Swing! is a musical conceived by Paul Kelley with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the Swing era of jazz (1930s-1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like Duke Ellington, William "Count" Basie, Benny Goodman and others. Swing! was first produced on Broadway at the St. James Theatre, opening on December 91999 and closing on January 14, 2001, running for 461 performances. The director and choreographer was Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and the production was supervised by Jerry Zaks. Among the cast were Laura Benanti, Ann Hampton Callaway and Everett Bradley. It received a nomination for the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical and other Tony awards. Swing! combines high energy dancing, singing and acrobatics. There is no dialogue in the show, and the story is told conveyed entirely music and dance. The show tries to recreate the swing style of jazz, which used large bands, fixed musical arrangements and solo-driven improvisations. Together with the development of the music, various forms to swing dancing emerged, varying by geographic regions, such as the Lindyhop or Jitterbug in Harlem or the Whip in Houston. The show includes music and dance styles from early swing, to other jazz styles, and even hip-hop (as shown as in an all-male version of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"). Some of the songs have new lyrics, but most are well-known swing-era hits, including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (Lyrics By Irving Mills, Music By Duke Ellington); "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Jumpin at the Woodside" (Music By Count Basie); and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)" (Music and Lyrics By Don Raye and Hughie Prince).
