The Pittsburgh Tatler: An Octoroon is a 21st-century refraction of Boucicault’s play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, an African-American playwright whose plays often center on questions of how historical representations of race continue to wield social power and cultural influence. For example, in his 2010 play Neighbors, he used blackface minstrelsy to explore questions of black identity, pride, shame, and self-loathing.
3 comments:
I think this show is a really important piece of current American literature. I worked on it over the summer at Chautauqua, and I am excited to see it here in Pittsburgh. I think Jacob Jenkins does an incredible job of contextualizing the race relations from the past with how they are now, highlighting both the similarities and variances. There are things that were socially acceptable that are completely denounced now, and there are things that were done then that are still done today that probably should not be. Jacob Jenkins' work here puts all of these aspects side by side and right in the audience's face to show how they still work and affect our world today. The use of melodrama in this show is incredibly effective. Originally it was a trope used to present ideas seriously, but now he is using it to turn all of those accepted beliefs on their head and show just how ridiculous they really are.
This show sounds fascinating, though I have to admit, also very complicated based on this article. The content and casting seem to push a lot of controversial boundaries, and I’m so happy that this play is getting the kind of platform and recognition that it deserves. Perhaps five years ago, this show may have seemed too daring to be put on at this scale, but we are in a time that demands the arts to be present and loud. I hope to see this show while it’s in Pittsburgh and experience the intended discomfort myself. I think I speak for a lot of young theatre artists and creatives when I say that disturbing, difficult, and even dangerous contemporary art of all kinds are more intriguing to our generation and the current theatre scene. I am excited to see this shift usher in a new vault of exciting, challenging work and pressing conversations in turn.
I saw this production last night and fell in love with the script. Though the performance itself didn’t blow me away, there were definitely standouts among the cast and the script is a hidden gem that I am surprised does not get more attention than it does. I wish it had not taken me so long to stumble upon it, but I’m glad I did. The satirical and comedic way with which the script addresses race relations and complex historical situations is very effective in “getting the point across” while still creating an entertaining experience with the audience. There is a balance of thought-provoking and entertaining. I found moments similar to It’s in the Bag, where an actor would say something that would have been found funny at the time, in a funny way, but that most people find offensive nowadays, and people in the audience laughed, which made me uncomfortable. It was moments like that that I found the most thought provoking aside from the blatant white face/black face/red face situation, which I actually found surprisingly tasteful given the circumstances.
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