Protesting Scottsboro Boys Minstrel Show- Page 4

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:11pm

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AGREE. It's fantastic that we live in a country unlike say Germany (no offense to Germans) where we have the freedom and ability to look at some of the more terrible parts of our past in an upfront and artistic manner. And if a musical ever comes along about the Japanese internment camps or the Triangle Shirtwaist fire or what have you, I will most certainly see it... providing it's well written!

[whatever2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:33pm

> In my humble opinion, it's not about feeling uncomfortable, it's about good art, and even yet, great storytelling.

that's a reasonable opinion, but i'm not sure it's germane to the conversation. those people are not out there protesting the art because it's not good enough ...

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:36pm

George C. Wolfe might have done something similar, actually. He's always loved playing with forms like minstrel shows, as evidenced by his "Colored Museum.?

[whatever2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:38pm

> It's fantastic that we live in a country unlike say Germany (no offense to Germans) where we have the freedom and ability to look at some of the more terrible parts of our past in an upfront and artistic manner.

You have got to be eff-in' kidding me?!?!?

Do you realize you just slurred an entire group of people here -- based on a shockingly misinformed view of how German culture has dealt with "the more terrible parts of [its] past", i might add.

and in a thread debating whether or not a particular form of satire constitutes an unacceptable form of ethnic stereotyping!

THAT, alanis, is ironic.

[edited for typo.]

Updated On: 11/7/10 at 04:38 PM

[denali.fire]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:38pm

I am going to protest MAME for poor depiction of alcoholics as in the character of VERA,

and Annie for portraying child abuse

And West Side Story for poor depiction of gangs

And Blue Man Group for the way people of color are depicted.

and Phantom for poor depiction of the malformed....

[orlandog]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:45pm

My point is that I understand why they are protesting. The name calling of the protesters, the assumptions that the protesters haven't seen the show, the fact that the protesters don't 'get Stroman's/Kander/Ebb/Thompson's "The Scottsboro Boys" are just that, assumptions. I'm going to make an assumption and say that they didn't set out to piss anybody out for the sake of pissing anybody off. They have valid points and I get their point as much as I 'got' The Scottsboro Boys.
Updated On: 11/7/10 at 04:45 PM

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:54pm

I think the nature of their protest makes it clear that they have not actually seen the show. I don't think it's just assumption.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 4:55pm

But let's be for real here...how many of these protestors do you actually think saw the show? And if they didn't see the show or know what the creative team was going for, then no, they won't get it.

This up in the NY Times with a few comments:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/scottsboro-boys-is-focus-of-protest/?src=twrhp

[Kad]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 5:00pm

If they had a valid complaint with the Scottsboro Boys, fine. But as evidenced with their fliers- which are extremely inaccurate in its summary of the show, not to mention lacking coherence- I just don't think that is the case. They come off as knee-jerk reactors.

And regarding Germany: the country is still, understandably, sensitive to Hitler and the Third Reich. However, I don't think it's fair to compare America and Germany in this case. There is plenty in America's past we are sensitive to and would rather not willingly discuss or acknowledge, or things we just whitewash- things ranging from our initial interactions with the Native Americans to the racism of Woodrow Wilson.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 5:16pm

Sorry, but America doesn't have laws saying that you can't display a certain symbol in public largely based upon its embarrassment at its own past atrocities. Yes, we don't openly talk about everything in our past, but at least we aren't publicly forbidden from doing so. And I am not 'debasing' the whole German people. I lived in Berlin for a year and have many good friends over there. But when two of them caught me listening to 'Springtime for Hitler' in my apartment, they were less than kosher with it. And yes, they knew its context.

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 5:22pm

FYI, not all of the producers are white. There are some black backers of the production.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 5:23pm

I do NOT think they have any valid complaint: this is CLEARLY a show pointing out the injustices those men endured, it is clearly discussing racism and class systems, in its own right it is even denouncing the stereotypes OF the Minstrel show.

The moment the actors appeared (albeit briefly) in blackface was truly a horrifyingly beautiful moment. Much like the exposure of the nazi armband for the first time in Caberet. I had a truly visceral reaction to it.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 5:27pm

orlandog, I just caught your update. I am not "mocking" the protestors. I said in my post that I have not seen the show but have followed it and have seen clips of it. I don't understand how you can back the protestors when you don't know either if they have seen the show or not. I still stand by my "assumption" that they haven't. I have been attending theatre for years and my statement regarding what they may have seen has come from experience. I have worked with and chaired a black theatre organization and have talked with many black actors and members of the black community about the subject for years, and we are all in agreement. It is just the way it is. If you choose not to take me seriously, that is fine. But I am quite serious.

So let's take away the fact that I haven't seen the show. Based on what I know of it, I do still want to see it because I think it is quite an interesting way to present this story.

Updated On: 11/7/10 at 05:27 PM

[Calvin]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 6:44pm

Off-color songs were being sung and offensive lines said as actors acted like buffoons, and in the end, when these men come out in whiteface, you find yourself upset—but I found myself sitting with a large, mainly white audience that was loving everything.

They laughed at the corny jokes. They laughed at people singing songs about mammies. They laughed at men joking around about being frustrated with not getting justice.

An interesting observation, but it kind of reminds me of the infamous Newsweek piece in which the columnist took it upon himself to decide that the entire audience did not accept Sean Hayes as a straight man.

And like that Newsweek columnist, Ms. Armstrong might have had a stronger point if she had chatted with a few audience members to get their take on it and included it in the piece. As we all know, laughter often is a response to being uncomfortable. As for me, during most of the show I wasn't exactly sure how to react. After certain songs, I wasn't sure whether I should applaud or just sit stunned.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 7:01pm

Whiteface????? There was no whiteface. (does this refer to the off b'way production?)

I think you are suppose to be unsure about how to take it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 7:16pm

The treatment of vampires on Broadway is absolutlely horrible

Wildhorns Dracula
Dance of the Vampires
Lestat

I intend to send an angry letter to the Times & to notify Chuck Schumer & his wingman Kirstin " I am transparent" (whatever the hell that means) Gillibrand

[ejwright54]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:00pm

I'm a black man who not only saw "Scottsboro Boys" a few weeks ago, but plan to see it again. Initially I was uncertain how such a serious story could be told as a musical and I was totally unaware of the use of minstrelsy. However, I found minstrelsy was an apt vehicle for showing the racism that drove the injustice done to the "Scottsboro Boys". And if you saw the production, you know the minstrels were not used to degrade black people. On the contrary, it's whites who were portrayed as buffoons.

As for the audacity of white producers, writers and directors, as long as they do justice to "our" stories I have no quarrel with them. Instead of lambasting whites for daring to tell our stories, it would be far more productive to develop a consciousness among producers and directors of color to tell some of the stories from our history.

And while there is a strong parallel between the actual cases of the "The Scottsboro Boys" and the "Central Park 5", Kander and Ebb only took on "The Scottsboro Boys". And they did all any dramatic or musical production could possibly do, and that's tell the story. "Scottsboro Boys" tells the story well in my opinion.



Updated On: 11/7/10 at 09:00 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:21pm

I'm sure Barry Weissler is thrilled by all this. This has gotten the show more (free) publicity than they've had in weeks.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:41pm

If you want to protest the Weisslers, there are far, far better reasons to do so.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/7/10 at 9:47pm

Melanie Griffith was not a crime against humanity. My sainted mother saw her in Chicago and said she was "child-like."

[JMPlayer6]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 5:56am

First of all, I saw this show on Saturday 11/6, and did not see any protest. I was at the evening performace. Perhaps the protest was at the afternoon performance? Somewhere else?

In any case: I am not African American. Nor am I a prejudiced. Having said that, I was aware upfront of the mintrel structure of the show, and I was honestly leery about seeing it for that reason. But I had read some of the reviews, so I went. And I loved the show. The structure works within the context of the story, and helps to tell the story in a compelling way.

You joined this website and then promptly bashed this show. It is pretty obvious to me that you joined for no other reason, and also that you have not seen this show yourself. Too Bad.

By the way, the "legal lynching" was in 1931, not 1831.

Also: I think that 80-year-old black woman can have better use of her time protesting cuts, if not outright elimination, of Social Security. Just saying.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 6:10am

Yes, JM -- the protest only seem to be at the matinee. (Because when you really, really beleive in your cause -- once is enough.)

And to the protesters: At least SOME of the people with the information need to have SEEN the show before deciding that it is racist or inappropriate. You can't just hear the words "boys" and "minstrel" and determine that the show is offensive.

[A Director]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 1:08pm

Another point of view

http://www.theroot.com/views/root-review-scottsboro-boys?wpisrc=xs_wp_0005

[julesboogie]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 1:53pm

Thanks A-Director for posting that. It reminds me that i can never take a reviewers point of view and need to decide for myself. There are two key inaccuracies of the review... (robin s. walker on for sharon washington.) Asked a friend who is in the show, and Sharon has not missed a performance yet... since the Vineyard. And that the actors are in drag! No one does drag in that show.

Also Gladstone so eloquently stated one of the main points of the show (imo), and still didn't get it. The fact that its cartoon nature mimics the cartoon like way the justice system handled the Scottsboro Cases. Geez i want to see one review that states they didnt like the show, and gives a good reason. An educated, well thought through, free of inaccuracy, well worded review.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 2:18pm

Two of the actors in 'Scottsboro' - James T. Lane and Christian Dante White - play two of the 'Boys,' as well as Ruby and Victoria, the white women who accused them of rape. And sometimes they do dress up as gals, so there is drag.

And if you want to see more reviews, positive AND negative, here's a link to StageGrade's collection of them ...



StageGrade: 'Scottsboro Boys' Updated On: 11/8/10 at 02:18 PM