Ragtime without Race — Page 2

Excuse my ignorant, non-US perspective, and assuming Blackface means painting some cast members 'black' to appear..well black.. - how is this offensive?

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Updated On: 7/17/09 at 02:10 AM

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1919122

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This thread reminds me of the particularly 'interestingly cast' version of 'West Side Story' I saw the other week. Even if one as to ignore the fact it had the most lily white Sharks (with a couple of token Asians actors), the truly worst thing was having having sit through all their hammed up Latino accent which I swear they could've only copied from a Speedy Gonzalez cartoon.

ggersten, makes a great suggestion. Perhaps, before you actually go out and buy the rights to Ragtime you could have an informational meeting to see what sort of interest there is among the African-American population. If no one shows up you could scrap the idea without having spent any money.

But I don't think the OP is reading this thread anymore. I suspect he's taken his ball and gone home.

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There is justification to appear in blackface, if that is part of the show. I saw an amazing production entitled I believe "Three Black and Three White Minstrels" in Berkeley, um, a few decades ago. Blackface was used and discussed as to its inappropriateness as part of the production. It was at the Julia Morgan Theatre and besides the "history" lesson was just a gripping night of theatre.

But unless you're doing a musical about Al Jolson, why would blackface ever occur to someone as acceptable?

Too bad the producers of the Al Jolson musical in London stated they would not be using blackface at all because they didn't want to offend anybody.

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Yeah I would go with another show.

My high school director really wanted to do the show. The school board wanted certain "language" changed to be more appropriate. He did not want to do that, because it would not have been how it was during that time... so new shows were picked.

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I guess it would be hard not to see it as a joke, but still the premise of someone pretending to be black because there is no alternative doesn't seem offensive to me.

There IS an alternative: pick another show.

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Except NO ONE would be offended by men in drag- only by whites playing blacks. It's so deeply ingrained now that even Finian's Rainbow (which is a show about racism and is built around a white man "turning" black) is foregoing it for it's upcoming revival.

I find it fascinating.

And the "King and I" comparison is interesting too. I've never seen a single production of that show that didn't use Non-Asian actors playing Asian.

Joe, I disagree, at least with the women vs blackface part. I think men performing The Vagina Monologues WOULD cause an uproar. Steel Magnolias, not so much. Think about Tropic Thunder. The fuss - if any - was minimal. If you really deconstruct the concept, I think you have a chance. Although there ARE women (and some men) who are offended with drag itself.

As for the King and I, it IS interesting. I'm not sure there is no one who finds it offensive. Like it or not, though, there's much more a cultural history of blackface in and of itself, and I don't think there's a comparable example for asian-american history. Even as I type that, though, I'm not sure that's the acceptable answer.

Isn't there some sort of adage about only mocking/stereotyping those you aren't afraid of?

What's the general line these days about non-hispanic folks playing sharks in West Side Story? Again, there's a question to be raised, but it's not a perfect match with the questions raised by blackface.

Updated On: 7/17/09 at 08:33 PM

If you don't have talented black students who can do the roles justice, don't do this show. Race is huge and I'd frankly be offended by a white Coalhouse and Sarah. It's not fair to the actors and it's not fair to the material.

Yellowface is, unfortunately, seen as much more acceptable than blackface. The problem is that there is no Asian American equivalent to the NAACP, and Asian Americans have been thought of as wallflowers, of not being the type to speak up so it's "okay," of being wimps -- and in some ways, there is some truth to this. In many Asian cultures, you don't rock the boat. And this has been passed on even to 3rd or 4th generation Asian Americans.

However, we're starting to speak up more these days. Which is nice.

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/
http://angryasianman.com/angry.html

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If I'm not mistaken, the original London production of Ragtime utilized a single ensemble for the whites, blacks, and imigrants. They used choreography, costume pieces, and body language to differentiate between the cultural groups.