 The musical opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on December 15, 1966, and closed on December 24, 1966, after twelve performances and four previews.Directed by Padula and choreographed by Michael Bennett, the cast featured John Raitt as Shade Motley, Karen Morrow, Susan Watson, Leland Palmer, Tommy Tune and Baayork Lee.A wandering minstrel, Shade Motley, arrives in a small Tennessee town with his fiddle under his arm.