About the Show

Nat "King" Cole confronts racial barriers during his final 1957 TV show broadcast.

Set on December 17, 1957, this play with music portrays the final broadcast of "The Nat 'King' Cole Show." Despite his pivotal role in building Capitol Records, Nat "King" Cole's groundbreaking television program faced cancellation due to a lack of sponsorship from Madison Avenue, unwilling to support America's first Black television host. On this significant night, Cole grapples with his complex psyche, personified by his friend Sammy Davis Jr., and must decide whether to exit quietly or make a bold statement.

Critic Reviews (8)

"It is in examinations of such performers as Cole that you find one of the keys to change and progress: a demonstration of unparalleled talent that could not be stifled."
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"Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole seems to yearn for more space to figure out what it wants to do and how. It wavers between the pleasure of its entertaining, simple variety numbers and its energetically strange and fever dream-like approach"
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"doggedly ineffective execution...a whiff of insularity, as if only they are really in on the joke"
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“Lights Out is admirable for trying to take the biomusical in a new direction rather than hoofing down a familiar path, but in the end, it leaves us in the dark.”
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“feels less like a tribute than a misfire”
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"‘Lights Out’is a showcase for some wonderful song and dance, but the luster dims whenever the band stops playing"
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A deliciously dark masterpiece.
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"Actors Dulé Hill and Daniel J. Watts shine in this show."
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Cast and creative team

New York Theatre Workshop