their showcase is finished, Pete confronts Julie about the brooch Queenie