Abyssinia is a musical in one act with music by Will Marion Cook and Bert Williams, and both book and lyrics by Jesse A. Shipp and Alex Rogers.[1] Created by African-Americans and featuring African-American entertainers, the work is set in Abyssinia (now referred to as the Ethiopian Empire) and was inspired by the events of the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1896-1897 and the sustained sovereignty Ethiopia maintained through the leadership of Menelik II at that point in history.[2] The plot of the musical follows two African-American from Kansas who win the lottery and then use their winnings to travel to Europe and Abyssinia. Misadventures ensue when one of them falsely accused of being a thief, and they are brought before King Menelik.[3]
Abyssinia is considered an important historical black musical. It is an early work that consciously departed from the racial stereotypes typically found in other musicals of that period, and emphasized themes of social justice, "black self determination" and "African resistance" while still at its core being a tremendously funny comedy.[4]