Coliseum Theatre, Charing Cross, London - Lew Leslie's New Production of 'Blackbirds of 1935'. Leslie (1888-1963) was a Broadway writer and producer who got his start in show business in vaudeville in his early twenties. Leslie was the first major impresario to present African-American artists on the Broadway stage. He became famous for his stage shows at the Cotton Club and later for his Blackbirds revues (brought over for a run in the UK as evidenced by this programme).