the music

Broadway conductor and music director, Shelton Becton, has a secret to share. While he was skillfully guiding the rhythms and voices of a host of Broadway hits (AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', THE COLOR PURPLE, MEMPHIS, LADY DAY at EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL, SHUFFLE ALONG, CARMEN JONES and more), he was up to something else: composing glorious gospel melodies for churches, choirs and concerts. Now his extraordinary talent has come into its own as composer of DOUGLASS, the bold and exhilarating new musical about the life of Frederick Douglass.           

Teaming up with lyricist Ruth Fennessy Moss, Shelton has masterfully combined the rich, exalting progressions of contemporary American gospel with the dramatic insistence of the Broadway sound… to bring us a score that impels the listener forward as it lifts and soars. Listen by clicking below.