NPR: In 1935, George Gershwin brought the script for his folk opera Porgy and Bess to the opera's original cast, which was entirely made up of African-American actors. "[In the original], every other word was N-word this, N-word that," says actor David Alan Grier. "[And] there's a very famous story: Al Jolson really wanted to play Porgy, in blackface."
2 comments:
I have been a huge DAG fan for most of my life. I remember his days on In Living Color. He has truly made his mark in the entertainment industry from Theatre to Movies, Stand up to Broadway.
Sondheim’s dislike of the show and public disapproval is exactly what should keep driving the show forward. Theatre is not supposed to be liked by all. It is not a children’s animated movie, it is often raw and hard to watch. I often leave the theater with no feelings either for or against the show, but theater is at its best when it gets under your skin, either in a good way or a bad way.
I think the beginning of this article ties really well with the one about the new musical about japanese internment camps. The problem with both shows is that being so racially based, they will inevitably upset someone, in this case it as Sondheim. The point I like about Grier's response to this is that he felt like the controversy that the show stirred up was inspiring. Theater is meant to provoke thought in people. Even though this show was written in a different era, clearly something about it still holds true in our current society, otherwise there wouldn't be 400 comments on one letter about the show. I also think some of Grier's comments tie in with the recent events of the British producer imprisoned in Uganda for putting on a show with gay material. It is a show that inspires people across the globe to think and will hopefully inspire change in the same way Porgy and Bess provoked thought and controversy when it first came out.
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