AMERICAN THEATRE: Almost alone among American presidents, our 32nd, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is still remembered not for a single incident or tic but for a cluster of iconic landmarks and attributes: the New Deal and World War II, the ivory cigarette holder and pince-nez glasses, fireside chats in an arch mid-Atlantic accent, the wheelchair.
3 comments:
I found this article to be really interesting. I think the concept of the show - the crowd work, the interactivity, the accommodations towards the disability community - to be both intriguing and politically important. I think that the concept of altering an actual person by bringing their disability to the forefront of their character - not to belittle or ridicule them, but to showcase their ties to a specific community and thus reveal a deeper facet of their personality - to be a really delicate situation, though one I think the show pulled off well. To be honest, I had little idea that FDR was in a wheelchair for the entirety of his presidency. For so long, disabilities were always something to be ashamed of or hidden from the public; FDR concealed his paralysis, and took lengthy measures to keep it out of the press. However, I think this show is trying both to de-stigmatize wheelchair use, and bring up more ideas around his politics; as a whole, I think it’s an incredibly potent play right now, and I hope that it finds the success it deserves!
I really am intrigued by the concept of this show. I believe there should be more roles for disabled people in theatre and I think it's really unique that they are using a real historical figure who hid their disability to highlight that. When I was reading the article through my first thought was immediately okay why are we making this guy seem like this amazing person, but then later on when they mentioned how they do not actually stray away from all the horrible things that happen and still recognize them, the way they explained how it happened didn't seem like there was actual light on the issue. In a way it kind of feels like Hamilton, where when political historical figures get romanticized nothing good usually comes from it. I would be really interested to see this show and see how they tackle the issues in his presidency.
I think this article is intriguing, firstly because of more roles for people who are disabled in theater, and secondly because it is using a real historical person and really telling a story of all the good and bad parts of the man. All I know about FDR is the incarceration camps, the packing of the Supreme Court, his anti-Jewish refugee stance, and Social Security; those are some really bad things alongside a few good things. I was worried they weren't going to explore those details in the show and instead paint him as a great guy, but it's nice to know that they are including every part of him and also including the disabled community. I also love any kind of live improvisation in theater. I like that theater is a place people can go to and dream of a better world, and I love that, especially with such a complex historical figure.
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