I saw the stage play of this in Chicago when I was going into senior year of high school. My mother took me and I still remember the number "Molasses to Rum to Slaves". If you think it is dramatic on the screen, you should have seen it in person. It was electrifying.
I saw the original B’way play. That song was sung by a very fine 1960s actor named Clifford David. Later, when I produced shows at a club in NYC, I invited Mr. David to sing from his other hit show “One a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Given his age at that point, I didn’t want to press him to sing such a heavy duty number as “Molasses to Rum to Slaves.” Another lovely man!