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Monday, September 06, 2021
Why Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu Rewrote Pass Over’s Ending for Broadway
Playbill: “An artist’s duty…is to reflect the times.” Playwright Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu has manifested legendary musician Nina Simone’s wise words—three times over—with Pass Over, the latest iteration of which is currently making its Broadway premiere at the August Wilson Theatre.
2 comments:
Madeline Miller
said...
Pass Over is a commentary on the myth of social mobility and the daily frustration that Black people experience. I’ve only read the first version of the script, which has a morbid and infuriating ending. I am fascinated by how Pass Over has become a fluid work, which changes as the world does, giving audiences what Nwandu believes they most need. It makes sense that what local theatrical audiences needed to see in 2016 would be different than what a much larger Broadway audience would need to see in 2021. However, it creates a situation in which people who see different productions could see entirely different plays performed. The universe of Pass Over is now three times as large as when it began. The cultural impact of this piece only becomes more complex as more endings are introduced. I’ll be interested to see what fates different theaters choose to sentence Moses and Kitch to move forward.
I don't believe there to be a better medium than theatre to help reflect the times that were lived. Nwandu's Passover reflects on traumatic events like Trayvon Martin, Trump, and a pandemic it only makes sense to revise and update after new emotions arise and information comes to light. Especially now, if someone gets a spurt of inspiration to revise something and make it better or bring more truth to something, let them rewrite all they want. Each update will just be more relatable every time and any kind of nugget to tie back to our real life will make it meaningful. It'd be cool to read the different versions of the script and find the changes she made. She speaks beautifully and powerfully to empower a black audience. When it opens I hope it's received well and we can look forward to other works or revisions she does and it indeed will heal others.
2 comments:
Pass Over is a commentary on the myth of social mobility and the daily frustration that Black people experience. I’ve only read the first version of the script, which has a morbid and infuriating ending. I am fascinated by how Pass Over has become a fluid work, which changes as the world does, giving audiences what Nwandu believes they most need. It makes sense that what local theatrical audiences needed to see in 2016 would be different than what a much larger Broadway audience would need to see in 2021. However, it creates a situation in which people who see different productions could see entirely different plays performed. The universe of Pass Over is now three times as large as when it began. The cultural impact of this piece only becomes more complex as more endings are introduced. I’ll be interested to see what fates different theaters choose to sentence Moses and Kitch to move forward.
I don't believe there to be a better medium than theatre to help reflect the times that were lived. Nwandu's Passover reflects on traumatic events like Trayvon Martin, Trump, and a pandemic it only makes sense to revise and update after new emotions arise and information comes to light. Especially now, if someone gets a spurt of inspiration to revise something and make it better or bring more truth to something, let them rewrite all they want. Each update will just be more relatable every time and any kind of nugget to tie back to our real life will make it meaningful. It'd be cool to read the different versions of the script and find the changes she made. She speaks beautifully and powerfully to empower a black audience. When it opens I hope it's received well and we can look forward to other works or revisions she does and it indeed will heal others.
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