The musical opened in out of town tryouts in Toronto, where, as noted by Ken Mandelbaum, "The reviews were promising",[1] and then ran in Boston.

Kwamina premiered on Broadway at the 54th Street Theatre on October 23, 1961, and closed on November 18, 1961, after 32 performances.

[2] Mandelbaum noted that the Broadway reviews were "mixed but mostly negative", but did praise de Mille, her dancers, and the set.

[1] The son of an African tribal chief returns home after attending medical school in London and finds his modern methods conflict with his village's traditions.

He also butts heads with the village's white female doctor, but he ultimately falls in love with her.