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The Wooster Group's production of Eugene O'Neill's 1920s play The Emperor Jones opened last night at the Goodman Theatre to a sold out crowd, despite the boycott initiated hours earlier by local publishing company and African-American activist group, Third World Press. The organization objects to the use of a white actress in blackface playing the leading role, which they believe mimics 19th century-style minstrelsy.
Bennett Jones Johnson, vice president of Third World Press, is quick to point out that neither the play itself nor the Goodman is under attack.
"Our complaint is not with O'Neill's play," said Johnson, who has not seen the Wooster Group show."After all, Charles L. Gilpin, a black actor, made his mark in the original 1920 production, and this was a revolutionary thing at the time. If a black actor were starring in it here, we would have no problem. What we object to is the minstrelsy aspect, which we consider both an anachronism and an insult. Minstrelsy has the same emotional connotations as lynching," said Johnson.
Those involved in the production, however, see it another way.
At the Goodman, executive producer Roche Schulfer noted: "This Wooster Group production has been performed for 15 years at theaters around the world. And the overwhelming response to it is that it is not racist, but that it undermines racist and sexist stereotypes through the use of masks and Japanese theater techniques."
"It's always hard to debate work with someone who hasn't seen the production," Schulfer added. "I would like to think those who come to see it will ultimately feel as I do about it. In many ways it's like the debate that has been taking place for years in the African-American community about the 'n' word."
The play, which runs through the weekend, is sold out. [S-T]
Image: Kate Valk performing in The Wooster Group's production of The Emperor Jones
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I always chuckle whenever people--black, white, Indian, Martian, whatever--demand that art conform to the value of superficial affirmative-action thinking.
Paging Bobby Rush ....
Lets not speak in pejoratives here. This is one group who sound more confused than anything. Anyone who would ban art they haven't experienced because it might offend is ignorant, which along with hydrogen, is one of the most common elements in the universe.
(Apologies to Flaubert)
Yeah, me too.
BTW, I'm starring in a production of Fiddler On The Roof in the 'burbs with a large prosthetic nose. You should come check it out. I've hoping to undermine racist and religous stereotypes.
See: Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer
Hahaha. I enjoy someone named Retardo entering the debate on what should and should not offend.
Where was this guy when White Chicks came out?
Where was this guy when White Chicks came out?
Yes the nearly 200 year long practice of black guys dressing up like white women has been particularly damaging to white people on the whole.............
I think you might be missing the point. I see no evidence this is some plantation entertainment designed to insult blacks. Do you? No, I've not seen the play. Have you?
I think we get into dangerous areas when people try to shut down art because it might--might--offend, or because it has a superficial similarity to another disgusting practice.
I think the "White Chicks" comment is more apt than you give it credit for (here you go, making me defend something related to White Chicks. Nice move.)
He's trying to suggest that they both have the same level of offensiveness thus share a similar history. This also assumes that whites haven't been the dominating power in this country (world). It's a typical thing that people do.
I don't know what to make of the show personally. The producer's excuses sound a little dubious though as Stealth pointed out I wonder how they would fly if some other race was being interpreted. But, hey I haven't seen it so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
I'm being replied to before I even post?
I should have said "ethnic group" as oppossed to just "race" above.
Thank you Navin. On another website, nearly every counter argument mentioned White Girls, as if that one stupid movie evened the table. LOL
While I agree with the producer that to criticize it sight unseen may be wrong, I have a whole list of reason why I'm not a fan of this, but I won't bore anyone. Suffice to say I never cease to be amused by the fact that every minority group who complains about something like this is told to chill out. And the people telling them to chill out all seem to have the same ... characteristic.
But I won't tell them to shut this play down or boycott it.
Very amusing...and annoying.
Magical Maestro, a Tex Avery cartoon with Spike the dog may be one of the best and funniest cartoons ever made. But minority groups have a fit over it. It is in the Library of Congress, because of its diversity. But if you pay attention to the cartoon, the only racism in the whole act is the making fun of white people.
Umm 30's cartoons. Anectodotal evidence........complaining minorities...
It might have some artistic merit (as I haven't seen this particular production), but I admittedly would make a few assumptions about someone who would find this play "joyous entertainment" based on the first few acts alone.
What REALLY sucks is the fact that their next stop is HONG KONG. Because it's really not enough that we have our BS stereotypes here; we have to import them elsewhere!
It's pretty great right UTV?
Unfortunately my name isn't Disbled Montalban.
Besides, if Ted Danson can do it well...
Is there anything that man can't do?
If blackface is equal to lynching, does that make indoor tanning equal to...separate water fountains?
I mean, what? Whether you agree or not, their point was fairly coherent until they compared art to real and atrocious injustices.
And what about white guys from the 'burbs driving around listening to gangsta [sic] rap and talking as though they grew up in Englewood? Where does that rate on the scale of racial outrage and offended sensitivities?
Go to Charleston Illinois (EIU) during the off-season. Jamie Kennedy had a real influence down there.
Jones doesn't say that blackface is equal to lynching. Their "emotional connotation" is the same.
Is there...oh I don't know, a particular reason why they went the minstrel route (as opposed to using a Black actor/actress for this role)?
I'm just guessing, but perhaps they went with the best actor available and affordable, or because the narrative called for a non-black actor? Does anyone know more?
Having taken a couple of theater courses, I'd say that it was most likely an artistic choice by the director. I haven't really been able to find out much about her thought process through rudimentary Googling, but that's what I would guess.
They put on this exact show in Philly a year or two ago, though. I imagine they ran into some issues there as well.
Matilda: From my understanding the role has always been played by a Black Actor. There's also not a shortage of fine actors of color (some classically trained) that could have been cast. I'm going to go with artistic interpretation with a side order of controversy and BS.
Well two things are certain:
That picture's frightening
&
They'll probably just sell more tickets.
Not to be overly cynical, but has anyone considered that one reason--out of many, perhaps--Third World Press is doing this is to generate some advertising that could lead to more book sales? Even the so-called "progressives" are not above such a tactic.
I actually saw the opening performance of this at the Goodman last night.
First of all, people seem to be ignoring the fact that this is not only a white actor in blackface, but ALSO that this is a woman portraying a man. The performance seems to point to broader questions of IDENTITY politics, both in terms of race and gender. The fact that a white woman performs the role of a black man is, I assume, intended to call into question assumptions of what makes a person "authentically" a specific race or gender - is it nature or a system of social codes? To what extent are what we mean by the concepts of "race" and "gender" something that is performed rather than innate.
How dare you offer a reasonable comment based on fact and personal observation of the issue at hand. As a ranter, I am morally offended.
Is identity politics a theme beyond the casting of this individual role? If so, ok. If not, it seems odd to do it in a single instance.
looks like amber already asked my question. Which means this is more of the "I haven't seen it, but I don't like it because of something I've taken from knowing a tiny bit about it"
Good points Amber.
I don't find this offensive in the least.
There is much more offense in the art world, in my opinion...things like a giant red, metal heart sculpture recently selling for something like 27 million dollars. On a smaller scale, it could have been sold as a Hallmark ornament.
Do these activist groups complain when tv stations air Barefoot In The Park and see Mickey Rooney portraying a Chinese guy like he's some kind of a spastic mental midget?
Even on SNL and MadTV they do horrendous caricatures of Asians. I never hear even a whisper of protest. There is nothing deep in those 'performances', nothing that sparks one to think about the deeper issues of identity there...just out and out offensive slapstick.
I call this another digging for boogers episode.
Ingrid:
If you haven't seen POCs bitching about the unfair treatment that Asians receive in the media you are clearly looking in the wrong places. The difference is that these folks are working WITH Asian activist groups (as opposed to these groups expecting others to do the heavy lifting but HEY--different rant, different day).
I can send you some links, if you'd like. :D
Do these activist groups complain when tv stations air Barefoot In The Park and see Mickey Rooney portraying a Chinese guy like he's some kind of a spastic mental midget?
Do you know for a fact they didn't?
Even on SNL and MadTV they do horrendous caricatures of Asians. I never hear even a whisper of protest.
Not even from you? Then how "horrendous" could it have been if you yourself didn't make a "whisper"? Did you write a letter? Make a phone call? You don't have to be Asian (or black) to complain about something that is offensive to Asians or blacks. I've written more than a few letters and made a couple of radio talk show phone calls regarding the (thankfully now defunct) Chief Illiniwek and I'm about as Native American as Columbus. At least I think so.
How do you know what I complained about or not? I'm actually quite a letter writer about things that work me into a lather.
I just think that the groups that complain about racism against blacks should be vociferous about ALL racism and they should focus on things that really matter, not this play.
This kind of behavior continues to feed into the problem. There are black kids at my son's high school who walk out the classroom screaming that the teacher is a 'racist bicth' when they get sent out for bad behavior. Kids get away with misbehavior like crazy because teachers are afraid of being called a racist.
This is why I have a problem with this particular instance. Spend all the energy on real issues.
Ingrid,
It's one "group" that's complained, not "groups". I'm not sure that the anecdotal political feelings of immature high school *kids* are very relevant. Sorry.
Just want to point out again that it's the typical (damn uppity blacks) responses that I take issue with, not the play.
Ingrid,
You're talking about *old* movies. As for SnL and MadTv, that's satire. Again, I haven't seen this so I can't know either way, I person just find some of the comparisons being made kind of ridiculous.
Navin,
Doesn't matter if it's old or not. The fact is, you can still see the movie. I once tried to rent the movie "Song of The South" and was told that it was out of circulation because of complaints from these groups that it was racist.
I don't know if it's still out of circulation.
And I don't call SNL or MADTV making Asians look stupid satire.
I'm not sure what your complaint is. I don't think people should be pressured into taking things out of circulation either but parties are free to complain if they want. The beauty of our system. I was under the impression that Song of The South was most likely removed because as times changed Disney probably didn't want to have that hanging over their heads. Anyway I'm not sure it's germane to talking about black face in a modern play. Which *again* I'm not casting any judgement on. I don't know what you mean as far as SNL and MADTV are concerned, I've never noticed anything deliberately mean as you would describe. Satire's often employed to lampoon the ignorance of other's who *are* actually mean and racist of whatever.
I see what Amber's saying and I also see how that could be misunderstood, it's not like everybody's going to get somebody's somewhat esoteric vision.
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/psy457_tizzle/asian_american_men
I just think it's telling that the blackface in the production is what gets all the attention, while other provocative elements seem to get no response. For example, the other main character in the play was a Man, dressed in a Japanese Geisha costume. It's the same gender/race bending; a white man puts on the trappings of an Asian woman. The Geisha, too, plays on patronizing, oversimplifying western stereotypes of Asians, as the blackface does. But the blackface is the only one of many many racial/gender transgressions in the play that people think should not be allowed.
As a whole, the production takes a variety of racial and gender "norms" and stereotypes (some of which happen to be from a recent past that we obviously would prefer not to remember)and inverts them, making them appear strange and questionable. And as for the blackface, I think we should all remember that we don't erase a legacy of racism in our country by simply hiding its symbols.
Now you've lost me. White people dressing up as Geisha's has the same historical context as white people putting on black face? Furthermore white people dressing like Geishas is a thing?
Asians are less petty because in this case *one* black group complained, apparently as elected representatives of the U.S.'s African American population no less? Is that the gist of most of these posts?
Seems that way.
No no no, when I say that it's "telling" which racist symbol creates the most offense, I don't mean that it shows which racial group can't take a joke or whatever. I mean it's sort of revealing which racial wounds are more raw and painful, so to speak, while others seem to pass under our notice.
As for white men dressing like geisha's, I don't know about it being "a thing". I was just referring to the way this play was staged: two characters on stage - one a white woman playing a black man, and one a white man playing an Asian woman. The geisha is a piece of Japanese culture that has become iconic, in the way the minstrel shows were an iconic way of whites looking at blacks. The geisha is certainly not as insulting of a portrayal as the minstrel shows were, but it's still a sort of patronizing western veiw that oversimplifies a culture; characterizing the Japanese as sort of quaint.
I hope that makes more sense.
I do think it is petty, however, to condemn the blackface without having even seen the play. I feel it's clear within the context that the play uses blackface as a piece of our history that can still tell us about a past that we're obviously still dealing with.
I would certainly be curious to hear more as to why this group came to their conclusions, especially if they didn't know the context of the portrayal. It's not them or the play that irks me though, it's some of the comments.
Hey Matilda!
Bobby Rush got your page dear! He said sorry for not paying child support for ya. Had he knew that you would turn out to be arrogantly stupidly as oppossed to being just stupid like him, he certainly would have seen to it that you got into special ed program at CPS
Navin
I agree with you, having a discussion on Chicagoist about race is like debating a bunch of white angry 14 year olds from a trailor park.
But I would like clarification from Roche Schulfer on how it "undermines racist and sexist stereotypes through the use of masks and Japanese theater techniques."
I just don't get how Blackface does that and its not explained so I'm wondering if its just about shock value?
Also google a book called "Black Like You: Blackface, Whiteface, Insult & Imitation in American Popular Culture" It was a pretty interesting book on the subject
Spook out