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Tymisha Harris estimates that Josephine Baker packed as many as 10 lifetimes into her days that began in St. Louis in 1906 and ended in France in 1975.
Baker broke ground as the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture. She was a chorus girl in a touring production of Broadway musical “Shuffle Along,” co-created by Indianapolis native Noble Sissle. Baker also served as a spy for the French Resistance during World War II.
Harris is a Baker scholar, thanks to eight years of touring in a one-woman show titled “Josephine: A Musical Cabaret.”
“It’s fun bringing the whole picture to everyone,” Harris said of portraying Baker as a well-rounded individual. “It’s fun trying to explain and give a little bit of remembrance or new acquaintance to who she was.”
Headed to Indianapolis for a run of “Josephine” dates July 7-9 and 14-16 at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Harris said she recently learned that Baker earned a pilot’s license, transported supplies for the Red Cross and joined the French Women’s Air Force Corps in the rank of second lieutenant.
“The show grows every time we learn something new about Josephine,” Harris said. “The show is ever evolving. Costumes are ever changing. The show has room to grow, but it’s shaped up very nicely.”
On the topic of costumes, Harris said her favorite era of Baker’s career is “showgirl” in the 1930s, when she fortified her popularity in Paris after an earlier burlesque phase and her movie debut in 1927 silent film “Siren of the Tropics.”
“She was a diva and all aspects of costumes became grand and grander and grandest,” Harris said. “It was just ‘Wow.’ I love flipping through pictures and seeing the costumes.”
Meanwhile, Baker encountered racial discrimination in the United States and other countries. During the 1950s and ’60s, she was a civil rights activist.
Created in Orlando, Florida, by Harris, producer Michael Marinaccio and writer Tod Kimbro, “Josephine” has played in Indianapolis multiple times, including as part of the IndyFringe festival.
Harris said her aspirations for the show’s future are significant.
“We’re trying to take this as far as possible,” said Harris, who worked as a choreographer for pop group ’N Sync and a backup dancer for another group, LFO, in the 1990s. “If it’s in the cards to travel the show to every country where Josephine traveled, I’m game. Hopefully we’ll be able to give it to other women of color. I want it to be recognized as a piece of art that individuals can do.”
Harris performed tributes to Tina Turner before “Josephine” launched. Following Turner’s death in May at age 83, Harris said she’s contemplating a new project.
“As we think about maybe doing other things, it could be a tribute to different icons and divas throughout history rather than one specific person,” Harris said. “We would need to figure out how to [connect] the ways Josephine, Tina, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Janet Jackson and others influenced culture and humanity. I draw inspiration from all of them.”
“Josephine: A Musical Cabaret”
- When: July 7-9, 14-16.
- Where: The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave.
- Tickets: $22 to $35.
- Info: Visit indydistricttheatre.org.
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