Slave Play coming to Broadway in September?- Page 6

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 3:42pm

If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 3:47pm

poisonivy2 said: "If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

we would? how come? say what you mean.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:00pm

poisonivy2 said: "If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

Please tell me you are joking.

 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:01pm

poisonivy2 said: "If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

Yes.  And we know why.  It's the subtext of this thread that no one will openly discuss......racism. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:03pm

Isn't Madonna white?! She was called out for doing the same thing in this thread already?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:06pm

This will be my last post in this thread, at least on this topic (for my own sanity, I try to limit the time I invest in each debate I have on this message board, particularly if it relates to sociopolitical issues):

I apologize if I've created the impression that I believe we should just forgive any and all behavior in the theatre. Believe me, I get angry about these kinds of things too sometimes. And yes, a lot of these people probably are just being rude and inconsiderate.

The larger message I'm trying to convey here though, is that there are deeper social factors at play here besides just people being rude. And I think Nottage and Harris' comments stem from a reaction to those deeper social factors. And the situation won't ever improve unless we get used to the idea that our standards for theatre etiquette are socially constructed by a historically exclusionary, and very specific, culture, predominately for a kind of art that has been tailored to that exclusionary culture. That doesn't mean we should throw them out the window. But we should acknowledge them as such. And when we acknowledge that there are other ways of engaging with theatre, and as we make space for other kinds of theatre, other kinds of experiences, and a broader variety of people in those experiences (and I don't just mean white vs. black, I really do mean a wide variety of cultures), I think we will find more constructive ways of getting on the same page about which behaviors are beneficial to which theatrical contexts. That won't happen in a day, and in the meantime I don't think we should just start letting anybody use their phones during any show. But the sooner we ease our grip on what we think is the "right" way to engage in theatre, the sooner we can all move in a more inclusive direction.

Have a great week, everybody! 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:29pm

Oh, please. No, we wouldn’t. Nice try though.

And Zion, THANK YOU!!!!

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:32pm

JDonaghy4 said: "poisonivy2 said: "If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

we would? how come? say what you mean."

Because shes white like the majority of theater goers. And "one of us" because she has such a huge fanbase that overlaps with the theater fanbase. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:35pm

How does Nottage’s comment speak to that? She thinks it’s ridiculous and you should put your phone away too.

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 4:37pm

"If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:21pm

poisonivy2 said: "JDonaghy4 said: "poisonivy2 said: "If Bette Midler did this you guys would all think she was amazing and there was no problem with it."

we would? how come? say what you mean."

Because shes white like the majority of theater goers. And "one of us" because she has such a huge fanbase that overlaps with the theater fanbase."

pray tell, what race am i? this is assumption is the most offensive thing said in this thread by far.

well, it was until someone else showed up to diagnose me with subconsciously hating someone because hes black and/or successful, which that writer so impressively is able to divine all on his or her own while simultaneously assuming my racial makeup, professional standing and/or financial success all in one fell swoop. 

(im a much bigger fan of Rihanna than I am of Bette Midler, but thats another factoid that doesnt fit into your sad, sad worldview.) 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:24pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "Your continued assumption that we are racist over this is, simply put, idiotic. I have told COUNTLESS white audience members to put their damn phone away also."

its not an assumption. its a desperate attempt to put away the substance of what was being discussed by waving the racism card without any evidence or basis. of course, the irony here, is that the only people making statements and forming opinions solely based on race are the ones who claim to be so appalled at the very thought.

this is becoming a tale as old as time. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:24pm

A friend just let me know that this has been picked up in W magazine. It is in the fashion section. My phone will not let me past the link but it comes up if googled. The writer is under the impression the the show has had its official opening night party.

[smidge]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:29pm

GeorgeandDot said: "I can't tell if you all subconsciously hate Harris because he's black or if it's because he's a successful young man, while none of you are."

Is anyone saying they hate Harris?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:48pm

uncageg, here https://www.wmagazine.com/story/rihanna-late-arrival-slave-play-tweet

[Andy51]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 5:49pm

What I consciously hate is this kind of facile and fatuous analysis, regardless of what side of the issue one is on (and I did not take a strong position one way or the other on the issue).  It doesn't engage any of the reasonable arguments people have adduced, and really just amounts to an ad hominem.

Updated On: 9/16/19 at 05:49 PM

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:07pm

poisonivy2 said: "smidge said: "GeorgeandDot said: "I can't tell if you all subconsciously hate Harris because he's black or if it's because he's a successful young man, while none of you are."

Is anyone saying they hate Harris?"

Yes people have been calling him arrogant and attacked him on twitter for responding to an audience member IN HIS OWN SHOW. No one would talk this way to Tony Kushner. But I guess Harris is "uppity.""

 

And some have said they hope Harris gets  DRAGGED  and "learns a lesson".  

 

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:08pm

From that W Magazine article on the incident:

As Harris said, "It’s not bad behavior to sing along during a musical if the spirit possess you to.”

I beg to differ!!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:14pm

No one said they hate Harris. I actually really like his voice. 

I also said that Lin dragged Madonna. I also hope the Trumps would get dragged and learn a lesson. And Mitch McConnell. And Harvey Weinstein. There's lots of people who deserve to be told they're wrong and learn from the experience, of all races. 

Whatever. Yawn. 

[Moderator]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:17pm

Alright, everybody. We have tried to let this conversation go as long as possible, as it is one that we think has significance and importance in the ever changing world of theatre, and has now been promoted by multiple accomplished writers. 

However, when the discussion quickly veers into personal attacks, that is too far. We acknowledge that it is difficult to discuss topics of race (as many in this thread believe is at the root of this discussion) without someone being offended. That will always be part and parcel to the discussion of race. 

If you think that race is an important factor in this conversation, you are welcome to discuss it, but you are not welcome to say that individuals are racist because they do not share your view, whichever view that might be. If you want to talk about systemic and/or cultural issues that lead to institutional racism, we welcome that. But, when it becomes personal, that is not something that we will allow on the boards. 

This also goes for those who believe that they are being called racist. Returning serve and calling others racist in response is equally unacceptable. We recognize that discussing race will always be volatile, but we want to help facilitate that discussion, especially in a thread about a show that deals with race and gender power dynamics. 

But, if individuals continue to go out of their way to make this and other threads on the show about personal attacks, those comments will be deleted, threads could be locked, and posters could be suspended. 

So, in the spirit of healthy, intellectual debate, please keep the conversations passionate, but civil, moving forward. 

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:17pm

I guess it’s inevitable that race came into play in this discussion, but it wasn’t the issue for me.

I was one of the 900 or so theatergoers on Saturday night who was inconvenienced for about 45 minutes because (a) Telecharge sent an email and told us to get to the theatre early; and (b) Harris held the curtain for Rihanna. If she had been sitting near me and I had been distracted from watching the play because of her texting, I would have asked her to stop.

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 6:28pm

StageStruckLad said: "I was one of the 900 or so theatergoers on Saturday night who was inconvenienced for about 45 minutes because (a) Telecharge sent an email and told us to get to the theatre early; and (b) Harris held the curtain for Rihanna. If she had been sitting near me and I had been distracted from watching the play because of her texting, I would have asked her to stop."

A seems to be your fault. But A is an important thing, since it is people like you who allow me to stroll in at 7:53 without there being a line, so thank you!

My only issue with B was that I was already nervous about the length of the show without an intermission. I was up in the mezz, so the Rihannaness of it all didn't impact me. I didn't know who was in the house until I drove home and looked it up, heh.

[vanbrig]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 7:15pm

Personally, I can see why he held the curtain. Curtains get held for all sorts of reasons. Having a celebrity with a large fanbase such as Rihanna at your show brings attention and publicity, which is often vital to keeping the show open and recouping an investment. If you need to hold the curtain to make that happen, then so be it. Is it fair? No, but neither are many other things in life. To me, Harris's mistake came from boasting about it on Twitter. Some things are better left unsaid, because honestly, the rest of the audience often doesn't care about publicity and will read it as a slap in the face.

The texting issue is a bit more complicated, in my opinion. The fact is, not everyone is gonna agree on proper cell phone usage in the theatre. You also can't focus on please an entire audience, because no matter what your policy is, some will always disagree (see: the thread about Yondr pouches). Harris is fully entitled to his opinion, but here is the issue that I take from it: in many ways, this isn't entirely his play anymore. It's his script, and it's largely his, but the play is now a part of a bigger production that doesn't belong to any one single person. He may be fine with the use of cell phones in the theatre, but what about everyone in the cast? The crew? If they all are perfectly grand with it, then great, but if not...well, if I were one of the actors up on that stage feeling upset (possibly even violated, depending on the scene) because someone texted during the show, and my playwright proceeded to brag about responding to her on Twitter and tweeting "miss me w tweets chastising anyone in my audience for using a phone to send a text," well, I'd feel like my playwright didn't give a damn about me.

There are a million different captions he could have put on that picture of him and Rihanna; perhaps bragging about giving her special treatment and texting her in the middle of the show didn't present the best optics. As for his later tweets about audience reactions, I don't see how that has anything to do with texting. It's an entirely different conversation.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 7:17pm

Mr. Harris is a great talent.  I see many happy, successful years ahead for him.  He is being challenged right now, but I (and others) stand behind the decisions he makes for "Slave Play".  

Updated On: 9/16/19 at 07:17 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/16/19 at 8:11pm

I get so bored of the "times are changing" and we need to welcome more young and diverse audiences and let their behavior go unchecked. I was that younger and more diverse theatre audience once. But you know what, even then I still felt "I'm paying a sh*t ton of money, so I'm paying close attention to every aspect of it as possible to get my money's worth."  And I appreciated everyone doing that for each other, not knowing what people paid for their tickets, but thinking it was as big a deal for them as it was for me. Nowadays it's "I paid X dollars so I can do what I want." Not the trend I want to see, and not the kind that should be acceptable.