Editing Bob Cole (composer) (section)

==''A Trip to Coontown''==
Cole soon established his own black production company with the group of individuals who also left the Troubadours. Out of that, he, with Billy Johnson and [[Will Accooe]], in 1898, co-wrote the lyrics and music for ''A Trip to Coontown,'' which, was the lengthier version of the musical programs he previously written. The production became the supposed first black musical comedy. The musical, consisting of only black actors and revolving around the traditional minstrel stereotypes, delved into the story of a con artist, Jimmy Flimflammer, and his failed attempts to rob an elderly man of his pension. Furthermore, in order to maintain the interest of the audience, the play also included variety, or comedic, acts to liven the show.

Individuals can argue, as stated in Eileen Southern's ''The Origin and Development of the Black Musical Theater: A Preliminary Report'', that ''A Trip to Coontown'' was not the first black-dominated musical play produced at the time. Because black musicals were originated from several genres of stage entertainment – the ballad opera, the music extravaganza, the comic opera, the minstrel show, and the variety show – there is a plausible argument that previous nineteenth-century black companies created such theatrical plays, and ''A Trip to Coontown'' was not the first black musical performed.

The show premiered in South Amboy, New Jersey, on September 27, 1897.<ref>''New York Dramatic Mirror'', September 18, 1897.</ref> The show went through a trial of shut-downs and controversy, where it was banned from showing in the United States; however, the play later gained popularity in Canadian theaters, and subsequently was revived and shown in New York. Theater-promoters Klaw and Erlanger terminated Cole's ban from the theater world and helped bring the show to the public. However, although Cole's previous scorned image was extinguished with the help of Klaw and Erlanger, Black Patti's Troubadours still attempted to ruin his career by directly competing with his own production company. The Troubadours planned their shows to be consistent with Cole's presentation of ''A Trip to Coontown'', attempting to steal the spotlight.{{Clarify|date=March 2018}}<!--were they plagiarizing Cole's material? --> However, there were few evidence that proved that Cole and Johnson discovered the unscrupulous ruse of their competitors and avoided the confrontation altogether by destroying their booking contract with Michael Levitt. Although Cole was able to avoid the Troubadours’ schemes, in the end, he was not able to avoid the lawsuit against his company from Levitt, who fined Cole and Johnson $1000. Cole's company faced several trials, including quarrels over finances and transportation; also, the competition of the Black Patti organization was a constant battle. Cole's group succeeded through Bob Cole's skills in management and his inventiveness in black show business. By 1900, ''A Trip to Coontown'' finally stopped its production, and the partnership between Cole and Billy Johnson ended due to either Johnson's alcoholic nature, or Cole's changing ideals in black musicals – he desired to test out another path in vaudeville plays and songwriting