OSCAR BROWN JR. • MUSICAL THEATRE
KICKS & CO.
A bold jazz musical about temptation, activism, and desire at the height of the sit-in movement.
SYNOPSIS
Story Overview
Mr. Kicks—“Satan’s sinful servant”—arrives on a Southern campus with a suitcase full of temptation, targeting the hearts and ambitions of student activists.
Kicks & Co. is an ahead-of-its-time musical set during the sit-in movement. Backed by Orgy: The Magazine for Men, Mr. Kicks descends on Freedman University (Down South), where he sets his sights on two student leaders, June Young and Ernest Black. What begins as idealistic campus activism soon collides with money, desire, fame, and dangerous offers they’re not always prepared to refuse.
The action shifts to Chicago, where the stakes rise and the choices grow sharper. Through jazz, satire, romance, and protest, Kicks & Co. asks what happens when the struggle for liberation meets the lure of the spotlight.
AUDIO
Listen to Songs from Kicks & Co.
Archival recordings of Oscar Brown Jr. performing songs from the original musical. Stream selections below, or click through to YouTube for full performances.
Mr. Kicks
Performed by Oscar Brown Jr. • Sheet music available
Mr. Kicks
Performed by Oscar Brown Jr. • Sheet music available
Mr. Kicks
Performed by Oscar Brown Jr. • Sheet music available
SCRIPT
Script Preview (10 Pages)
Read the first ten pages of the original script for Kicks & Co. by Oscar Brown Jr. For full materials, licensing, or academic use, please submit a request below.
MUSICAL NUMBER
Song List
Kicks & Co. features a rich score of jazz-driven songs, ballads, and satirical numbers.
Mr. Kicks
Lucky Guy
I’ll Get You Killed
Most Folks Are Dopes
Take The Money
Hooray It’s Friday
The Comb Is Hot
Call Of The City
Love’s Young Dream
While I’m Still Young
Beautiful Girl
A Needle And A Bottle
Someone On The Side
Turn The Other Cheek
Like A Newborn Child
I’m Bettin
What’s In It For Me
Hazel’s Hips
Virtue Is Its Own Reward
A World Full Of Grey
CHARACTERS
Character Breakdown
LEGACY
History & Cultural Impact
Kicks & Co. premiered in 1960 at Chicago’s Aire Crown Theater and stands as one of Oscar Brown Jr.’s boldest theatrical experiments—melding satire, jazz, and civil-rights-era urgency into a single, electrifying musical.
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One of the earliest jazz musicals to center Black student activism and the sit-in movement.
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Bridges nightclub, church, and campus worlds in both sound and story.
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Features songs later recorded and reimagined by artists such as Barbra Streisand and Chaka Khan.
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Ideally suited for revival in the context of contemporary social justice and Black theatre study.
Licensing Request Form
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