black broadway shows — Page 3

Yes.my kudos to Blackbirds for an articulate presentation (I take it your name is based on the famous musicals?). You've hit on some great points that I hope will be addressed here. But knowing how certain parties love to talk in circles.....

And King...I too look forward to a day when we can have a black Lincoln. Art is about expanding the possibility.

Hopefully, we can expand some minds as well. If not here, perhaps in the real world.

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Does that mean that we can look forward to a return of Mr. Tambo & Mr. Bones?

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Blackbirds, thank you for your post. For the most part I agree with what you said. And no, you are not the only African-American to post on this topic. If you read my posts carefully, you will see that I have identified myself as one.

I still disagree with your views on multiethnic casting for ALL roles in The Wiz. Can some roles be cast that way? Yes - but for some roles, because of lines and scenarios in the script, I find that there should be some discretion with whom you cast in them. I have seen a Caucasian Lion in The Wiz who could not interpret and just could not grasp the "slangs" that were incorporated into the script. I mean he tried, but it just never landed well at all. He tried so hard to overcompensate for it, that he just ended up looking silly. Same with Dorothy - she was Caucasian, couldn't make some of her lines land well. This is just from what I have seen. IF they wanted to have a multiethnic "Wiz", they would seriously need to do some script revisions, and not make it seem too geared towards the black community.

And so that I may not seem like a fool, I wish I had the script here at work, so that I could point out specific lines that just doesn't work. I will do that later when I have access to my script.

As for other roles that are not race and ethnicity specific, I agree....there should be no reason why color of skin should be an issue. Traditional shows such as Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop, etc. should have no problem casting differently. Although I would say that in Little Shop, since the author described certain characters in a certain way, they should be played that way for it to fully work.

I have issues with things like "A Black Audrey" or a multiethnic "urchin" group, because the jokes and satire initially intended for these roles would not be seen. But am I against it because I find different skin colors to be distracting, no. When you do this kind of casting, you have to take all aspects into consideration. Will it alter the original intention of the author? Will it completely change the story? Do character relationships still work as effectively as before? If you took the previous example that I mentioned, a lot of the humor from the clever script will be lost alone. Especially with the "urchins" because the joke is that each of the girls' names are taken from black doo-wop female groups of the 60's. If they were cast untraditionally, although it could work, that whole ongoing joke would be lost, and the author's intention would have been lost as well. Audrey is a walking joke as well. Described in the script as a cross between Fay Wray, Goldie Hawn, and Marilyn Munroe. If you cast someone else other than that, a lot of her sight gags, and jokes would be completely lost.

Robbiej gave an excellent example of "Once on This Island". I participated in a production of this show, where I played Papa Ge. My Ti Moune was White. My Euralie was white as well. So was most of the cast. There was another black person and a hispanic girl, but for the most part, it was a white cast. Although it was a powerful production, and worked, it could have been so much more, had there been more blacks of different shades and complexions, WITH the White cast members, and other minorities, to show the distinguishing between the two different classes. However, this was not the case, and a lot of the source material went over people's heads.

Now, I am not defending Namo, because I disagree with the idea of having "black musicals" just for the sake of them, in THIS day and time, since things are getting BETTER with casting, note: I said BETTER - we're still not there yet. But again, I have to stress that when you do this, you do it with caution and logic. What I suggest? If you really want to do this, you need to make revisions in librettos to support your casting decisions. Revisions are always made with revivals. Nothing drastic, but making sure that what your trying to do isn't upstaged by the material itself.

Blackbirds, again, I really respect your opinion. It is nice to read another view from an African-American. Unfortunately, I was not even born yet when the orignial production of The Wiz launched, but I did imagine that creating it would be a vehicle for African-American performers to showcase their talents and have a show where they know that can be cast in without having to worry about their skin color. But I also feel that The Wiz is so much more than that, and that is why it will always have a special place in my heart.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

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Updated On: 10/22/03 at 10:21 AM

Balla, you always impress me, I can imagine you being a fine performer. When I saw Miss Saigon when it first opened I saw both Johnathan Pryce and his understudy, who were both Caucasian (So was the Thuy),and they all had on elaborate wigs and make-up or "yellowface" to coin a dated and offensive phrase to some. Now I'd like to say it offended me or was wrong, but they were both amazing in the role, their strange appearance added to the Engineer being an outcast and stuck between both worlds as he was of mixed race in the story. When it arrived in the US, that of course was gone and JP looked just like JP and it took me out of the story. As the show ran it's course I saw it again a number of times but it never was a enjoyable as that first weekend. It's a tough topic because while'll we'd all love their to be colorblind casting in everything, sometimes it's just flat out wrong and if against the authors wishes and desire the worst kind of pandering.

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Pearl Bailey's DOLLY...

What a singular experience! On Saturday night the show ended with Betty Grable in the title role. On Monday night the curtain rose on the same sets, costumes, orchestrations, direction and choreography, but with an entirely new cast that happened to be black. No names were changed: it was still "Dolly Gallagher Levi" and "Horace Vandergelder", but there were black actors playing the parts. They revitalized a show that has been playing for about 4 1/2 years and suddenly seats for TWHM were hot, hot, hot! The audiences ate up Pearlie Mae in the role of Dolly and critics were euphoric over the "new" production. For once, black actors and actresses were fully accepted in roles that weren't specifically written for blacks.

Only one line of dialogue was changed, but I think the change took place before Pearlie Mae walked down the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. As Stanley excitedly described the lady who was entering the restaurant, he previously said that she had "lots and lots of red hair". The word "red" was dropped when Betty Grable played Dolly because she did the role as a blonde. TGC and Ginger Rogers wore wigs (although Rogers abandoned the wig shortly after she assumed the role because audiences weren't immediately recognizing her--still the line remained "red"). Martha Raye had auburn hair, so the "red" line made sense. Anyhow, Pearl's Dolly was described as a woman with "lots and lots of hair". Oh yes, Pearlie Mae tossed in a few "honey's" and I believe at one point she called Ermengarde "Sugar", but that was Pearl.

I think what made the Pearl Bailey company of TWHM so sensational was the amount of talent gathered for the production. In addition to Pearlie Mae, there were Cab Calloway, Emily Yancy, Jack Crowder, Chris Calloway and Mabel King--in addition to an energetic and glorious ensemble. Their talent allowed audiences to overlook the colors of their skin and accept them in the roles they were playing. It was nothing short of marvelous.

Perhaps no discussion of the Pearl Bailey company would be complete without mentioning the "Act Three" that she and Cab Calloway did after every performance. They sent the rest of the cast home and brought stools onto the runway. They sat themselves down and entertained the audience for another half hour--out of the generosity of their hearts. Cab sand "Minnie the Moocher" and Pearl did "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" among other tunes associated with the two performers. Sometimes Pearl did "I Believe" and brought such conviction to the lyric that it became quite emotional. Oh yes, and she would chat with the "teeny weenies"--the little ones who had come to see TWHM but were so tiny they couldn't keep the seats down.

Pearl Bailey stayed with TWHM for about two years and the show was awarded yet another Tony Award--it's 11th--for "Special Achievement in the Theater". No words could sum up the experience more effectively.

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As DollyPop notes, Ms. Bailey would hold court with the audience after the show. This was also true during the revival in the late 70's, except this time the cast was required to stay onstage during her antics. After she would do her one-liners (For example, in the wake of a notorious musician's strike that closed down Broadway, Pearlie Mae's comments went something like this: "It's good to see the orchestra back again. Right where they belong. Why do you think they call it a pit?" Ba-dum-pum), she would (as anecdote has it) turn upstage to the assembled company and sneer in a stage whisper, "How are your feet doin', gals? Your shoes pinchin' you yet?"
No, Pearlie Mae was NOT loved by her casts.

Blackbirds,
I am sorry that you feel that I am some horrid racist. I never ever said it was okay in any of my post (and I looked back) that I was okay with a non hispanic white woman to play EVITA. Please, If I am missing something in my own words.. please let me know.
I am sorry that you find my opinion to be something you can dismiss so offhandedly. I was under the assumption that we were able to discuss our opinions and tell how we feel. Foolish of me to think that this was the one post that was going to have incredible post after post of conversation.
Foolish Follish (and your opinion Racist) me.

no that doesn't make you a racist at all. you are right. and i dont' think that extreme is what is being discussed. Consider that a show doesn't have to be all black for this asthetic to be in force. It's just a matter of seeing black performers being cast in any other roles than slave, ballplayer, african, harlem hoofer, street kid, etc. once we see that then we will really believe broadway to be color blind.

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in the movies it is not as practical to cast a white actor as a slave in a amistad. however we are all here discussing bway. theatre is supposed to shake things up mix things up tear things up. i saw white slaves in aida.

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robbiej it shouldnt bother you to see a black actor playing ben frankling sing a song that is derogitory to blacks. if that is the character's position then it's legal. i don't know the song you mentioned but lets assume you feel if the actor's face is black he cant sing this song. i understand this is your knee jerk reaction but think about it. it's ben franklin saying the view point in the song not the black man playing the role. the audience quickly adusts to the casting choice and as long as the actor plays ben franklin and not OLE BLACK BEN then he will win the nights performance kudos.

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Orphan,

Ben Franklin does not sing the song 'Molasses to Rum to Slaves'. A white, southern slave owner who is arguing that the freeing of slaves would be disastrous to the Southern economy does.

Like I said, anyone can cast whomever they want in their shows. I really don't care. I'm saying that I, as a director, would more than likely choose to cast a white man in the role...unless i could justify to myself an interesting artistic/political reason to cast otherwise.

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Let me start by saying that Ms. McDonald has indeed played Eva Peron and I would have been the first one to have bought a ticket to that had she not been like 16 and a nobody out in California.

I actually do have a question about Evita being played by a white woman. I don't know much about the woman herself, but I have a couple of friends from South America whose decent is European. There are many many many South Americans from the very 'white' regions of Europe ie Germany, Italy and France. Just being from South America does not mean someone would look 'latin', whatever that means.

That said, I have no idea what Eva Duarte's ethnic make-up is.

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